SenseKit

SenseKit is an open-source iPhone context runtime for AI agents.

It listens to passive on-device signals like motion, location, workouts, power state, and lightweight calendar context, turns those signals into deterministic events, and delivers signed HTTPS payloads to OpenClaw.

The project exists to solve one practical problem: an agent cannot act intelligently around the real world if the user has to build a pile of Shortcuts automations before anything works. SenseKit aims to be useful right after install and permission approval.

Why SenseKit

• Passive-first: useful events should be possible without manual Shortcuts setup.
• Deterministic: the runtime uses explicit rules, weights, and thresholds instead of opaque ML guesses.
• Local-first: raw sensor data stays on the phone by default.
• Policy-aware: each outbound event includes the safety context OpenClaw needs to react responsibly.
• OpenClaw-first: the primary integration path is signed outbound delivery, not hosting a server on the phone.

Current status

SenseKit is early, opinionated, and real.

What already exists in this repository:

• a deterministic corroboration engine for passive events
• a Swift runtime package with Motion, Location, HealthKit, power, and calendar collectors
• SQLite-backed runtime state, queueing, and audit logging
• signed webhook delivery for OpenClaw
• a SwiftUI app shell with onboarding, settings, audit log, and debug timeline scaffolding
• a separate bench harness target for field testing
• shared JSON schemas and TypeScript validation helpers

What is still being validated on real devices:

• wake detection precision
• driving detection precision
• battery impact over normal daily use
• background wake and delivery reliability
• final onboarding polish

If you are evaluating the project, start with:

• SPEC.md
• docs/README.md
• docs/bench/phase-1a-field-test.md
• docs/runbooks/runtime-bootstrap.md

Architecture at a glance

flowchart LR
    A["On-device collectors<br/>Motion, location, HealthKit,<br/>power, calendar"] --> B["Deterministic corroboration engine"]
    B --> C["Context event<br/>confidence, reasons, policy"]
    C --> D["Signed outbound queue"]
    D --> E["OpenClaw webhook"]

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SenseKit is a runtime, not a data exhaust pipeline. The phone keeps the raw sensor layer local and only sends small, structured events once the runtime is confident something meaningful happened.

What leaves the phone

SenseKit does not send a raw dump of everything the device sees.

Sent to OpenClaw	Stays local by default
One event at a time, such as motion_activity_observed or arrived_home	Exact GPS coordinates
Event timestamp	Raw motion history
Confidence score	Raw HealthKit values
Short reason codes like motion.primary.walking	Calendar titles and attendees
A small snapshot with coarse state	Local debug traces
A policy block describing safe response modes	Tokens and secrets

In the current bench app, motion is forwarded as coarse activity events such as walking, running, stationary, or automotive, and place transitions are forwarded as events such as arrived_home.

Repository guide

• apps/ios: the iPhone app, bench harness, runtime package, and SwiftUI package
• packages/contracts: JSON schemas, fixtures, and TypeScript validation helpers
• packages/openclaw-skill: example skill packaging for OpenClaw
• packages/openclaw-plugin: plugin surface for later OpenClaw integration work
• packages/examples: QR bootstrap and hook configuration examples
• docs: ADRs, privacy notes, release notes, runbooks, and field-test plans

Documentation entry points:

• docs/README.md
• CHANGELOG.md
• CONTRIBUTING.md
• SECURITY.md
• SUPPORT.md

Local setup

Requirements:

• Xcode with iOS 17+ SDK support
• Node.js and pnpm
• Ruby only if you want to regenerate the Xcode project with scripts/generate_ios_project.rb

Install JavaScript dependencies:

pnpm install

Run the TypeScript workspace checks:

pnpm build
pnpm test
pnpm contracts:check

Run Swift package tests:

cd apps/ios/Packages/SenseKitRuntime && swift test
cd apps/ios/Packages/SenseKitUI && swift test

Build the iOS app targets:

xcodebuild -workspace apps/ios/SenseKit.xcworkspace -scheme SenseKitApp -sdk iphonesimulator -destination 'generic/platform=iOS Simulator' CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO build
xcodebuild -workspace apps/ios/SenseKit.xcworkspace -scheme SenseKitBenchApp -sdk iphonesimulator -destination 'generic/platform=iOS Simulator' CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO build

OpenClaw connectivity

For personal testing, keep OpenClaw private and use Tailscale instead of exposing the raw Gateway to the public internet.

• Keep OpenClaw on gateway.bind: "loopback" and expose it privately with Tailscale Serve.
• Use a separate hooks.token for SenseKit hooks. Do not reuse gateway.auth.token.
• Treat hook payloads as untrusted content even when they come from systems you control.
• If OpenClaw returns hook mapping failed, remove any custom transform block first and test with the example mapping unchanged.

Contribution focus

The highest-value work for the current milestone is:

1. passive wake validation on real devices
2. driving detection validation on real commutes
3. background wake and delivery reliability
4. onboarding and debug timeline polish

Contributions are welcome. If your change affects architecture, add or update an ADR in docs/adr.

Project standards

• License: Apache-2.0
• Contribution guide: CONTRIBUTING.md
• Code of conduct: CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
• Security policy: SECURITY.md
• Support guide: SUPPORT.md