aiden-niri-noctalia/home/aiden/.config/noctalia/plugins/screen-recorder

Screen Recorder Plugin

Hardware-accelerated screen recording for Noctalia using gpu-screen-recorder.

Features

• Hardware-accelerated screen recording
• Customizable video codecs (H264, HEVC, AV1, VP8, VP9, HDR variants)
• Audio recording with multiple sources (system output, microphone, both, or none)
• Adjustable frame rates (30-240 FPS)
• Configurable output resolution (Full HD, 4K, QHD, HD, or original)
• Configurable output directory
• Optional clipboard copy after recording
• Optional cursor recording
• Multiple quality presets

Requirements

• gpu-screen-recorder - The screen recording backend
  • Install via package manager: gpu-screen-recorder
• xdg-desktop-portal and a compositor portal backend (wlr/hyprland/gnome etc)

Installation

1. Copy this plugin to your Noctalia plugins directory:

   cp -r screen-recorder ~/.config/noctalia/plugins/
   

2. Add the widget to your bar through Noctalia settings

Usage

Bar Widget

• Left Click: Start/stop recording
• Right Click: Open plugin settings

Settings

Configure the plugin through the settings panel:

• Output Folder: Where recordings will be saved (defaults to ~/Videos)
• Filename Pattern: Pattern for generated filenames. Supports standard Qt date format tokens (e.g., yyyy, MM, dd etc.) and unix for Unix timestamp.
• Video Source: Choose between Portal (recommended) or Screen
• Frame Rate: Target FPS (30, 60, 100, 120, 144, 165, 240)
• Video Quality: Medium, High, Very High, or Ultra
• Video Codec: H264, HEVC, AV1, VP8, VP9 (+ HDR variants for screen source)
• Color Range: Limited (recommended) or Full
• Resolution: Output resolution limit (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160, 1280x720, or Original)
• Audio Source: None, System Output, Microphone, or Both
• Audio Codec: Opus (recommended) or AAC
• Show Cursor: Include mouse cursor in recording
• Copy to Clipboard: Automatically copy file after recording

IPC Commands

Control the screen recorder via IPC for keybindings or scripts:

# Toggle recording on/off
qs -c noctalia-shell ipc call plugin:screen-recorder toggle

# Explicitly start recording
qs -c noctalia-shell ipc call plugin:screen-recorder start

# Explicitly stop recording
qs -c noctalia-shell ipc call plugin:screen-recorder stop

Video Codecs

• H264: Most compatible, good quality, works everywhere
• HEVC (H.265): Better compression than H264, smaller files
• AV1: Best compression, smallest files, newer codec
• VP8/VP9: Open-source alternatives
• HDR variants: Available when using "Screen" source for high dynamic range content

Audio Sources

• None: No audio recording
• System Output: Capture system sounds (what you hear)
• Microphone Input: Capture from microphone
• Both: Record both system and microphone audio

Troubleshooting

"Screen recorder not installed" error

Install gpu-screen-recorder:

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S gpu-screen-recorder

# Or via Flatpak
flatpak install com.dec05eba.gpu_screen_recorder

"Desktop portals not running" error

Ensure xdg-desktop-portal and a compositor portal are running:

# Check if portals are running
pidof xdg-desktop-portal
pidof xdg-desktop-portal-wlr  # or -hyprland, -gnome, -kde

# Install if needed (example for Arch)
sudo pacman -S xdg-desktop-portal xdg-desktop-portal-wlr

Recording fails with artifacts

Try changing the video source from "Portal" to "Screen" in settings.

Recording stops immediately

• Check if the output directory exists and is writable
• Ensure gpu-screen-recorder has necessary permissions
• Check Noctalia logs for detailed error messages

License

MIT License

Credits

• Uses gpu-screen-recorder by dec05eba
• Part of the Noctalia plugin ecosystem