# Browser recording (alpha)

Browser recording adds two opt-in tools that let an agent save a browser session as a Motion-JPEG AVI video. The agent can also add short captions while it works.

> **Caution:** Browser recording is an alpha feature. The API and output format may change.

## When to use browser recording

Use browser recording when you need to:

- Review what an agent did in a browser
- Share a short browser automation run with a teammate
- Debug missed actions, slow page loads, or unexpected navigation
- Add short captions that explain each major step

Recording tools are disabled by default. Enable them only for agents that need to write video files.

## Enable recording

Pass `recording.outputDir` to `AgentBrowser` or `StagehandBrowser`. The browser provider adds the `browser_record` and `browser_record_caption` tools to the agent's toolset.

The following example enables recording for `AgentBrowser`:

```typescript
import { join } from 'node:path'
import { AgentBrowser } from '@mastra/agent-browser'

export const browser = new AgentBrowser({
  headless: false,
  recording: {
    outputDir: join(process.cwd(), 'browser-recordings'),
  },
})
```

The same option works with `StagehandBrowser`:

```typescript
import { join } from 'node:path'
import { StagehandBrowser } from '@mastra/stagehand'

export const browser = new StagehandBrowser({
  headless: false,
  recording: {
    outputDir: join(process.cwd(), 'browser-recordings'),
  },
})
```

## Recording tools

Enabling recording adds these tools:

| Tool                     | Description                                                  |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `browser_record`         | Starts, stops, or checks the status of a recording.          |
| `browser_record_caption` | Adds a short caption at the current moment in the recording. |

`browser_record` accepts an `action` field:

- `start`: Start recording the current browser session.
- `status`: Check whether a recording is active.
- `stop`: Stop recording and write the `.avi` file.

The `outputPath` option for `browser_record` must be an absolute path inside the configured `recording.outputDir`. If you omit it, Mastra creates a file in `outputDir`.

## Example agent instructions

Tell the agent when to record and when to add captions:

```typescript
import { Agent } from '@mastra/core/agent'
import { browser } from '../browsers'

export const browserAgent = new Agent({
  id: 'browser-agent',
  name: 'Browser Agent',
  model: 'openai/gpt-5.5',
  browser,
  instructions: `Use browser tools to complete the requested task.

When the user asks for a recording:
1. Call browser_record with action="start" before browser work begins.
2. After each major action, call browser_record_caption with a caption of about six words.
3. Call browser_record with action="stop" as soon as the task is complete.
4. Return the saved video path to the user.`,
})
```

## Output format and limits

Recordings are saved as Motion-JPEG AVI files. This format is encoded in JavaScript and does not require `ffmpeg` or native dependencies.

Default limits:

- Maximum duration: 30 seconds
- Hard duration cap: 120 seconds
- Maximum frame size: 1024 × 720
- Captions: 80 characters each
- One active recording per process

Use shorter recordings when possible. Long browser sessions produce larger files and are harder to review.

## Next steps

- [AgentBrowser](https://mastra.ai/docs/browser/agent-browser)
- [Stagehand](https://mastra.ai/docs/browser/stagehand)
- [Browser overview](https://mastra.ai/docs/browser/overview)