Screenshot For Chat
https://github.com/obra/screenshotforchat- Category
- Productivity
- Rank
- No. 1797Tools index
Previous survey · No. 1805 ·
- Pricing
- Open Source
- Type
- TOOL
- Builder
- obra
- GitHub
- 20 stars
- Latest release
- v0.1.15
- Date
About
Quick macOS screenshot tool designed for AI chat interactions, by Jesse Vincent (obra). Optimized for pasting context into LLM chats.
What it does
A menu bar app that captures a chosen window, display, or dragged region. It saves a PNG in temporary storage, then places both the image and its local path on the clipboard so each destination can accept the format it understands.
Why it's ranked here
Its strongest idea is the dual-format clipboard, which removes friction between graphical apps and text-oriented coding assistants. Custom global shortcuts, local-only storage, and three capture modes make the workflow practical. However, the author notes that Claude Code already handles screenshots through Control-V, sharply narrowing the tool’s necessity.
What's good
The clipboard carries PNG data and a path at once, avoiding a second copy step. Window selection highlights the target and restores focus afterward. Region selection shows dimensions, shortcuts remain configurable, launch-at-login is optional, and HiDPI output can be reduced. Captures stay local and temporary.
Tradeoffs
It requires macOS 14, Apple Silicon, and Screen Recording permission. Temporary screenshots are deliberately unsuitable for archival use and may disappear quickly. The full-screen implementation selects the first available display, so its behavior is narrower than an all-displays promise. Running outside Applications can also trigger resource-access problems and relocation prompts.
How to use it well
Use it on an Apple Silicon Mac when screenshots regularly move between image-aware chat apps and text-based developer tools. Assign memorable global shortcuts, capture, and paste immediately before temporary cleanup matters. It does not replace durable screenshot storage, annotation software, cross-platform capture, or Claude Code’s built-in Control-V workflow.
Technical notes+
Package.swift defines a Swift 5.11 executable target for macOS 14 and pins KeyboardShortcuts 2.3.0 plus LaunchAtLogin-Modern 1.1.0. Sources/ScreenshotForChat/CaptureManager.swift uses ScreenCaptureKit, writes UUID-named PNGs under NSTemporaryDirectory(), and publishes both .string and .png pasteboard representations. Sources/ScreenshotForChat/AppDelegate.swift builds the AppKit menu bar lifecycle and hosts a SwiftUI settings panel from Sources/ScreenshotForChat/SettingsView.swift. Sources/ScreenshotForChat/WindowPicker.swift and Sources/ScreenshotForChat/RegionSelectionOverlay.swift implement interactive selection overlays. Scripts/build.sh assembles the application bundle from Swift Package Manager output and Resources/Info.plist marks it as an LSUIElement agent. screenshotForChat.swift contains a separate older Core Graphics and system screencapture implementation outside the declared package target.
Observed
- License
- MIT License
- Primary language
- Swift
- Platform support
- macOS 14.0 or later on Apple Silicon ARM64
- Interface
- Native macOS menu bar application with global keyboard shortcuts
- Capture modes
- Window, full screen, and selected region
- Packaging
- Swift Package Manager executable assembled into a macOS application bundle
- Dependencies
- KeyboardShortcuts 2.3.0 and LaunchAtLogin-Modern 1.1.0
- Privacy model
- Screenshots remain local and are written to temporary storage
Read from README.md, doc/GITHUB_ACTIONS_SETUP.md, Package.swift, screenshotForChat.swift, Sources/ScreenshotForChat/main.swift, Sources/ScreenshotForChat/AppDelegate.swift, Sources/ScreenshotForChat/AppSettings.swift, Sources/ScreenshotForChat/SettingsView.swift, Sources/ScreenshotForChat/WindowPicker.swift, Sources/ScreenshotForChat/CaptureManager.swift, Sources/ScreenshotForChat/RegionSelectionOverlay.swift, LICENSE, Scripts/build.sh, Resources/Info.plist.
What it can do
Take quick screenshots on macOS
Screen content or selected area → Screenshot image
Optimize screenshots for AI chat context
Screenshot image → AI-chat optimized image
Paste screenshots directly into LLM chats
Screenshot image → Image pasted in chat interface
Provide context images for AI conversations
Screen content → Contextual image for LLM interaction
Tags
Tech Stack
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Editorially curated, with community endorsements as a secondary signal. Corrections welcome.