start_recording
Capture screen recordings on macOS, iOS Simulator, or Android. Specify target and optional duration, then use returned session_id to stop recording later.
Instructions
Start recording a macOS, iOS Simulator, or Android screen target.
Target aliases:
- macOS: "macos", "mac", or "desktop"
- iOS Simulator: "ios_simulator", "ios-simulator", "ios", or "simulator"
- Android: "android"
Common options include orientation and rotate_degrees. macOS options include
region, display, include_cursor, include_clicks, and include_audio. iOS
Simulator options include device, udid, and display ("internal" or
"external"). Android options include serial, size, and bit_rate.
Omit duration_seconds for the preferred manual-stop workflow, then call
stop_recording with the returned session_id. The response includes
session_id, video_path, target, mode, started_at, pid, and target_key.
macOS recording requires Screen Recording permission for the launcher
process. For browser or desktop-app debugging, prefer
start_app_window_recording so the visible app window is checked and only
that window region is recorded.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| target | Yes | Backend alias: 'macos'/'mac'/'desktop' for screencapture, 'ios_simulator'/'ios'/'simulator' for xcrun simctl, 'android' for adb. | |
| duration_seconds | No | Seconds to record. Omit for manual-stop workflow (call stop_recording later). | |
| output_path | No | Absolute path for the output file. Defaults to $VIDEO_CAPTURE_MCP_OUTPUT_DIR or system temp under video-capture-mcp. | |
| options | No | Backend-specific dict. macOS: region/display/include_cursor/include_clicks/include_audio. iOS Simulator: device/udid/display. Android: serial/size/bit_rate. Cross-backend: orientation, rotate_degrees. |
Output Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
No arguments | |||