capcap

The fastest menu bar screenshot tool for macOS: double-tap ⌘ to capture, annotate, scroll-stitch, beautify, pin, and upload.

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**The fastest way to grab, mark up, and share screenshots on macOS.** Double-tap `⌘` from anywhere — snap to a window, drag a region, scroll-stitch a long page, then annotate and beautify in one tight floating window. Lives in your menu bar. No Dock icon, no telemetry, no subscription, no third-party dependencies. Bring your own object storage if you want a one-click cloud URL.

capcap annotation editor — arrows, numbered callouts, mosaic, highlighter and text layered on a screenshot in a single floating toolbar

Download Latest Release · Install with Homebrew · macOS 14+ · Universal (Apple Silicon + Intel)

## Why capcap - **One shortcut, zero friction.** Double-tap `⌘` anywhere and capcap is on screen in milliseconds — or record any global hotkey you like. - **Snap-to-window or pixel-perfect region.** Hover any window for a one-click capture, or drag a region with full Retina output across every connected display. - **A real annotation editor.** Arrows, numbered callouts, text, mosaic, highlighter, pen — all editable, draggable, rotatable and undoable *after* you place them. - **Scroll-stitch long content.** Capture a scrolling area, watch the stitched preview live, and keep editing the merged result. - **Beautify and pin.** Wrap shots in gradient or wallpaper backgrounds with rounded corners and shadow, or pin the final image floating above any window. - **Edit Finder images too.** Select a single image file in Finder and trigger the same shortcut to load it straight into the editor — the original is never touched. - **Menu bar history.** Recent screenshots and picked colors are one click away from re-copying — local-only, configurable size. - **One-click upload to your own image host.** Optional: configure Tencent COS, Qiniu Kodo, or Aliyun OSS once and the editor's upload button copies a public URL straight to your clipboard. Credentials stay on your Mac. - **Built with pure AppKit.** No SwiftUI, no Electron, no telemetry. Small, fast, and respectful of macOS. ## Showcase

_{Snap to any window in one click No precise dragging — capcap detects window bounds for you.}	_{History at the menu bar Re-copy any recent screenshot or picked hex color in a click.}
_{Scroll-stitch long pages Scroll inside the selection, watch frames merge live, and keep editing the result.}	_{Beautify in one click Gradient or wallpaper backgrounds, rounded corners, shadow and padding — all adjustable.}
_{Bring-your-own image host Configure Tencent COS, Qiniu Kodo, or Aliyun OSS once — upload the current screenshot and copy its public URL with a single click.}

