swiftcap

swiftcap is a lightweight screen utility tool targeting Linux (with growing cross-platform support). The CLI recorder is designed for speed and low resource usage, while the UI front-end focuses on a simple workflow: countdown, record, pause/resume, and quick access to completed captures.

swift = fast, cap = capture.

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Layout

cmd/
    swiftcap/     # CLI entrypoint
    swiftcap-ui/  # Go desktop UI wrapper around the CLI
internal/         # Shared packages (cli parsing, portal helpers, recorders, GUI logic, etc.)
packaging/        # Packaging metadata
scripts/          # Build helpers

Everything in this repository is pure Go – no C or C++ sources remain.

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CLI (cmd/swiftcap)

Highlights

• Screen recording via ffmpeg on X11, Wayland screencasting via xdg-desktop-portal.
• Screenshot capture for X11/Wayland/fallback modes.
• Audio capture (PulseAudio/PipeWire) with bitrate, region, cursor, thread, and duration controls.
• Minimal runtime deps beyond ffmpeg + portal stacks.

Dependencies

• Go 1.22+
• ffmpeg
• gstreamer1.0, gst-plugins-base, gst-plugins-good, gst-plugins-bad
• xdg-desktop-portal (+ backend) and PipeWire

Debian/Ubuntu helper

sudo apt install ffmpeg gstreamer1.0-plugins-base gstreamer1.0-plugins-good \
                 gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad xdg-desktop-portal pipewire

Build

cd scripts
./build_static.sh   # produces ./swiftcap

Usage

swiftcap record --out out.mp4 --fps 60 --region 1280x720+0+0 --audio on --container mp4
swiftcap screenshot --out shot.png --region 1280x720+0+0 --format png

Run swiftcap --help for the full flag set.

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UI (cmd/swiftcap-ui)

The UI is now written in Go (Fyne). It wraps the CLI, providing:

• Countdown overlay (click to abort) before recording starts.
• System tray integration with dynamic icons, elapsed timer, start/stop/pause/resume entries.
• Pause/resume implemented by segmenting recordings and concatenating with ffmpeg on stop.
• Toast notification inside the app with “Open Folder / Open File”.
• Same video directory + ffmpeg requirements as the CLI.

Build & run

go build ./cmd/swiftcap-ui
./swiftcap-ui

The UI searches for the swiftcap CLI in:

1. SWIFTCAP_CLI_PATH (if set),
2. The same directory as the UI binary,
3. $PATH.

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Packaging

Packaging metadata lives under packaging/. See scripts/ for static build helpers and dependency checks.

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Contributing

Open issues/PRs for bugs or feature ideas. Please make sure go test ./... and linting pass before submitting.