Cua Driver vs ShadowCursor: which background computer use tool fits you
Cua Driver is free, open source and cross-platform; ShadowCursor gives every agent its own cursor, keyboard and clipboard. What each does better, verified on Cua's own documentation.
Short answer: Cua Driver is a free, MIT-licensed driver for macOS, Windows and Linux that operates apps in the background through MCP, a CLI or SDKs, and Cua Spaces adds full agent desktops in VMs. If you want open source, several platforms or VM isolation, stay with Cua. ShadowCursor is a paid Mac app for the case Cua's sessions do not cover: several agents at once, each with its own keyboard and its own clipboard as well as its own cursor, with human-like movement and one-click setup.
What Cua Driver is
Cua Driver is one part of the Cua repository, next to Cua Spaces (agent desktops), Lume (local VMs) and Cua Bench (evaluation). The driver gives an agent tools to inspect and operate native apps and browsers on macOS, Windows and Linux; its platform page names macOS 14 or later for its screen capture features. Agents connect through cua-driver mcp, shell scripts through cua-driver call, and applications through SDKs for Python, TypeScript and Rust.
Its documentation describes background delivery precisely: the driver "does not raise the window, move the real pointer, or switch the frontmost app", and "the agent gets its own cursor overlay" (how Cua Driver works). It acts on accessibility elements first, then on pixels in the window's screenshot, and retries an action in the foreground only when the agent requests it, for apps such as games, Blender or apps that poll focus. Each response says whether the effect was verified through accessibility or is unverifiable.
What ShadowCursor is
ShadowCursor is a Mac app and MCP server. Every connected agent gets a full set of its own: a cursor drawn in its color with a name tag, a keyboard whose keys arrive only in its window, a clipboard that never touches yours or another agent's, and windows it works in even when yours cover them. Several agents can work at the same time. The background idea itself is explained in background computer use on the Mac.
Side by side
| Cua Driver | ShadowCursor | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS (14+ for its capture features), Windows, Linux | macOS 15+; Windows 10 and 11 in beta |
| Background input | Default where app and platform support it; foreground retry on request | Background, also in covered windows |
| Visible cursor | A cursor overlay per session, with themes and motion settings | A cursor per agent in its color, with a name tag |
| Several agents | Several sessions; "all sessions still share one screen, keyboard, and focus, and native input is admitted one action at a time" | Several agents, each with its own cursor, keyboard and clipboard |
| Clipboard | Tools that read and replace the system clipboard | A private clipboard per agent |
| Browsers | Browser tools for Chrome, including inactive tabs | The agent opens its own browser window; hover works in Safari |
| Hover in background apps | "Most background apps see no hover" on macOS | Works in Safari, not in Chrome or Electron apps |
| VMs and isolation | Cua Spaces and Lume: full macOS or Linux desktops | Works on your Mac's own desktop only |
| Interfaces | MCP, CLI, SDKs (Python, TypeScript, Rust) | MCP |
| Setup | Shell installer, permission grant, registration in each client | App, two macOS permissions, one-click connection |
| License and price | MIT, free | 7-day trial, then $12.99 per month or $69.99 per year |
Sources: how Cua Driver works, platform support, pointer, cursor and browser tools, click and type tools, quickstart. Checked on 2026-10-20.
What Cua does better
- Open source and free. The driver is MIT licensed. You can read, audit, fork and embed it, and it costs nothing. ShadowCursor has no free tier.
- More platforms, today. Cua Driver supports macOS, Windows and Linux. ShadowCursor's Windows version is still in beta and it has no Linux version. Cua documents macOS 14 for its capture features; ShadowCursor needs macOS 15.
- VMs and Spaces. Cua Spaces gives agents full desktops: a macOS VM built on your Mac, or Linux images, on your Mac, other machines you own or your own cloud account. Inside a Space you and your agents each have a cursor. A separate machine is the strongest isolation for risky tasks, and ShadowCursor does not offer one. Spaces is free for individuals, with paid Pro and Teams plans (Cua README).
- Building products. Typed SDKs, permission modes with a reviewed manifest, verified outcomes and a benchmark suite suit teams that embed computer use in their own software.
- Browser tabs and other Spaces. Cua's Chrome tools stay in the background "including inactive tabs", and it reaches AppKit windows on other macOS Spaces. A ShadowCursor agent cannot use a background tab of your browser window; it opens its own window instead.
What ShadowCursor does differently
- A keyboard per agent, not one shared focus. Cua's sessions each have a cursor overlay, but its documentation says they share one keyboard and focus and act one at a time. With ShadowCursor, every agent's keys reach only its own window, so Claude can type in a spreadsheet while Codex types in a browser window. More in running several AI agents at once.
- A clipboard per agent. Cua's
clipboard_writereplaces the system clipboard. ShadowCursor gives each agent a private clipboard for its copies and pastes, so they never replace yours or each other's. - Movement like a person. ShadowCursor's pointer travels in curves with natural speed, slight overshoot and correction, and typing has a human rhythm at about 200 words per minute. In Safari, hover menus react without a click, and sliders, date pickers and signature fields respond as to a person; an agent can sign a PDF in Preview with a real pen stroke. Cua documents that on macOS "most background apps see no hover" and points to its browser tools for Chrome pages.
- No configuration. ShadowCursor finds Claude, Codex, Cursor and VS Code and connects them with one click. Cua's quickstart runs an installer from the terminal, a permission grant and a registration command per client.
ShadowCursor's limits
- Mac only for now: macOS 15 or later, Windows 10 and 11 in beta.
- Minimized and hidden windows cannot be seen or operated. Covered windows can.
- System drag and drop of files, tabs or text follows the real mouse, so ShadowCursor cancels such drags instead of dropping. Sliders, canvases and signatures work.
- Hover without a pressed button works in Safari, not in Chrome or Electron apps.
- LibreOffice ignores posted clicks; its menus and keyboard work.
- No VM or sandbox: agents work on your Mac's desktop, in the windows they open.
Which one to choose
- Choose Cua Driver if you want open source, need Windows or Linux in production, want to build computer use into your own product through an SDK, or want agents in a separate VM.
- Choose ShadowCursor if you run several agents on your own Mac at the same time and want each to have its own cursor, keyboard and clipboard, if you want human-like input for websites in Safari, or if you prefer one-click setup in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and VS Code.
- Try both if you are unsure: Cua Driver is free, and ShadowCursor has a 7-day trial without a card. Test them on the apps you actually use, because background input depends on how each app is built.
For other free options, see the roundup of macOS MCP servers.
FAQ
Is Cua Driver free?
Yes. Cua Driver is MIT licensed and free. Cua Spaces, the separate desktop app for agent VMs, is source-available under FSL-1.1-MIT and free for individuals, with paid Pro and Teams plans.
Does Cua Driver work in the background on a Mac?
Yes, by default, when the app supports it. Its documentation says it does not raise the window, move the real pointer or switch the frontmost app. Games, canvas apps and apps that poll focus may need a foreground retry, which raises the window and then restores the previous app.
Can several agents use Cua Driver at the same time?
Each MCP connection gets its own session and cursor overlay. According to Cua's documentation, all sessions share one screen, keyboard and focus, and native input is admitted one action at a time. ShadowCursor gives each agent its own keyboard and clipboard as well.
Do I need Cua Spaces to use Cua Driver?
No. The driver installs on its own and operates apps on your current desktop. Spaces is for agents that should work on a separate desktop or VM.
What does ShadowCursor cost compared to Cua?
Cua Driver is free. ShadowCursor has a 7-day free trial without a card, then costs $12.99 per month or $69.99 per year, with unlimited agents on up to three devices.