What is Pincer?

Pincer is a native macOS and iOS app for your OpenClaw Gateway.

Your gateway already serves the Control UI in a browser. Pincer is for when you want your agents in a real app instead: one that answers a global shortcut, appears in the share sheet and Shortcuts, brings exec approvals to your notifications, and keeps every gateway you use in one window. Pincer vs the Control UI says when each fits.

macOS

Explore a conversation in the built-in demo. All content is synthetic. Open image for full size.

iOS

Explore a conversation in the built-in demo. All content is synthetic. Open image for full size.

What makes it different

Built into the system

Quick Capture from any app, the share sheet, Shortcuts and Siri, Handoff and the menu bar.

Approvals in a notification

Allow or deny exec requests from a notification. On iOS, notifications arrive while the app is closed.

Every gateway, one window

Several gateways signed in at once. Press ⌘K to jump to any chat on any of them, or open chats in their own windows on the Mac.

Instant, even offline

Chats open from a local cache, you can read and search them offline, and messages you write wait in an outbox until you reconnect.

Everything you’d expect from a chat with your agents is there too: live thinking and tool calls, subagent runs, slash commands, read aloud and dictation, and the common Gateway Settings pages.

What Pincer is (and isn’t)

Pincer is a pure client. It connects to a Gateway you already run and uses the Gateway WebSocket protocol (v4) in the operator role.

• It never bundles, launches or embeds a Gateway.
• It only registers as a node if you turn on the opt-in device mode, and then it declares just the read-only data you check. It never exposes camera, screen, shell or system.run capabilities.

That’s why you can use it on machines where the official OpenClaw app isn’t allowed. The security model covers the details.

You need a Gateway

Pincer doesn’t run agents itself. It talks to an OpenClaw Gateway on this machine, on your network, or reachable over Tailscale. No gateway yet? You can still try the demo.

Next steps

Why Pincer?What the Control UI does well, and where Pincer differs.

Install PincerGet the app for macOS or iOS.

Try the demoLook around with sample agents. Nothing leaves your device.

Connect a gatewayThe first-run setup: find your gateway, sign in and approve this device.

Set up a gatewayPick your default agent and model, look at skills, then send a test message.