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https://github.com/charmbracelet/vhs

Your CLI home video recorder 📼
https://github.com/charmbracelet/vhs

ascii cli command-line gif recording terminal vhs video

Last synced: about 1 month ago
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Your CLI home video recorder 📼

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README 

        
# VHS





  

  

  


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Write terminal GIFs as code for integration testing and demoing your CLI tools.



Welcome to VHS



The above example was generated with VHS ([view source](./examples/neofetch/neofetch.tape)).



## Tutorial



To get started, [install VHS](#installation) and create a new `.tape` file.



```sh

vhs new demo.tape

```



Open the `.tape` file with your favorite `$EDITOR`.



```sh

vim demo.tape

```



Tape files consist of a series of [commands](#vhs-command-reference). The commands are

instructions for VHS to perform on its virtual terminal.  For a list of all

possible commands see [the command reference](#vhs-command-reference).



```elixir

# Where should we write the GIF?

Output demo.gif



# Set up a 1200x600 terminal with 46px font.

Set FontSize 46

Set Width 1200

Set Height 600



# Type a command in the terminal.

Type "echo 'Welcome to VHS!'"



# Pause for dramatic effect...

Sleep 500ms



# Run the command by pressing enter.

Enter



# Admire the output for a bit.

Sleep 5s

```



Once you've finished, save the file and feed it into VHS.



```sh

vhs demo.tape

```



All done! You should see a new file called `demo.gif` (or whatever you named

the `Output`) in the directory.



  

  

  A GIF produced by the VHS code above



For more examples see the [`examples/`](https://github.com/charmbracelet/vhs/tree/main/examples) directory.



## Installation



> [!NOTE]

> VHS requires [`ttyd`](https://github.com/tsl0922/ttyd) and [`ffmpeg`](https://ffmpeg.org) to be installed and available on your `PATH`.



Use a package manager:



```sh

# macOS or Linux

brew install vhs



# macOS (via MacPorts)

sudo port install vhs



# Arch Linux (btw)

pacman -S vhs



# Nix

nix-env -iA nixpkgs.vhs



# Debian/Ubuntu

sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings

curl -fsSL https://repo.charm.sh/apt/gpg.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/charm.gpg

echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/charm.gpg] https://repo.charm.sh/apt/ * *" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/charm.list

# Install ttyd from https://github.com/tsl0922/ttyd/releases

sudo apt update && sudo apt install vhs ffmpeg



# Fedora/RHEL

echo '[charm]

name=Charm

baseurl=https://repo.charm.sh/yum/

enabled=1

gpgcheck=1

gpgkey=https://repo.charm.sh/yum/gpg.key' | sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/charm.repo

# Install ttyd from https://github.com/tsl0922/ttyd/releases

sudo yum install vhs ffmpeg



# Void Linux

sudo xbps-install vhs



# Windows using winget

# Note: Winget will install all the needed dependencies, which're FFmpeg and ttyd.

#       No need to do any prerequisites to install vhs using this method.

winget install charmbracelet.vhs



# Windows using scoop

scoop install vhs



```



Or, use Docker to run VHS directly, dependencies included:



```sh

docker run --rm -v $PWD:/vhs ghcr.io/charmbracelet/vhs .tape

```



Or, download it:



* [Packages][releases] are available in Debian and RPM formats

* [Binaries][releases] are available for Linux, macOS, and Windows



Or, just install it with `go`:



```sh

go install github.com/charmbracelet/vhs@latest

```



[releases]: https://github.com/charmbracelet/vhs/releases



## Record Tapes



VHS has the ability to generate tape files from your terminal actions!



To record to a tape file, run:



```bash

vhs record > cassette.tape

```



Perform any actions you want and then `exit` the terminal session to stop

recording. You may want to manually edit the generated `.tape` file to add

settings or modify actions. Then, you can generate the GIF:



```bash

vhs cassette.tape

```



## Publish Tapes



VHS allows you to publish your GIFs to our servers for easy sharing with your

friends and colleagues. Specify which file you want to share, then use the

`publish` sub-command to host it on `vhs.charm.sh`. The output will provide you

with links to share your GIF via browser, HTML, and Markdown. 



```bash

vhs publish demo.gif

```



## The VHS Server



VHS has an SSH server built in! When you self-host VHS you can access it as

though it were installed locally. VHS will have access to commands and

applications on the host, so you don't need to install them on your machine.



