control-spectator

Moves, frames, and follows actors with the CARLA spectator camera via the Python API.

3|Updated Jul 20, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/carla-simulator/carla-agentic-tools --skill control-spectator-carla-simulator
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: control-spectator
Source: https://github.com/carla-simulator/carla-agentic-tools/tree/main/skills/python-api/control-spectator
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/carla-simulator/carla-agentic-tools --skill control-spectator-carla-simulator

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires carla, and includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Aiming the CARLA on-screen camera requires manual spectator transform math and actor lookups, and the API offers no way to attach the spectator to a moving vehicle. This Skill resolves natural-language targets like "the ego" or "the Toyota Prius" to a specific actor and positions or tracks the camera in preset views. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Preset camera views: Chase (third-person), first-person/driver, top-down bird's-eye, and front views with tunable distance, height, and pitch offsets. - Live follow mode: Re-sets the spectator transform on every world tick to emulate attachment, since the CARLA API cannot reparent the spectator. - Actor resolution: Selects targets by id, role_name (e.g. hero), or type_id wildcard filter, disambiguating multiple matches by nearest distance. - Use Case: While debugging a scenario, ask for a "1st-person view of the Prius" and the Skill lists actors, resolves the filter, and follows that vehicle from the driver's seat for 30 seconds. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to give you a third-person chase view of the ego vehicle and it will check prerequisites, resolve the hero actor, and follow it with the spectator camera.

Frequently Asked Questions about control-spectator

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I move the CARLA spectator camera to follow a vehicle?▼

Use the follow command with a view and actor selector, such as follow --view chase --role hero for a third-person view of the ego. The script re-sets the spectator transform on every world tick for the requested duration.

How to get a first-person driver view in CARLA?▼

Run follow or look with --view first and a selector like --filter '*prius*' or --id N. The first view places the camera slightly ahead of the actor origin at driver eye height, tunable with --distance and --height.

Can the CARLA spectator be attached to an actor?▼

No, the CARLA API cannot attach or reparent the spectator since AttachmentType only applies at spawn time. The follow command emulates attachment via world.on_tick, or you can spawn a camera sensor with SpringArm attachment for a real attached camera.

Why does spectator follow not update in synchronous mode?▼

In synchronous mode the world only ticks when a client ticks it, so the follow camera freezes if nothing drives the clock. Run the tick loop alongside the follow, or switch the world to asynchronous mode.

Why does nothing change on screen after moving the spectator?▼

The spectator only exists on a rendered server; a headless -nullrhi server has no on-screen view to move. Use a windowed or packaged CARLA server and confirm you are watching that server's window.