## Features - **Edit any image directly** — select a single image file in Finder (Desktop or any window) and trigger the screenshot shortcut to open that image in the annotation editor instead of taking a screenshot. The original file is never modified; the edited result goes to the clipboard and history like a normal capture. - **Fast region and window capture** — drag any area, or hover and click a detected window to snap to its bounds. - **Multi-display support** — creates overlays on every connected screen and captures at full Retina resolution. - **Full annotation editor** — rectangle, ellipse, arrow, pen, highlighter, mosaic, numbered callouts, and text. - **Editable annotations** — move existing marks, change color and size, rotate supported annotations, bend arrows/callouts, edit text, delete marks, and use undo/redo. - **Scroll capture** — capture a selected scrolling area, preview the stitched image live, and merge it back into the editor. - **Beautify mode** — wrap screenshots in rounded corners, soft shadow, gradient presets, wallpaper background, and adjustable padding. - **Color picker** — use the macOS color sampler, copy the picked hex value, and keep it in history. - **Pin to screen** — float the current screenshot above other windows as a draggable reference image. - **Save or copy** — save as PNG, confirm to copy PNG/TIFF data to the clipboard, or cancel without output. - **Recent history** — menu bar history with thumbnails and picked colors for quick re-copy, with a configurable cache size. - **Image-host upload** — optional one-click upload to Tencent COS, Qiniu Kodo, or Aliyun OSS; the public URL is copied to the clipboard and stored alongside the thumbnail in History. Credentials live only in your local UserDefaults; pick one provider as the default and the editor's upload button lights up. - **Custom trigger** — use the default double-tap `⌘`, or record a custom global shortcut in Settings. - **Settings and localization** — UI in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, French, Russian, and Vietnamese, plus menu bar icon toggle, launch at login, demo mode, permission status, shortcut recording, and history cache size. - **Menu bar app** — runs as an agent app without a Dock icon. ## Requirements - macOS 14.0+ - Accessibility permission, used for the default double-tap `⌘` trigger - Screen Recording permission, used by ScreenCaptureKit and screenshot capture - Automation permission for Finder, requested on first use of the "edit selected image" shortcut On first launch, capcap opens a setup window that shows both permission states. The app can launch once both required permissions are granted. ## Install with Homebrew The Homebrew cask lives in the shared `realskyrin/tap` Homebrew tap: ```bash brew tap realskyrin/tap brew install --cask realskyrin/tap/capcap ``` See the [homebrew-tap README](https://github.com/realskyrin/homebrew-tap) for tap maintenance. ## macOS Verification Warning If macOS shows a warning like `Apple cannot verify "capcap" is free of malware`, remove the quarantine flag from the app bundle you trust, then open it again: ```bash xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/capcap.app ``` If you are running a locally built copy instead of the app in `/Applications`, replace the path with your actual app location, for example: ```bash xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine ./build/capcap.app ``` Only do this for builds downloaded from this repository or ones you built yourself. ## Build from Source ```bash # Build and bundle build/capcap.app ./scripts/bundle.sh ``` For local development, this script rebuilds the app, kills any running instance, launches the new bundle, and verifies that it started: ```bash bash scripts/rebuild-and-open.sh ``` To package a draggable DMG: ```bash scripts/package-dmg.sh ``` The app bundle is output to `build/capcap.app`; DMGs are output to `dist/`. ## Usage 1. Double-tap `⌘ Command`, press your custom shortcut, or choose **Take Screenshot** from the menu bar. 2. Hover a window and click to capture it, or drag to select any region. 3. Use the floating toolbar to annotate, pick a color, start scroll capture, beautify, save, pin, cancel, or confirm. 4. Click the green checkmark or press `Enter` to copy the final image to the clipboard. Press `Esc` or click `x` to cancel. To edit an existing image instead of taking a screenshot, click a single image file in Finder (so it's the current Finder selection), then trigger the same shortcut. capcap copies the file into a temporary working location and opens it in the editor with the toolbar already up. If anything other than exactly one image is selected, the shortcut behaves as a normal screenshot trigger. ## Editor Tools | Tool | What it does | |------|--------------| | Rectangle / Ellipse | Draw outlined shapes with selectable colors and stroke widths | | Arrow | Draw straight arrows; select an arrow later to move endpoints or bend the shaft | | Pen | Draw smoothed freehand strokes | | Highlighter | Draw semi-transparent marker strokes without darkening overlaps | | Mosaic | Brush pixelated regions over sensitive content, with adjustable block size | | Numbered | Add incrementing callout badges; drag while placing to add an arrow | | Text | Add editable single-line text with color and 10-100 pt size controls | | Eyedropper | Pick any screen color and copy its `#RRGGBB` value | | Undo / Redo | Revert and restore editor changes | | Move Selection | Drag the whole selected screenshot region after selection | | Scroll Capture | Scroll inside the selected area, stitch frames, and continue editing the merged result | | Beautify | Add gradient or wallpaper backgrounds, rounded corners, shadow, and padding | | Save | Save the current result as a PNG | | Pin | Keep the current result floating above other windows | | Upload | Upload the current result to the configured image host and copy the public URL | | Confirm | Copy the final result to the clipboard | When an annotation is selected, capcap shows adjustment handles where supported: rotation for shapes, strokes, and text; curve handles for arrows and numbered callouts; endpoint handles for arrows; and edit/delete actions for text and selected annotations. ## Settings Open Settings from the menu bar to configure: - Language: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, French, Russian, or Vietnamese - Menu bar icon visibility - Launch at login - Demo Mode, which allows external screen recorders to capture capcap's overlay and editor - Screenshot shortcut: keep double-tap `⌘`, record a custom shortcut, or restore the default - History cache size, from 5 to 20 recent screenshots/colors - Image-host upload: enable Tencent COS, Qiniu Kodo, or Aliyun OSS, fill in their credentials, and pick which one is the default for the editor's upload button - Accessibility and Screen Recording permission shortcuts ## History The menu bar **History** submenu stores recent screenshots and picked colors in `~/Library/Application Support/capcap/History`. Click an image entry to copy it back to the clipboard, click a color entry to copy its hex value, or clear the full history from the submenu. ## Project Structure - `capcap/App/` — app entry point, delegate, and bundle metadata - `capcap/Capture/` — overlay, selection, window detection, ScreenCaptureKit capture, scroll stitching, clipboard, and history - `capcap/Editor/` — annotation models, editor canvas, floating toolbar, beautify rendering, mosaic, scroll preview, and pin windows - `capcap/Trigger/` — double-tap `⌘` monitor and custom Carbon hotkey registration - `capcap/UI/` — menu bar controller, toast, cursor chip, and tooltips - `capcap/Settings/` — startup/settings window and preferences UI - `capcap/Upload/` — image-host providers (Tencent COS, Qiniu Kodo, Aliyun OSS), HMAC signing, progress-tracking HTTP wrapper, and the floating upload chip - `capcap/Utilities/` — defaults, localization, and launch-at-login support - `scripts/` — compile check, bundle, rebuild/open, icon, and DMG helpers ## Development ```bash # Fast compile validation for Swift-affecting changes bash scripts/compile-check.sh # Build, restart, and verify the local app bash scripts/rebuild-and-open.sh ``` ## Acknowledgments Thanks to the [Linux.do](https://linux.do) community for testing, feedback, and discussion. ## Third-Party Licenses - [PermissionFlow](https://github.com/jaywcjlove/PermissionFlow) is licensed under the MIT License. See [ThirdParty/PermissionFlow/LICENSE](ThirdParty/PermissionFlow/LICENSE). ## License [MIT](LICENSE)