To start the server run:



```sh

vhs serve

```



Configuration Options



* `VHS_PORT`: The port to listen on (`1976`)

* `VHS_HOST`: The host to listen on (`localhost`)

* `VHS_GID`: The Group ID to run the server as (current user's GID)

* `VHS_UID`: The User ID to run the server as (current user's UID)

* `VHS_KEY_PATH`: The path to the SSH key to use (`.ssh/vhs_ed25519`)

* `VHS_AUTHORIZED_KEYS_PATH`: The path to the authorized keys file (empty, publicly accessible)



Then, simply access VHS from a different machine via `ssh`:



```sh

ssh vhs.example.com < demo.tape > demo.gif

```



## VHS Command Reference



> [!NOTE]

> You can view all VHS documentation on the command line with `vhs manual`.



There are a few basic types of VHS commands:



* [`Output `](#output): specify file output

* [`Require `](#require): specify required programs for tape file

* [`Set  Value`](#settings): set recording settings

* [`Type ""`](#type): emulate typing

* [`Left`](#arrow-keys) [`Right`](#arrow-keys) [`Up`](#arrow-keys) [`Down`](#arrow-keys): arrow keys

* [`Backspace`](#backspace) [`Enter`](#enter) [`Tab`](#tab) [`Space`](#space): special keys

* [`Ctrl[+Alt][+Shift]+`](#ctrl): press control + key and/or modifier

* [`Sleep 



### Output



The `Output` command allows you to specify the location and file format

of the render. You can specify more than one output in a tape file which

will render them to the respective locations.



```elixir

Output out.gif

Output out.mp4

Output out.webm

Output frames/ # a directory of frames as a PNG sequence

```



### Require



The `Require` command allows you to specify dependencies for your tape file.

These are useful to fail early if a required program is missing from the

`$PATH`, and it is certain that the VHS execution will not work as expected.



Require commands must be defined at the top of a tape file, before any non-

setting or non-output command.



```elixir

# A tape file that requires gum and glow to be in the $PATH

Require gum

Require glow

```



### Settings



The `Set` command allows you to change global aspects of the terminal, such as

the font settings, window dimensions, and GIF output location.



Setting must be administered at the top of the tape file. Any setting (except

`TypingSpeed`) applied after a non-setting or non-output command will be

ignored.



#### Set Shell



Set the shell with the `Set Shell ` command



```elixir

Set Shell fish

```



#### Set Font Size



Set the font size with the `Set FontSize ` command.



```elixir

Set FontSize 10

Set FontSize 20

Set FontSize 40

```



  

  

  Example of setting the font size to 10 pixels



  

  

  Example of setting the font size to 20 pixels



  

  

  Example of setting the font size to 40 pixels



#### Set Font Family



Set the font family with the `Set FontFamily ""` command



```elixir

Set FontFamily "Monoflow"

```



  

  

  Example of changing the font family to Monoflow



#### Set Width



Set the width of the terminal with the `Set Width` command.



```elixir

Set Width 300

```



  

  

  Example of changing the width of the terminal



#### Set Height



Set the height of the terminal with the `Set Height` command.



```elixir

Set Height 1000

```



  

  

  Example of changing the height of the terminal



#### Set Letter Spacing



Set the spacing between letters (tracking) with the `Set LetterSpacing`

Command.



```elixir

Set LetterSpacing 20

```



  

  

  Example of changing the letter spacing to 20 pixels between characters



#### Set Line Height



Set the spacing between lines with the `Set LineHeight` Command.



```elixir

Set LineHeight 1.8

```



  

  

  Example of changing the line height to 1.8



#### Set Typing Speed



```elixir

Set TypingSpeed 500ms # 500ms

Set TypingSpeed 1s    # 1s

```



Set the typing speed of seconds per key press. For example, a typing speed of

`0.1` would result in a `0.1s` (`100ms`) delay between each character being typed.



