WinUse CLI

The WinUse CLI (winuse) is a simple, scriptable wrapper around the WinUse Windows API. It can target a local Windows host or a remote Windows machine over LAN.

Project homepage: github.com/nedos/winuse

Install

pip install winuse-cli

Configure

By default it talks to http://127.0.0.1:8080. Override with:

export WINUSE_HOST="http://192.168.1.100:8080"

Or pass --host per command.

If you are on WSL or behind a proxy, bypass proxies:

export NO_PROXY='*'
export no_proxy='*'

Commands

• health — check server status
• windows — list windows
• active — get active window
• focus <hwnd>
• minimize <hwnd>
• maximize <hwnd>
• restore <hwnd>
• screenshot [--hwnd <hwnd>]
• mouse-move <x> <y> [--duration <seconds>]
• mouse-click [--x <x>] [--y <y>] [--button left|right|middle] [--clicks N]
• type <text> [--mode paste|type] [--interval <sec>]
• paste <text>
• press <key> [key ...]

Examples

winuse health
winuse windows
winuse active
winuse focus 2293790
winuse screenshot
winuse screenshot --hwnd 2293790
winuse type "Hello from WinUse" --mode paste
winuse paste "Привет, Сам"
winuse press ctrl v
winuse mouse-move 10 10 --duration 0.2
winuse mouse-click --x 10 --y 10 --button left --clicks 1

Integration test helper

From repo root:

scripts/integration_test_cmd_window.sh

That script will:

• Open Notepad via Win+R
• Paste a timestamped message
• Refocus the window
• Type a suffix character-by-character
• Capture before/after screenshots

Tips

• For UTF-8 text, prefer paste or type --mode paste.
• If a window loses focus, call focus <hwnd> before typing.
• The CLI prints JSON responses for scripting.

License

MIT. See ../LICENSE.