iPhone → Mac Cursor Prototype

Move your Mac cursor by moving your iPhone. The iPhone streams gyroscope deltas over WebSocket; the Mac applies them with robotjs.

Projects

• mac-cursor-server/: Node.js WebSocket server controlling cursor
• phone-mouse-expo/: Expo client streaming motion deltas

Prerequisites

• macOS with Accessibility permission for your terminal/Node
• Node 18+ (server), Node 20 recommended for Expo
• iPhone with Expo Go app
• Same Wi‑Fi network for both devices

Setup

1) Start the server

cd mac-cursor-server
npm install
npm start

The server prints local URLs like ws://192.168.x.x:8080.

If cursor doesn’t move, enable: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → allow your terminal (Terminal/iTerm/Cursor) and Node.

Optional env tuning:

PORT=8080 GAIN=1.2 MAX_STEP=60 FRICTION=0.12 DEBUG=1 npm start

2) Run the Expo client

cd ../phone-mouse-expo
npm install
npx expo install expo-sensors
npm start

Open in Expo Go on your iPhone.

In the app:

• Enter the server IP and port (from server logs)
• Tap Connect, then Start Streaming

Troubleshooting

• Ensure phone and Mac are on same subnet (e.g., 192.168.1.*)
• Try disabling VPNs/firewalls
• Verify server logs show client connection
• Toggle DEBUG=1 on server for detailed logs

Tuning Notes

• Client maps yaw (z) → horizontal, pitch (x) → vertical (inverted)
• Client clamps per-frame deltas; server applies smoothing and friction
• Adjust client gains in phone-mouse-expo/App.js; server gain/friction via env