This setting can also be overwritten per command with the `@



```elixir

Set TypingSpeed 0.1

Type "100ms delay per character"

Type@500ms "500ms delay per character"

```



  

  

  Example of using the Type command in VHS



#### Set Theme



Set the theme of the terminal with the `Set Theme` command. The theme value

should be a JSON string with the base 16 colors and foreground + background.



```elixir

Set Theme { "name": "Whimsy", "black": "#535178", "red": "#ef6487", "green": "#5eca89", "yellow": "#fdd877", "blue": "#65aef7", "magenta": "#aa7ff0", "cyan": "#43c1be", "white": "#ffffff", "brightBlack": "#535178", "brightRed": "#ef6487", "brightGreen": "#5eca89", "brightYellow": "#fdd877", "brightBlue": "#65aef7", "brightMagenta": "#aa7ff0", "brightCyan": "#43c1be", "brightWhite": "#ffffff", "background": "#29283b", "foreground": "#b3b0d6", "selection": "#3d3c58", "cursor": "#b3b0d6" }

```



Example of changing the theme to Whimsy



You can also set themes by name:



```elixir

Set Theme "Catppuccin Frappe"

```



See the full list by running `vhs themes`, or in [THEMES.md](./THEMES.md).



#### Set Padding



Set the padding (in pixels) of the terminal frame with the `Set Padding`

command.



```elixir

Set Padding 0

```



  

  

  Example of setting the padding



#### Set Margin



Set the margin (in pixels) of the video with the `Set Margin` command.



```elixir

Set Margin 60

Set MarginFill "#6B50FF"

```



  

  

  Example of setting the margin



#### Set Window Bar



Set the type of window bar (Colorful, ColorfulRight, Rings, RingsRight) on the terminal window with the `Set WindowBar` command.



```elixir

Set WindowBar Colorful

```



  

  

  Example of setting the margin



#### Set Border Radius



Set the border radius (in pixels) of the terminal window with the `Set BorderRadius` command.



```elixir

# You'll likely want to add a Margin + MarginFill if you use BorderRadius.

Set Margin 20

Set MarginFill "#674EFF"

Set BorderRadius 10

```



  

  

  Example of setting the margin



#### Set Framerate



Set the rate at which VHS captures frames with the `Set Framerate` command.



```elixir

Set Framerate 60

```



#### Set Playback Speed



Set the playback speed of the final render.



```elixir

Set PlaybackSpeed 0.5 # Make output 2 times slower

Set PlaybackSpeed 1.0 # Keep output at normal speed (default)

Set PlaybackSpeed 2.0 # Make output 2 times faster

```



#### Set Loop Offset



Set the offset for when the GIF loop should begin. This allows you to make the

first frame of the GIF (generally used for previews) more interesting.



```elixir

Set LoopOffset 5 # Start the GIF at the 5th frame

Set LoopOffset 50% # Start the GIF halfway through

```



#### Set Cursor Blink



Set whether the cursor should blink. Enabled by default.



```elixir

Set CursorBlink false

```



  

  

  Example of setting the cursor blink.



### Type



Use `Type` to emulate key presses. That is, you can use `Type` to script typing

in a terminal. Type is handy for both entering commands and interacting with

prompts and TUIs in the terminal. The command takes a string argument of the

characters to type.



You can set the standard typing speed with [`Set TypingSpeed`](#set-typing-speed)

and override it in places with a `@time` argument.



```elixir

# Type something

Type "Whatever you want"



# Type something really slowly!

Type@500ms "Slow down there, partner."

```



Escape single and double quotes with backticks.



```elixir

Type `VAR="Escaped"`

```



  

  

  Example of using the Type command in VHS



### Keys



Key commands take an optional `@time` and optional repeat `count` for repeating

the key press every interval of `



```

Key[@



#### Backspace



Press the backspace key with the `Backspace` command.



