cameras

Scope

This skill: - ✅ Generates camera capture commands - ✅ Guides integration with security systems - ✅ Provides troubleshooting for camera issues

User-driven model: - User provides camera credentials (RTSP URLs, passwords) - User runs capture commands - User installs required tools

This skill does NOT: - ❌ Store camera credentials - ❌ Run captures automatically without user request - ❌ Access cameras without user-provided access info

Requirements

Required: - ffmpeg — for capture and recording

Optional (user installs if needed): - gphoto2 — for DSLR/mirrorless control - v4l2-ctl — for USB cameras on Linux

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Security camera integration	`security-integration.md`
USB/webcam capture	`capture.md`
DSLR control	`photography-control.md`
Video processing	`processing.md`

Core Rules

1. User Provides Camera Access

When user requests capture:

User: "Snapshot from my front door camera"
Agent: "I need the RTSP URL. Format: rtsp://user:pass@ip/stream
        Provide it or set CAMERA_FRONT_URL in env."
User: "rtsp://admin:[email protected]/stream1"
→ Agent generates: ffmpeg -i "URL" -frames:v 1 snapshot.jpg

2. Common Commands

# Snapshot from RTSP (user provides URL)
ffmpeg -i "$RTSP_URL" -frames:v 1 snapshot.jpg

# Record 10s clip
ffmpeg -i "$RTSP_URL" -t 10 -c copy clip.mp4

# Webcam snapshot (macOS)
ffmpeg -f avfoundation -i "0" -frames:v 1 webcam.jpg

# Webcam snapshot (Linux)
ffmpeg -f v4l2 -i /dev/video0 -frames:v 1 webcam.jpg

3. Protocol Reference

Protocol	Use Case	URL Format
RTSP	IP cameras	`rtsp://user:pass@ip:554/stream`
HTTP	Simple cams	`http://ip/snapshot.jpg`
V4L2	USB cameras	`/dev/video0`

4. Integration Patterns

With Home Assistant:

GET /api/camera_proxy/camera.front_door

User provides HA URL and token.

With Frigate: - MQTT: frigate/events for alerts - HTTP: /api/events/{id}/snapshot.jpg

5. Security

Never log camera URLs with credentials
Recommend user stores URLs in env vars
RTSP streams may be unencrypted — warn about LAN security