GitHub - omarshahine/HomeClaw: HomeKit smart home control via MCP — lights, locks, thermostats, and scenes for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and OpenClaw

Control your Apple HomeKit smart home from AI assistants, the terminal, and automation tools.

HomeClaw exposes your HomeKit accessories through a command-line tool, a stdio MCP server, and plugins for Claude Code and OpenClaw. It runs as a lightweight macOS menu bar app.

Why HomeClaw?

Apple HomeKit has no public API, no CLI, and no way to integrate with AI assistants or automation pipelines. HomeClaw bridges that gap with a Mac Catalyst app that talks to HomeKit on your behalf and exposes a clean API surface.

• Ask Claude or OpenClaw to "turn off all the lights" or "set the thermostat to 72"
• Script your smart home from the terminal
• Build automations that go beyond what the Home app offers
• Search and control devices by name, room, category, or semantic type

Architecture

Claude Code --> Plugin (.claude-plugin/) --> stdio MCP server (Node.js) --+
Claude Desktop --> stdio MCP server (Node.js) ----------------------------+
OpenClaw --> Plugin (openclaw/) --> homeclaw-cli --------------------------+
                                                                          v
                                               Unix socket (JSON newline-delimited)
                                                                          |
                                               HomeClaw (Mac Catalyst app)
                                                 +-- HomeKitManager (direct, in-process)
                                                 +-- SocketServer (for CLI/MCP clients)
                                                 +-- macOSBridge.bundle (NSStatusItem menu bar)

Single-process design. Apple's HMHomeManager requires a UIKit/Catalyst app with the HomeKit entitlement. By making the entire app Catalyst, HomeKit access is direct (no IPC), signing is unified (single archive), and App Store submission is clean. The macOSBridge plugin bundle provides the native macOS menu bar via NSStatusItem.

Install

TestFlight (Recommended)

The easiest way to install HomeClaw is via TestFlight:

1. Join the TestFlight Beta
2. Install HomeClaw from TestFlight
3. Launch the app -- grant HomeKit access when prompted
4. The menu bar icon appears. Click it to see your connected homes.

TestFlight builds are signed for App Store distribution, so HomeKit works without any developer account setup.

Once running, set up your AI integrations:

• Claude Desktop -- one-click install from Settings > Integrations, or add the MCP server config manually
• Claude Code -- install the plugin from GitHub
• OpenClaw -- one-click install from Settings > Integrations, or set up manually

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/omarshahine/HomeClaw.git
cd HomeClaw

# Configure your Apple Developer Team ID (one-time setup)
echo "HOMEKIT_TEAM_ID=YOUR_TEAM_ID" > .env.local

# Install Node.js dependencies
npm install

# Build everything and install
scripts/build.sh --release --install

MCP Tools

The stdio MCP server wraps homeclaw-cli and exposes these tools:

Connecting an MCP Client

Any MCP-compatible client can connect via the stdio server, which wraps homeclaw-cli and requires no authentication (the HomeClaw app must be running for the socket). Add this to your MCP client config (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "homeclaw": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/Applications/HomeClaw.app/Contents/Resources/mcp-server.js"]
    }
  }
}

The mcp-server.js is bundled inside the app. You can also use the Integrations tab in Settings to install this automatically.

CLI

The homeclaw-cli command-line tool communicates directly over the Unix domain socket. All read commands support --json for machine-readable output.