```elixir

Backspace 18

```



  

  

  Example of pressing the Backspace key 18 times



#### Ctrl



You can access the control modifier and send control sequences with the `Ctrl`

command.



```elixir

Ctrl+R

```



  

  

  Example of pressing the Ctrl+R key to reverse search



#### Enter



Press the enter key with the `Enter` command.



```elixir

Enter 2

```



  

  

  Example of pressing the Enter key twice



#### Arrow Keys



Press any of the arrow keys with the `Up`, `Down`, `Left`, `Right` commands.



```elixir

Up 2

Down 2

Left

Right

Left

Right

Type "B"

Type "A"

```



  

  

  Example of pressing the arrow keys to navigate text



#### Tab



Enter a tab with the `Tab` command.



```elixir

Tab@500ms 2

```



  

  

  Example of pressing the tab key twice for autocomplete



#### Space



Press the space bar with the `Space` command.



```elixir

Space 10

```



  

  

  Example of pressing the space key



#### Page Up / Down



Press the Page Up / Down keys with the `PageUp` or `PageDown` commands.



```elixir

PageUp 3

PageDown 5

```



### Sleep



The `Sleep` command allows you to continue capturing frames without interacting

with the terminal. This is useful when you need to wait on something to

complete while including it in the recording like a spinner or loading state.

The command takes a number argument in seconds.



```elixir

Sleep 0.5   # 500ms

Sleep 2     # 2s

Sleep 100ms # 100ms

Sleep 1s    # 1s

```



### Hide



The `Hide` command instructs VHS to stop capturing frames. It's useful to pause

a recording to perform hidden commands.



```elixir

Hide

```



This command is helpful for performing any setup and cleanup required to record

a GIF, such as building the latest version of a binary and removing the binary

once the demo is recorded.



```elixir

Output example.gif



# Setup

Hide

Type "go build -o example . && clear"

Enter

Show



# Recording...

Type 'Running ./example'

...

Enter



# Cleanup

Hide

Type 'rm example'

```



### Show



The `Show` command instructs VHS to begin capturing frames, again. It's useful

after a `Hide` command to resume frame recording for the output.



```elixir

Hide

Type "You won't see this being typed."

Show

Type "You will see this being typed."

```



  

  

  Example of typing something while hidden



### Screenshot



The `Screenshot` command captures the current frame (png format).



```elixir

# At any point...

Screenshot examples/screenshot.png

```



### Copy / Paste



The `Copy` and `Paste` copy and paste the string from clipboard.



```elixir

Copy "https://github.com/charmbracelet"

Type "open "

Sleep 500ms

Paste

```



### Env



`Env` command sets the environment variable via key-value pair.



```elixir

Env HELLO "WORLD"



Type "echo $HELLO"

Enter

Sleep 1s

```



### Source



The `source` command allows you to execute commands from another tape.



```elixir

Source config.tape

```



***



## Continuous Integration



You can hook up VHS to your CI pipeline to keep your GIFs up-to-date with

the official VHS GitHub Action:



> [⚙️ charmbracelet/vhs-action](https://github.com/charmbracelet/vhs-action)



VHS can also be used for integration testing. Use the `.txt` or `.ascii` output

to generate golden files. Store these files in a git repository to ensure there

are no diffs between runs of the tape file.



```elixir

Output golden.ascii

```



## Syntax Highlighting



There’s a tree-sitter grammar for `.tape` files available for editors that

support syntax highlighting with tree-sitter:



> [🌳 charmbracelet/tree-sitter-vhs](https://github.com/charmbracelet/tree-sitter-vhs)



It works great with Neovim, Emacs, and so on!



## Feedback



We’d love to hear your thoughts on this project. Feel free to drop us a note!



* [Twitter](https://twitter.com/charmcli)

* [The Fediverse](https://mastodon.social/@charmcli)

* [Discord](https://charm.sh/chat)



## License



[MIT](https://github.com/charmbracelet/vhs/raw/main/LICENSE)



***



Part of [Charm](https://charm.sh).





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