Screenci

ScreenCI Video and Guide Skill

Use this skill when the task is about ScreenCI video recording in an existing project: creating a video, showing a flow as a video, or editing .screenci.ts / screenci.config.ts files.

Routing:

• If the user gives a URL for video context, use the playwright-cli skill first to discover the real page flow, stable selectors, and cookie/consent steps before editing the script.
• If the user gives source code for the target page, browser exploration is usually not needed first.
• If the request is only about application/source-code changes (not recording), do not use this skill.

Quick Start

The project is already initialized. Add or edit scripts in recordings/. If you are creating new videos, remove the starter recordings/example.screenci.ts.

# verify repeatedly until green
npx screenci test

# run a subset with normal Playwright filters
npx screenci test recordings/signup.screenci.ts --grep "fills billing details"

# only record after tests pass
npx screenci record

test forwards normal playwright test arguments and still injects the resolved screenci.config.ts. --config/-c and --verbose/-v are reserved for the ScreenCI CLI, not forwarded to Playwright.

What ScreenCI Adds

ScreenCI uses Playwright-style .screenci.ts files plus recording helpers:

• video() declares one output video per test.
• hide() cuts setup and loading sections from the final recording.
• autoZoom() follows navigation and click-driven flows with smooth camera motion. Use it for movement between targets.
• zoomTo() / resetZoom() hold a fixed frame for forms and steady editing sections.
• video.narration({ ... }) is mandatory (see below).

Use the fixture that matches the requested content instead of working around it:

• video.values(...) for app-managed text or localized copy the app does not populate itself.
• video.audio(...) for background music or sound effects that should mix under the recording.
• selected(name, options) inside video.overlays(...) when the video should reuse another ScreenCI-made intro, outro, bumper, or screenshot instead of a repository asset file.

import { video, voices } from 'screenci'

// Voice is a render option (how narration is spoken), not part of the narration spec.
video.renderOptions({ narration: { voice: { name: voices.Ava } } }).narration({
  en: {
    intro:
      'This video shows how to update your billing details and save the changes.',
    explainForm:
      'We start on the billing page and update the company name, email, and tax ID.',
    saving: 'Now we save the changes and wait for the confirmation message.',
    nextPage:
      'Next, we open the invoices section to confirm the new billing details are in use.',
  },
})('Update billing details', async ({ page, narration }) => {
  await narration.intro()
  await narration.explainForm()
  await narration.saving.start()
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Save changes' }).click()
  await narration.saving.end()
  await narration.nextPage()
  await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Invoices' }).click()
})

Narration

• Declare video.narration({ ... }) on every video and speak throughout the demo. Pass a flat cue -> text object (shared across languages) or one keyed by language (en, es, ...).
• The opening line must state the video's purpose, then continue with the walkthrough.
• Trigger cues from the narration fixture: await narration.key() runs the full line before moving on. Use await narration.key.start() when narration should overlap the next action, and await narration.key.end() to close that cue later, especially before visible navigation or route changes.
• Use inline speech tags when needed: [pronounce: ...], [short pause], [medium pause], [long pause]. Always guide pronunciation for URLs and domains, e.g. screenci.com [pronounce: screen see eye dot com].

Required Conventions

Every video MUST follow these:

• Narration on every video, no exceptions. Videos without narration are not acceptable.
• Open with the video's purpose before the step-by-step.
• Start on the requested page. The visible video begins on the page the user asked for.
• Hide initial setup. Wrap page load, auth, navigation to the start page, loading spinners, and cookie-banner dismissal in hide(). After the initial navigation, find and click any cookie consent accept button inside that hidden block.
• Navigate visibly with clicks after hidden setup, not page.goto().
• Prefer mouse-driven selection after typing into search boxes, comboboxes, autocomplete, or command menus: click the visible result rather than press('Enter') when a clickable target exists.
• Prefer native Playwright APIs over page.evaluate() when a locator method already covers the interaction (e.g. locator.blur()).
• Prefer default action options. For autoZoom() and locator actions (click, fill, pressSequentially, check, selectOption, ...), start with ScreenCI's defaults. Do not add a separate click() before fill()/pressSequentially() just to focus, and do not add zoom/click/position/timing overrides unless the user asks or the flow clearly needs it.

Zooming

Prefer stable manual zoom for edit-heavy sections; use autoZoom() for movement between targets, and let each autoZoom() block finish before a navigation or page change (start a new block on the next page). Keep autoZoom() usage sparse: justify each block by movement between targets, not simple text entry.

// Forms and steady editing: fixed frame.
await zoomTo(page.getByRole('form', { name: /profile settings/i }))
await page.getByLabel('Name').fill('Jane Doe')
await page.getByRole('checkbox', { name: 'Email notifications' }).check()
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Save changes' }).click()
await resetZoom()

// Navigation and click-driven flows: follow the movement.
await autoZoom(async () => {
  await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Reports' }).click()
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Open filters' }).click()
  await page.getByRole('option', { name: 'Last 30 days' }).click()
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Apply' }).click()
})

Connecting to an Account (optional)

record needs no account: without a SCREENCI_SECRET it uploads under a local, anonymous trial session and prints a link to view the result. Mention this and keep going.

To upload straight to an existing organization, get SCREENCI_SECRET into screenci/.env before the final record (it does not block authoring or testing):

1. Pass it to init: npm init screenci@latest <SCREENCI_SECRET> -- --yes writes it into screenci/.env.
2. Secrets page: ask the user to copy SCREENCI_SECRET from their secrets page into screenci/.env. The org secret is shared across projects. Keep building and testing while they do it; only record needs it.

Renders without an account, and renders on the free tier, include a ScreenCI watermark. Do not add a separate upgrade upsell after record; report the result URL unless the user asks about plans or watermark removal.

Recording Workflow

1. Add or edit .screenci.ts files in recordings/ (remove example.screenci.ts if creating new videos).
2. Run npx screenci test until it passes. Fix selectors/flow/narration and rerun until green.
3. Run npx screenci record yourself once tests pass. Do not stop and ask the user to record. It uploads immediately, with or without SCREENCI_SECRET.
4. ScreenCI writes .screenci/<video-name>/recording.mp4 and data.json per video.
5. Report the URL record printed (starts with the app's domain, e.g. https://app.screenci.com/record/...) so the user can open it. Without a SCREENCI_SECRET, this is also how they view and claim the anonymous trial recording.

screenci init (or npm init screenci) scaffolds a new project and fails on purpose if one already exists (screenci/ already exists). That is expected: keep working with the existing project, do not delete it to re-init.

Specific Tasks

• Recording videos references/record.md