# List accessories
homeclaw-cli list
homeclaw-cli list --room "Kitchen"
homeclaw-cli list --category thermostat

# Control devices
homeclaw-cli set "Living Room Light" brightness 75
homeclaw-cli set "Front Door Lock" lock_target_state locked
homeclaw-cli set "Thermostat" target_temperature 72

# Disambiguate when a characteristic exists on multiple services (e.g. bridged TVs)
homeclaw-cli set "TV" active 0 --service-type 000000D8-0000-1000-8000-0026BB765291

# Get detailed device info
homeclaw-cli get "Kitchen Light" --json

# Search across all homes
homeclaw-cli search "bedroom" --category lightbulb

# Scenes
homeclaw-cli scenes
homeclaw-cli get-scene "Good Night" --json        # Full detail: all actions
homeclaw-cli trigger "Good Night"

# Scene management
homeclaw-cli delete-scene "Old Scene"
homeclaw-cli import-scene scene.json --dry-run   # Preview before creating
homeclaw-cli import-scene scene.json              # Create scene from JSON
homeclaw-cli assign-rooms rooms.json --dry-run    # Preview room assignments
homeclaw-cli assign-rooms rooms.json              # Bulk-assign accessories to rooms

# LLM-optimized device map
homeclaw-cli device-map

# Status and configuration
homeclaw-cli status
homeclaw-cli config --default-home "Main House"
homeclaw-cli config --filter-mode allowlist
homeclaw-cli config --list-devices

# Event log
homeclaw-cli events                         # Recent events (last 50)
homeclaw-cli events --since 1h              # Events from the last hour
homeclaw-cli events --since 2d --json       # Last 2 days, JSON output
homeclaw-cli events --type scene_triggered  # Filter by event type

# Webhook configuration
homeclaw-cli config --webhook-url "http://127.0.0.1:18789"
homeclaw-cli config --webhook-token "your-secret-token"
homeclaw-cli config --webhook-enabled true
homeclaw-cli config --webhook-test           # Send test event, show HTTP response
homeclaw-cli config --webhook-reset          # Reset circuit breaker without toggling

# Webhook triggers
homeclaw-cli triggers                        # List all triggers
homeclaw-cli triggers add --label "Front Door" --accessory-id "<uuid>"
homeclaw-cli triggers add --label "Mailbox Open" --accessory-id "<uuid>" --characteristic contact_state
homeclaw-cli triggers update "<trigger-id>" --wake-mode now
homeclaw-cli triggers remove "<trigger-id>"

# Dry-run mutations (validate without actuating)
homeclaw-cli set "Front Door" lock_target_state locked --dry-run
homeclaw-cli delete-scene "Movie Night" --dry-run

# Auto-JSON: all commands output JSON when piped or when env var is set
homeclaw-cli status | jq .                   # Auto-detects non-TTY
OUTPUT_FORMAT=json homeclaw-cli list          # Force JSON via env var

Using with Claude Code

HomeClaw integrates with Claude Code as a plugin that provides MCP tools and a HomeKit skill for richer natural language understanding.

Installing the Plugin

Install from a local clone or directly from GitHub.

From a local clone:

# Clone if you haven't already
git clone https://github.com/omarshahine/HomeClaw.git ~/GitHub/HomeClaw

# Inside Claude Code, register the marketplace and install
/plugin marketplace add ~/GitHub/HomeClaw
/plugin install homeclaw@homeclaw

From GitHub (no local clone needed):

# Inside Claude Code, add the GitHub repo as a marketplace
/plugin marketplace add https://github.com/omarshahine/HomeClaw

# Install the plugin
/plugin install homeclaw@homeclaw

After installing, restart Claude Code. Then just ask:

"Turn on the kitchen lights and set them to 50% brightness" "Lock all the doors" "What's the thermostat set to?" "Run the movie time scene" "Which lights are on in the living room?"

Verifying the Connection

After installing, verify Claude can reach HomeKit:

# Check MCP server status inside Claude Code
/mcp

Using with OpenClaw

HomeClaw includes an OpenClaw plugin that registers a HomeKit skill on the gateway. The skill calls homeclaw-cli by name, so it must be in your PATH.

Same-Mac Install (Recommended)

If HomeClaw and OpenClaw run on the same Mac, use the one-click installer:

1. Open Settings > Integrations and click Install in the OpenClaw section.

This handles all four steps automatically: installs the plugin, enables it, symlinks homeclaw-cli into your PATH, and restarts the gateway.

