vhs

vhs Plugin

Your CLI home video recorder. Record terminal sessions as GIFs or videos using simple tape files. Perfect for demos, tutorials, and documentation.

Commands

Recording

• vhs tape record — Record terminal session from tape file
• vhs tape validate — Validate tape file syntax

Utility

• vhs _ _ — Passthrough to vhs CLI

Usage Examples

• "Record this terminal session"
• "Create a demo video of this CLI tool"
• "Validate the tape file"
• "Record terminal as GIF"

Installation

brew install vhs

Or via Go:

go install github.com/charmbracelet/vhs@latest

Requires ffmpeg for video output.

Examples

# Record from tape file
vhs tape record demo.tape

# Specify output file
vhs tape record demo.tape --output demo.gif

# Record as MP4
vhs tape record demo.tape --output demo.mp4 --format mp4

# Record as WebM
vhs tape record demo.tape --output demo.webm --format webm

# Disable audio
vhs tape record demo.tape --no-audio

# Validate tape file
vhs tape validate demo.tape

# Any vhs command with passthrough
vhs _ _ demo.tape --output demo.gif
vhs _ _ validate demo.tape

Tape File Example

Output demo.gif
Set FontSize 32
Set Width 1200
Set Height 600
Set Loop 3
Type "echo 'Hello, World!'"
Enter
Sleep 500ms

Key Features

• Simple syntax — Declarative tape files for recording
• Multiple formats — GIF, MP4, WebM output
• Customizable — Font size, window size, colors
• Looping — Set loop count for GIFs
• Typing simulation — Realistic typing effects
• Sleep commands — Control timing
• Screenshots — Capture specific frames
• Copy/paste — Simulate clipboard operations
• Environment variables — Set environment for recording
• Validation — Check tape file syntax

Notes

• Requires ffmpeg for video output
• Tape files use .tape extension
• Can be used in CI/CD for automated demos
• Supports all major platforms
• Configuration file at ~/.config/vhs/config.yml