sck-rs

A modern screen capture library for macOS using Apple's ScreenCaptureKit framework via cidre Rust bindings.

Features

• ScreenCaptureKit-based - Uses Apple's modern screen capture framework
• Pure Rust - No Swift runtime dependency (uses cidre for Apple framework bindings)
• Lower CPU usage - Metal/GPU accelerated capture
• Better compatibility - Handles HDR content and system windows better
• macOS Tahoe ready - First-class support for macOS 26+

Requirements

• macOS 14.0 or later (Sonoma+)
• Screen Recording permission granted

Installation

Add to your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
sck-rs = { git = "https://github.com/louis030195/sck-rs" }

Usage

Monitor Capture

use sck_rs::Monitor;

// List all monitors
let monitors = Monitor::all().unwrap();
for monitor in &monitors {
    println!("{} - {}x{}", monitor.name(), monitor.raw_width(), monitor.raw_height());
}

// Capture primary monitor
let monitor = Monitor::primary().unwrap();
let image = monitor.capture_image().unwrap();
image.save("monitor.png").unwrap();

Window Capture

use sck_rs::Window;

// List all windows
let windows = Window::all().unwrap();
for window in &windows {
    println!("{} - {}",
        window.app_name().unwrap_or_default(),
        window.title().unwrap_or_default()
    );
}

// Capture a window
if let Some(window) = windows.first() {
    let image = window.capture_image().unwrap();
    image.save("window.png").unwrap();
}

API

Window

impl Window {
    pub fn all() -> Result<Vec<Window>>;
    pub fn id(&self) -> Result<u32>;
    pub fn pid(&self) -> Result<u32>;
    pub fn app_name(&self) -> Result<String>;
    pub fn title(&self) -> Result<String>;
    pub fn x(&self) -> Result<i32>;
    pub fn y(&self) -> Result<i32>;
    pub fn width(&self) -> Result<u32>;
    pub fn height(&self) -> Result<u32>;
    pub fn is_minimized(&self) -> Result<bool>;
    pub fn is_on_screen(&self) -> bool;
    pub fn capture_image(&self) -> Result<RgbaImage>;
}

Monitor

impl Monitor {
    pub fn all() -> Result<Vec<Monitor>>;
    pub fn primary() -> Result<Monitor>;
    pub fn id(&self) -> u32;
    pub fn name(&self) -> &str;
    pub fn x(&self) -> i32;
    pub fn y(&self) -> i32;
    pub fn width(&self) -> Result<u32>;
    pub fn height(&self) -> Result<u32>;
    pub fn raw_width(&self) -> u32;
    pub fn raw_height(&self) -> u32;
    pub fn is_primary(&self) -> bool;
    pub fn capture_image(&self) -> Result<RgbaImage>;
}

Why ScreenCaptureKit?

Feature	CGWindowListCreateImage	ScreenCaptureKit
CPU Usage	High (main thread blocking)	Low (async, Metal)
HDR Support	Limited	Full
System Windows	Often fails	Full support
macOS Tahoe (26)	Breaking	First-class support
Future	Legacy/deprecated	Active development

Implementation Notes

• Window capture: Captures the display containing the window and crops to the window bounds. Works reliably for all window types.
• macOS 14.0+ required: Uses SCScreenshotManager which requires macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later.

Permissions

Screen capture requires user permission. Add to your Info.plist:

<key>NSScreenCaptureUsageDescription</key>
<string>This app needs screen recording permission.</string>

Or grant permission in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording.

Examples

# List all windows
cargo run --example list_windows

# Capture primary monitor
cargo run --example capture_monitor

# Capture windows
cargo run --example capture_window

# Capture specific app windows
cargo run --example capture_window -- Safari

License

MIT