screencast_start and screencast_stop use built-in recording by default
Introduced 2026-10-15 · score 0.97
HOW TO USE IT
When recording a page without ffmpeg, call `screencast_start` and then `screencast_stop`; the built-in recorder writes MP4. To set the frame rate, configure `--screencast-fps=<positive-integer>` (the old `--experimental-screencast-fps` name remains an alias).
screencast_start({"pageId": <page-id>, "filePath": "<output.mp4>"})
screencast_stop({"pageId": <page-id>})npx chrome-devtools-mcp@1.11.0 --screencast-fps=<positive-integer>WHY THIS HELPS
When recording a page without an ffmpeg dependency, use the default screencast tools and set the recording frame rate if needed.
BEFORE THIS CHANGE
Use the legacy ffmpeg-based screencast implementation, which requires ffmpeg available in the MCP server PATH and `--experimental-screencast`.
REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITATIONS
- Version: 1.11.0
- pageId (required): Identifies the page to record or stop recording.
- filePath: Optional output path; the recorder generates a unique path when omitted. Built-in recording outputs MP4.
- --screencast-fps: Frame rate; must be a positive integer. `--experimental-screencast-fps` is an alias.
- --experimental-screencast: Selects legacy ffmpeg-based screencast tools; requires ffmpeg installed and available in the MCP server PATH. Not needed for built-in recording or the frame-rate flag.
- Prerequisite: Install and configure chrome-devtools-mcp; the tools require a target page ID.
- Prerequisite: For the legacy implementation only, install ffmpeg and make it available in the MCP server PATH.
- The legacy ffmpeg-based implementation remains available behind `--experimental-screencast`.
- The new built-in recorder always writes MP4.
- The fps flag no longer requires `--experimental-screencast`.
- Docs conflict: The commit-pinned tool reference still says screencast tools require `--experimentalScreencast=true` and lists WebM as supported. This conflicts with the release note's default built-in MP4 recorder behavior; omitted those claims.
FIRST-PARTY EVIDENCE
- https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/releases/tag/chrome-devtools-mcp-v1.11.0
- https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/pull/3123
- https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/blob/8953ea5159e38dfe8c6c553c02991a45fb8c5655/docs/tool-reference.md
- https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/blob/8953ea5159e38dfe8c6c553c02991a45fb8c5655/docs/configuration.md
- https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/blob/8953ea5159e38dfe8c6c553c02991a45fb8c5655/src/config/mcp-options.ts
Check the installed version and the source before using it. Entry JSON