Or from the terminal:

# 1. Install the plugin from the bundled files
openclaw plugins install "/Applications/HomeClaw.app/Contents/Resources/openclaw/"
openclaw plugins enable homeclaw

# 2. Symlink the CLI into PATH (the skill calls homeclaw-cli by name)
# Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4):
ln -sf '/Applications/HomeClaw.app/Contents/MacOS/homeclaw-cli' /opt/homebrew/bin/homeclaw-cli
# Intel:
ln -sf '/Applications/HomeClaw.app/Contents/MacOS/homeclaw-cli' /usr/local/bin/homeclaw-cli

# 3. Restart the gateway to load the plugin
openclaw gateway restart

Remote Gateway

If OpenClaw runs on a different machine:

# Clone the repo on the gateway
git clone https://github.com/omarshahine/HomeClaw.git ~/GitHub/HomeClaw

# Install the plugin
openclaw plugins install ~/GitHub/HomeClaw/openclaw
openclaw plugins enable homeclaw

# Symlink the CLI into PATH
ln -sf /path/to/homeclaw-cli /opt/homebrew/bin/homeclaw-cli

# Restart the gateway
openclaw gateway restart

Note: The homeclaw-cli binary must be accessible from the gateway (in PATH), and the HomeClaw app must be running on the same Mac (connected via Unix socket).

Supported Accessories

HomeClaw supports the full range of HomeKit accessory categories:

Scene Import Format

The import-scene command accepts a JSON file defining a scene and its actions:

{
  "name": "Movie Night",
  "actions": [
    {"accessory": "Living Room Light", "room": "Living Room", "property": "brightness", "value": "30%"},
    {"accessory": "TV Backlight", "room": "Living Room", "property": "power_state", "value": "ON"},
    {"accessory": "Overhead", "room": "Living Room", "property": "power_state", "value": "OFF"}
  ]
}

The assign-rooms command accepts a JSON file mapping accessories to rooms:

{
  "assignments": [
    {"accessory": "Kitchen Light", "room": "Kitchen"},
    {"accessory": "Desk Lamp", "room": "Office"}
  ]
}

Both commands support --dry-run to preview changes without modifying HomeKit.

Menu Bar App

The menu bar provides at-a-glance status and quick actions:

• HomeKit connection status -- shows home names when connected, or error states with reasons
• Launch at Login toggle
• Settings link and Quit

Settings

Five configuration tabs accessible from the menu bar:

HomeKit

View connection status, browse your homes, and select which home is active for all MCP and CLI commands.

Devices

Control which accessories are exposed to MCP clients and the CLI. Switch between All Accessories (everything visible) and Selected Only (allowlist mode). Accessories are grouped by room with a search filter and room-level toggles for quick bulk selection.

Integrations

Install and manage connections to AI assistants. The app detects existing configurations and guides you through setup:

• Claude Desktop -- one-click install of the bundled stdio MCP server (requires Node.js)
• Claude Code -- detects the installed plugin (homeclaw@homeclaw)
• OpenClaw -- detects plugin configuration on the remote gateway and provides setup instructions

Event Log

HomeClaw records all HomeKit events to a JSONL file in ~/Library/Application Support/HomeClaw/events.jsonl. Events include characteristic changes (a light turned on), scene triggers, and control actions from the CLI or MCP.

Configuration

Open Settings > Event Log to configure:

• Enable/disable event logging
• Max file size (10-500 MB) -- when the log reaches this size, it's rotated
• Rotated backups (0-10) -- how many old log files to keep before deleting the oldest
• Purge -- delete all event log files
• Show in Finder -- reveal the log directory

Or configure via CLI:

homeclaw-cli events                         # Show recent events
homeclaw-cli events --since 1h              # Last hour
homeclaw-cli events --type characteristic_change  # Filter by type
homeclaw-cli events --limit 200 --json      # JSON output

Event types: characteristic_change, scene_triggered, accessory_controlled, homes_updated

The --since flag accepts ISO 8601 timestamps or duration shorthand: 1h, 30m, 2d.

