screenshot

The screenshot tool captures the current screen of a booted simulator or connected physical device and saves it as a PNG file. If no output path is provided, a timestamped file is automatically generated in a temporary directory. This is useful for visual regression checks, documenting UI states, and capturing evidence of bugs during debugging sessions.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
deviceId	string	Yes	—	UDID of the simulator or physical device to capture.
outputPath	string	No	Auto-generated	File path where the PNG screenshot will be saved. A timestamped path is created if omitted.

Usage Examples

Capture a screenshot with auto-generated path

“Take a screenshot of my iPhone simulator”

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

Save screenshot to a specific location

“Take a screenshot of the simulator and save it to my Desktop”

{
  "deviceId": "A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890",
  "outputPath": "/Users/developer/Desktop/login-screen-dark-mode.png"
}

Capture screenshot for a bug report

“Screenshot the current state of the simulator and save it in my project’s bug-reports folder”

{
  "deviceId": "A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890",
  "outputPath": "/Users/developer/Projects/WeatherApp/bug-reports/layout-overflow-issue.png"
}

Example Output

Screenshot saved to: /var/folders/xk/7q2m1h3n0fg3_rl5zt8k5c9w0000gn/T/screenshot-2026-02-23-143205.png
File size: 284 KB
Resolution: 1290 x 2796 pixels (3x Retina)
Device: iPhone 16 Pro (A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890)

Related Tools

• screen_record — Record a video of the screen instead of a single frame.
• device_appearance — Switch between light and dark mode before capturing screenshots.
• status_bar_override — Set a clean, consistent status bar (9:41 AM, full battery) for polished App Store screenshots.
• accessibility_audit — Pair a screenshot with an accessibility audit to visually document issues.

Tips

Tip

For App Store screenshots, use status_bar_override first to set the time to 9:41 AM and battery to 100%, then capture the screenshot. This gives you the clean, professional look Apple uses in marketing materials.

Tip

Capture screenshots in both light and dark mode by calling device_appearance before each capture. This is an efficient way to verify your app’s visual consistency across appearance modes.

Tip

When no outputPath is provided, the auto-generated path is printed in the output. Copy it to reference the file later, or provide an explicit path in a project directory to keep screenshots organized alongside your codebase.