screen_record

The screen_record tool captures a video recording of a booted simulator or connected physical device screen and saves it as an MP4 file. The recording runs for a configurable duration (defaulting to 10 seconds) and then stops automatically. This is ideal for capturing UI animations, reproducing interaction bugs, recording demo clips, and documenting multi-step user flows.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`deviceId`	string	Yes	—	UDID of the simulator or physical device to record.
`outputPath`	string	No	Auto-generated	File path where the MP4 recording will be saved. A timestamped path is created if omitted.
`duration`	number	No	`10`	Recording duration in seconds. The recording stops automatically after this time elapses.

Usage Examples

Record 10 seconds of simulator screen

“Record my simulator screen for the default duration”

{
  "deviceId": "A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890"
}

Record a specific interaction for 20 seconds

“Record the simulator for 20 seconds while I test the onboarding flow and save it to my Desktop”

{
  "deviceId": "A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890",
  "outputPath": "/Users/developer/Desktop/onboarding-flow-recording.mp4",
  "duration": 20
}

Quick 5-second capture of an animation bug

“Record 5 seconds of the simulator to capture the tab bar animation glitch”

{
  "deviceId": "A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890",
  "outputPath": "/Users/developer/Projects/WeatherApp/bug-reports/tab-bar-animation-glitch.mp4",
  "duration": 5
}

Record a full user flow for a demo

“Record 60 seconds of the simulator so I can walk through the complete checkout flow”

{
  "deviceId": "A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890",
  "outputPath": "/Users/developer/Projects/ShopApp/demos/checkout-flow-demo.mp4",
  "duration": 60
}

Example Output

Recording started on device A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890...
Recording stopped after 20 seconds.

Video saved to: /Users/developer/Desktop/onboarding-flow-recording.mp4
File size: 3.2 MB
Duration: 20.0 seconds
Resolution: 1290 x 2796 pixels
Format: MP4 (H.264)
Device: iPhone 16 Pro (A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890)

screenshot — Capture a single PNG frame instead of a video.
device_appearance — Switch to light or dark mode before recording to demonstrate both appearance variants.
status_bar_override — Set a clean status bar before recording demo videos for presentations.
app_launch — Launch the app right before recording to capture the full startup experience.