Webhook

HomeClaw pushes HomeKit events to OpenClaw via mapped webhooks. Only accessories and scenes with configured triggers fire webhooks -- untriggered events are logged to disk but not pushed. A dedicated HomeClaw agent receives all events, classifies them by severity, and escalates noteworthy ones to the main agent.

Note: OpenClaw 2026.3.x has a known bug where /hooks/wake silently drops events (#33271). HomeClaw uses mapped webhooks (/hooks/homeclaw) which route through hooks.mappings and are not affected.

How It Works

HomeClaw POSTs all triggered events to a single mapped endpoint: /hooks/homeclaw. OpenClaw's hooks.mappings config resolves the "homeclaw" key and routes each event to a dedicated HomeClaw agent that classifies and triages events.

HomeKit event --> HomeClaw event logger --> POST /hooks/homeclaw
    --> OpenClaw hooks.mappings --> HomeClaw Agent (dedicated)
        --> Classifies: CRITICAL / NOTABLE / AMBIENT
        --> If notable/critical: a2a to main agent
        --> If ambient: log to agent memory only

HomeClaw doesn't need to know about agentId, channel, or sessionKey -- all routing intelligence lives in the OpenClaw config.

Trigger Delivery Modes

Each trigger has a delivery mode that controls timing:

In Settings > Webhook, each enabled trigger shows a Batched / Immediate picker. Use Immediate for events you want to react to right away (leak sensors, door locks, scene triggers). Use Batched for ambient events (light toggles, temperature changes) to avoid noise.

Setup with AI Assistant

Paste this prompt into OpenClaw or Claude Code to configure webhooks end-to-end. The prompt is idempotent -- it verifies each step and skips anything already configured:

Prerequisites: HomeClaw must be installed and running (menu bar icon visible). If using Claude Code, the homeclaw plugin must be registered (/plugin install homeclaw@homeclaw). The homeclaw-cli binary must be in your PATH.

Set up HomeClaw mapped webhooks with a dedicated HomeClaw agent. Verify each step first -- skip any that are already configured.

1. HomeClaw agent workspace:

• Check if homeclaw agent exists: openclaw agents list
• If missing, install from the bundled app: openclaw agents install homeclaw /Applications/HomeClaw.app/Contents/Resources/openclaw/agents/homeclaw
• Copy agent docs (IDENTITY/SOUL/AGENTS/TOOLS.md) from the app bundle to the local agent dir if newer
• Configure agent: model claude-sonnet-4, restricted tools (memory, sessions/a2a, read/write only -- no exec, no browser, no external services)

2. OpenClaw gateway hooks config:

• Check ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json for a hooks.mappings.homeclaw entry
• If missing, add:

"hooks": {
  "enabled": true,
  "token": "${HOMECLAW_WEBHOOK_TOKEN}",
  "mappings": {
    "homeclaw": {
      "agentId": "homeclaw",
      "sessionKey": "hook:homeclaw",
      "deliver": true,
      "channel": "last",
      "allowUnsafeExternalContent": true
    }
  }
}

• Create a transform at ~/.openclaw/hooks/transforms/homeclaw-transform.js to convert HomeClaw state-change payloads into agent messages
• Check ~/.openclaw/.env for HOMECLAW_WEBHOOK_TOKEN. If missing, generate one: openssl rand -base64 24 | tr '+/' '-_' | tr -d '=' and add it
• Remove any legacy defaultSessionKey entries that are no longer needed with dedicated mapping
• Restart gateway only if config changed: openclaw gateway restart

3. HomeClaw webhook config:

• Check current config: homeclaw-cli config --json
• Verify: webhook.enabled is true, webhook.url is http://127.0.0.1:18789, webhook.token matches the HOMECLAW_WEBHOOK_TOKEN from step 2, and webhook_endpoint is /hooks/homeclaw
• Fix any mismatches via HomeClaw Settings UI or CLI
• If circuit breaker shows old failures, reset it

4. End-to-end test:

• Run homeclaw-cli config --webhook-test -- expect HTTP 200
• Verify circuit state is closed and last_success is recent

Report what was already configured, what was changed, and the test result.

