ax_activate
Activate an exact actionable node from a fresh axread; rejects stale snapshot IDs and reports route=ax\
How to use it
ax_activate is exposed by the Nova MCP server. Add the server to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf and others), and the ax_activate tool becomes available to the model automatically. See the full listing for setup details and every tool this server provides.
Install Nova
npx -y @bigduu/nova --versionOther tools in Nova (8)
Canonical ax:read: read semantic labels, text, values, roles, actions, state, and optional bounds through macOS Accessibility or Windows UIA, without a screenshot. Returns an ephemeral snapshot/node protocol and explicit coverage/status.
Run a sequence of input actions in one call.
Compatibility action for the latest numbered mark; prefer generation-safe axactivate.
Recognize on-screen text via Apple Vision (on-device, no model files). Returns each text line with a clickable center — read and click text on canvas/Electron/game surfaces where marks are empty. CJK + Latin.
Compatibility alias backed by the same axread traversal and cache generation.
Capture the whole display or a single window= — use for layout, icons, colors, images, canvas, and visual verification after semantic/OCR paths.
Pause for a specified number of seconds.
Magnify a rectangle of the last screenshot at native resolution — reads small targets on surfaces with no Accessibility tree.