vncdotool
Command line VNC client
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. vncdotool is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive MIT license, and solves a specific automation problem with no known vulnerabilities. Install it if you need to automate VNC interactions; skip it if your use case doesn't involve remote display control.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a running VNC server to connect to; the server address must be specified in the format address[:display|::port].
- Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel.
- Depends on Twisted, Pillow, and cryptography—all well-maintained libraries.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT License (permissive) — MIT License (permissive) places no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution. Safe for commercial and proprietary projects.
last release 2026-04-03 (133 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-14 · 523 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 487,611 downloads/mo, #6,383 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install vncdotool
vncdo -s 192.168.1.1 type "hello world"
vncdo -s 192.168.1.1 capture screen.png- Whether the package supports all common VNC server implementations (RealVNC, TightVNC, QEMU, etc.) equally well.
- Performance characteristics when automating high-frequency interactions or large screen captures.
- Compatibility with modern VNC server security features beyond basic password authentication.
What it is and what it does
vncdotool is a command-line VNC client designed to automate interactions with remote displays. It connects to VNC servers and sends commands to type text, move the mouse, capture screenshots, and perform other desktop interactions—useful for automating virtual machine control, testing, or hardware device interaction where direct access is impractical.
The package is built on Twisted for async networking, Pillow for image handling, and cryptography for secure connections. It supports multiple VNC encodings, IPv6 addresses, password-protected servers, and Apple Remote Desktop. Recent versions (1.3.0) have improved type hints, key handling, and switched to the cryptography library for better maintainability. The tool is actively maintained and works with modern Python versions (3.9–3.13).
Use it for
- Automate testing of GUI applications running on virtual machines or remote hardware by scripting keyboard and mouse input.
- Capture screenshots from remote VNC servers for monitoring, logging, or automated visual inspection workflows.
- Control virtualized environments or embedded devices that expose only a VNC interface, without manual intervention.
- Record and replay interactive VNC sessions using the vnclog tool to generate automation scripts from manual actions.
- Integrate VNC server control into CI/CD pipelines or test frameworks that need to interact with headless or remote displays.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
vncdotool is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive MIT license, and solves a specific automation problem with no known vulnerabilities. Install it if you need to automate VNC interactions; skip it if your use case doesn't involve remote display control.
Install
vncdotool on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. Depends on Twisted, Pillow, and cryptography—all well-maintained libraries. Active maintenance as of 2026-04-03, with recent improvements to type hints, key handling, and cryptography integration.
Requires a running VNC server to connect to; the server address must be specified in the format address[:display|::port].
License in practice
MIT License (permissive) places no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution. Safe for commercial and proprietary projects.
Quickstart
pip install vncdotool
vncdo -s 192.168.1.1 type "hello world"
vncdo -s 192.168.1.1 capture screen.pngVerify before relying
- Whether the package supports all common VNC server implementations (RealVNC, TightVNC, QEMU, etc.) equally well.
- Performance characteristics when automating high-frequency interactions or large screen captures.
- Compatibility with modern VNC server security features beyond basic password authentication.
Package facts
| License | MIT License permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 3 packagesTwistedPillowcryptography |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 133 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 487,611 / month, #6,383 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleFramework :: TwistedIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIXProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Multimedia :: Graphics :: ViewersTopic :: Software Development :: Testing |
Evidence: vncdotool-1.3.0-py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “VNC client command line”
- vncdotoolvncdotool is a command-line VNC client that automates interactions…
- httpieHTTPie is a command-line HTTP client that makes it easy to test,…
- ERPpeekERPpeek is a command-line and library client for querying and…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Testing packages
Pluggy provides a plugin system that lets you define hook specifications and register implementations to be called in sequence, enabling extensible Python applications without tight coupling.
Install it if you're building an extensible application or framework.
pytest is a testing framework that lets you write test functions using plain assert statements and automatically discovers and runs them, with detailed failure reporting.
virtualenv creates isolated Python environments where packages can be installed independently without affecting the system Python or other projects.
Coverage.py measures which lines of Python code are executed during test runs, reporting coverage percentages and identifying untested code paths.
Install it if you want to measure test completeness or enforce coverage thresholds in your project.
pytest-asyncio is a pytest plugin that enables writing and running async test functions using the asyncio library, allowing developers to await code directly within test cases.
Install it if you write tests for any asyncio-based code.
A pytest plugin that generates test reports in Common Test Report Format (CTRF) as JSON, compatible with pytest-xdist and pytest-playwright for distributed and browser-based testing.
Install it if you need CTRF-formatted test output for CI/CD integration or cross-tool reporting.
See also PyVirtualDisplay · e2b-desktop · sbvirtualdisplay · xvfbwrapper · PyAutoGUI · PyDirectInput · pynput · pywinauto · pynput-robocorp-fork · nvitop