Manual Setup

# Create local agent dir with workspace
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/agents/homeclaw/{agent,workspace}

# Copy agent docs from app bundle
cp /Applications/HomeClaw.app/Contents/Resources/openclaw/agents/homeclaw/*.md \
   ~/.openclaw/agents/homeclaw/agent/

# Register the agent
openclaw agents add homeclaw \
  --agent-dir ~/.openclaw/agents/homeclaw/agent \
  --workspace ~/.openclaw/agents/homeclaw/workspace
openclaw agents list   # verify it appears

"hooks": {
  "enabled": true,
  "token": "${HOMECLAW_WEBHOOK_TOKEN}",
  "mappings": {
    "homeclaw": {
      "agentId": "homeclaw",
      "sessionKey": "hook:homeclaw",
      "deliver": true,
      "channel": "last",
      "allowUnsafeExternalContent": true
    }
  }
}

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/hooks/transforms
cat > ~/.openclaw/hooks/transforms/homeclaw-transform.js << 'TRANSFORM'
// Convert HomeClaw webhook payload {text, mode} into agent message format
module.exports = function(payload) {
  return {
    message: payload.text || JSON.stringify(payload),
    mode: payload.mode || "next-heartbeat"
  };
};
TRANSFORM

"homeclaw": {
  "agentId": "homeclaw",
  "sessionKey": "hook:homeclaw",
  "deliver": true,
  "channel": "last",
  "allowUnsafeExternalContent": true,
  "transform": "homeclaw-transform"
}

# Generate a secure token
openssl rand -base64 24 | tr '+/' '-_' | tr -d '='

# Add to .env
echo 'HOMECLAW_WEBHOOK_TOKEN=<your-generated-token>' >> ~/.openclaw/.env

homeclaw-cli config --webhook-url "http://127.0.0.1:18789" \
                    --webhook-token "your-token" \
                    --webhook-enabled true

homeclaw-cli config --webhook-test

# Verify HomeClaw is connected and webhook is healthy
homeclaw-cli status

# Toggle a light from the Home app, then check events
homeclaw-cli events --since 5m

# Check webhook delivery log
homeclaw-cli webhook-log

# Check HomeClaw delivery logs
log show --predicate 'process == "HomeClaw" AND category == "webhook"' --last 5m --style compact

Circuit Breaker

The webhook system includes a tiered circuit breaker that prevents runaway delivery failures from hammering a down endpoint, while ensuring critical events are never silently dropped.

Critical triggers (critical: true) always attempt delivery regardless of circuit state.

The circuit state is visible in:

• Menu bar -- warning icon when paused or disabled
• Settings > Webhook -- orange (paused) or red (disabled) banner with countdown
• CLI -- homeclaw-cli status shows circuit state, dropped count, and recovery hint

How Events Flow

Home app / physical device / Siri
        |
        v
HomeKit (HMAccessoryDelegate callback)
        |
        +-- Cache warmup? --> Update cache only (no logging, no webhooks)
        |
        +-- Battery event? --> Update cache only (silently dropped)
        |
        v
HomeClaw event logger (writes to events.jsonl)
        |
        +-- Trigger matches? --> POST /hooks/homeclaw
        |
        +-- No trigger --> Logged to disk only (no webhook sent)

        v  (trigger matched)
OpenClaw gateway validates Bearer token
        |
        v
hooks.mappings resolves "homeclaw"
        |
        v
HomeClaw Agent (dedicated)
        +-- Classifies: CRITICAL / NOTABLE / AMBIENT
        +-- If notable/critical: a2a to main agent
        +-- If ambient: log to agent memory only

Authentication

Uses Authorization: Bearer <token> with idempotency headers (X-Request-ID, X-Event-Timestamp). See SKILL.md for the full trigger fields reference, scenario cookbook, and troubleshooting.

