> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.reliclabs.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to capture screen activity with Contributor

> Start and stop recordings from the Contributor menu bar app, choose between full-screen and window capture, and let auto-pause keep sensitive content out of your sessions.

Contributor captures your screen activity through a compact menu bar interface that sits outside your main workflow. You can start and stop a recording at any time without leaving what you are doing. Every second you are recording, Contributor takes a screenshot and saves it locally to your active session.

## Starting a recording

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the menu bar app">
    Click the Contributor icon in your menu bar to open the capture panel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your capture source">
    By default, Contributor records your full display. If you have multiple monitors, use the **Display** dropdown to choose which screen to capture.

    To record a specific application window instead of the entire screen, enable the **Active Window** toggle and select the window you want from the dropdown list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start recording">
    Click **Start Recording**. The menu bar app shows a live elapsed-time counter while recording is active.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Capture source options

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Full screen">
    Contributor records everything visible on the selected display. This is the default mode and requires no extra configuration. Use the **Display** dropdown to switch between monitors if you have more than one connected.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Specific window">
    Enable the **Active Window** toggle, then choose an open application from the dropdown. Contributor captures only that window's content for the duration of the recording, regardless of what else is on screen.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## What Contributor captures

While recording is active, Contributor takes **one screenshot per second** of your chosen source. Each screenshot is saved immediately to your device as part of the current session. The menu bar panel shows the elapsed time so you can track how long you have been recording.

<Note>
  Screenshots are stored locally and are not sent anywhere until you explicitly submit the session through the editor.
</Note>

## Pausing and resuming

If you need to step away mid-session, click **Pause** in the menu bar app. The elapsed timer stops and no new screenshots are taken. Click **Resume** when you are ready to continue - the same session picks up where it left off.

## Auto-pause for sensitive windows

Contributor monitors the active window while recording. When it detects an application that may contain sensitive information - such as a banking site, a password manager, or similar - it automatically pauses the recording. No screenshot is taken of the sensitive window. Recording resumes automatically when you switch to a different window.

<Warning>
  Auto-pause is a keyword-based heuristic, not a perfect classifier. Always review your screenshots in the editor before submitting to confirm no sensitive content was captured.
</Warning>

## Stopping a recording

Click **Stop Recording** in the menu bar app. Contributor finalizes the session, saves it locally, and opens the editor automatically so you can review your screenshots straight away.

## Tips for a focused session

<Tip>
  Keep recordings targeted. A shorter session that covers one task clearly tends to perform better in review than a long session that jumps between many unrelated activities.
</Tip>

* Close tabs and windows you do not intend to record before starting.
* Use window-capture mode when only one application is relevant.
* If you accidentally capture something private, you can delete those screenshots in the editor before submitting.