Device Filtering

Use the Devices tab in Settings or the CLI to control which accessories are exposed:

homeclaw-cli config --filter-mode allowlist
homeclaw-cli config --allow-accessories "uuid1,uuid2,uuid3"
homeclaw-cli config --list-devices  # shows allowed/filtered status

Building

The build script uses XcodeGen to generate the Xcode project and xcodebuild to compile all targets (HomeClaw Catalyst app, macOSBridge bundle, homeclaw-cli tool):

# Full release build + install to /Applications
scripts/build.sh --release --install

# Override team ID on the command line
scripts/build.sh --release --install --team-id ABCDE12345

# Debug build (faster)
scripts/build.sh --debug

# Clean build artifacts first
scripts/build.sh --clean

Your Apple Developer Team ID is required, provided via .env.local, --team-id, or the HOMEKIT_TEAM_ID environment variable.

Archiving for App Store / TestFlight

scripts/archive.sh
# Then open in Xcode Organizer to distribute:
open '.build/archives/HomeClaw.xcarchive'

Version Bumping

Version is derived from git tags at build time. To release a new version:

scripts/bump-version.sh 0.2.0   # Updates source files + prints tag commands
npm run build:mcp                # Rebuild MCP server with new version
git add -A && git commit -m "Bump version to 0.2.0"
git tag -a v0.2.0 -m "HomeClaw v0.2.0"
git push && git push origin v0.2.0

Installing on Additional Macs

Development-signed builds are tied to registered devices. To run HomeClaw on another Mac:

1. Get the target Mac's Provisioning UDID -- on that Mac, run:

   system_profiler SPHardwareDataType | grep "Provisioning UDID"

2. Register the device at developer.apple.com/account/resources/devices/add:

   • Platform: macOS
   • Device Name: a descriptive name (e.g. "Living Room MacBook Air")
   • Device ID: the Provisioning UDID from step 1

3. Rebuild on your development machine (Xcode regenerates the provisioning profile to include the new device):

   scripts/build.sh --release --install --clean

4. Copy /Applications/HomeClaw.app to the target Mac (AirDrop, USB, network share, etc.)

5. Grant HomeKit access on first launch when prompted.

Note: The target Mac must be signed into iCloud with an account that has HomeKit home data. HomeKit homes are tied to iCloud accounts, not to the app.

Why Development Signing?

Apple restricts the com.apple.developer.homekit entitlement to development signing and Mac App Store distribution. It cannot be included in Developer ID provisioning profiles. A Developer ID build would pass Gatekeeper but have no HomeKit access (HMHomeManager returns zero homes). This is an Apple platform restriction, not a bug.

Project Structure

Sources/
  homeclaw/                Unified Catalyst app (Xcode target via XcodeGen)
    App/                   UIApplicationDelegate entry point, scene delegates
    Bridge/                BridgeProtocols.swift (Mac2iOS, iOS2Mac)
    HomeKit/               HomeKitManager, SocketServer, CharacteristicMapper,
                           AccessoryModel, DeviceMap, CharacteristicCache,
                           HomeEventLogger, WebhookCircuitBreaker
    Views/                 SettingsView, IntegrationsSettingsView
    Shared/                AppConfig, AppLogger, HomeClawConfig
  macOSBridge/             AppKit bundle (NSStatusItem menu bar)
    MacOSController.swift  NSStatusItem + NSMenu via iOS2Mac protocol
    Info.plist             NSPrincipalClass: MacOSController
  homeclaw-cli/            CLI tool (SPM executable + Xcode target)
    Commands/              list, get, set, search, scenes, get-scene, status, config, device-map,
                           events, triggers, delete-scene, import-scene, assign-rooms
    SocketClient.swift     Direct socket communication
Resources/                 Info.plist, entitlements, app icons
scripts/
  build.sh                 Build, sign, and install
  archive.sh               Archive for App Store / TestFlight
  bump-version.sh          Update version across source files
mcp-server/                Node.js stdio MCP server (wraps homeclaw-cli)
openclaw/                  OpenClaw plugin (HomeClaw)
  skills/homekit/          HomeKit skill with full characteristic reference

App bundle layout (after build):
  Contents/MacOS/HomeClaw              Catalyst app executable
  Contents/MacOS/homeclaw-cli          Bundled CLI binary
  Contents/Resources/macOSBridge.bundle  AppKit menu bar plugin
  Contents/Resources/mcp-server.js       Node.js stdio MCP server
  Contents/Resources/openclaw/           Bundled OpenClaw plugin files

Debugging

# Check if HomeClaw is running and HomeKit is ready
echo '{"command":"status"}' | nc -U ~/Library/Group\ Containers/group.com.shahine.homeclaw/homeclaw.sock

# Or via the CLI
homeclaw-cli status

# Verify HomeKit entitlement on installed app
codesign -d --entitlements :- "/Applications/HomeClaw.app"

# View HomeClaw logs
log show --predicate 'process == "HomeClaw"' --last 10m --style compact

# Check TCC (privacy) permissions
sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.apple.TCC/TCC.db \
  "SELECT client, auth_value FROM access WHERE service = 'kTCCServiceWillow'"

Tech Stack

• Swift 6 with strict concurrency (@MainActor, actor isolation)
• Mac Catalyst (UIKit) for HomeKit framework access
• AppKit (via macOSBridge bundle) for native menu bar
• Swift Argument Parser for CLI
• Node.js + @modelcontextprotocol/sdk for stdio MCP server
• XcodeGen for Xcode project generation
• GCD + Unix domain sockets for CLI/MCP communication

FAQ

spctl --assess says "rejected" -- is that a problem?

No. spctl checks Gatekeeper, which only trusts Developer ID and App Store signing. HomeClaw uses development signing (required for HomeKit on macOS), so Gatekeeper will always reject it. This is expected and doesn't prevent the app from running -- AMFI handles development-signed apps separately via the embedded provisioning profile.

Can I use a different Apple ID for HomeKit than my developer account?

Yes. The two accounts serve completely different purposes:

• Apple Developer account -- only matters at build time. Xcode uses it to create the provisioning profile and sign the code.
• iCloud account (on the Mac running HomeClaw) -- determines which HomeKit homes appear. This is the account linked to your Home app data.

These are independent. You can build HomeClaw with your developer account and run it on a Mac signed into a completely different iCloud account that has HomeKit homes. The HomeKit data follows the iCloud account, not the signing identity.

When should I use --clean?

Use scripts/build.sh --clean when:

• Switching Apple Developer Team IDs
• After major Xcode version updates
• Build fails with signing or entitlement errors
• You see code signature errors after rebuilding

The --clean flag removes all build artifacts before building fresh.

HomeKit shows 0 homes

The app is running but can't see any HomeKit data. Check in order:

1. iCloud signed in? HomeKit data lives in iCloud. Open System Settings > Apple Account and verify.
2. HomeKit entitlement present? Run:

   codesign -d --entitlements :- "/Applications/HomeClaw.app"

   You should see com.apple.developer.homekit -> true.
3. TCC permission granted? On first launch, macOS asks for HomeKit access. If you denied it, re-grant in System Settings > Privacy & Security > HomeKit.
4. Using Developer ID signing? Only development signing supports the HomeKit entitlement. See Why Development Signing?.

How do I install on another Mac?

Development-signed apps are tied to registered devices. See Installing on Additional Macs for the full walkthrough.

How do I see what's happening?

# HomeClaw app logs
log show --predicate 'process == "HomeClaw"' --last 10m --style compact

# Check HomeKit status directly over the socket
homeclaw-cli status

# Verify code signature and entitlements
codesign -d --entitlements :- "/Applications/HomeClaw.app"

License

MIT -- Copyright (c) 2025 Omar Shahine