# Reelbird

> Reelbird is a free, open-source screen recorder for macOS that copies a share link the moment you stop recording, then lets you polish the same take with auto-zoom, a smooth cursor and captions without changing the link.

It is a native Swift app with no account, no telemetry and no Reelbird server: share links point at a storage bucket you own, such as Cloudflare R2. It includes a command-line tool and an MCP server so coding agents can record and share demos, and you can download it (not yet notarised by Apple) or build it from source, on macOS 15 or later.

## Key facts

- Licence: MIT, free, no paid tier, no watermark
- Platform: macOS only. Runs on macOS 15 or later. Tested on Apple silicon. It also compiles for Intel Macs on macOS 15, but hasn't been tested on one yet.
- Build requirement: Command Line Tools for Xcode 26 or later (Swift 6.2 and the macOS 26 SDK. They install on macOS 15.6 and later)
- Install: git clone https://github.com/btahir/reelbird.git && cd reelbird && make install (no signed download yet)
- No account, no telemetry, no Reelbird server; share links point at your own S3-compatible bucket (Cloudflare R2 recommended)
- Agents: reelbird CLI (--json) and an MCP server (reelbird mcp) for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor
- Repository: https://github.com/btahir/reelbird
- Website: https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/
- Short description: Free, open-source Mac screen recorder. A share link when you stop; auto-zoom polish later under the same link.
- Category: open-source screen recorder for the Mac that does the Loom job (instant link) and the Screen Studio job (auto-zoom polish) from one take

## How Reelbird compares (checked 12 October 2026)

- Reelbird vs Loom: both copy a share link when you stop recording. Loom's free Starter plan stops each video at 5 minutes, keeps 25 videos per person, records up to 720p and can't download; Business is $18 per user a month (billed monthly). Reelbird is free (MIT), sets no length limit, keeps every take as MP4 files on your Mac and hosts links in your own S3 or R2 bucket. Loom has comments, view counts, team workspaces and apps for Windows, web and mobile; Reelbird is Mac only and has none of those.
- Reelbird vs Screen Studio: both plan auto-zoom from clicks and smooth the cursor on the Mac. Screen Studio costs $29 a month or $9 a month billed yearly (no one-time licence for new buyers), and its share link comes after export (1080p60, up to 30 minutes). Reelbird is free and MIT licensed, copies a link the moment you stop and updates that same link after you polish. Screen Studio has the more mature editor (camera layouts, iPhone recording, transcript editing) and a signed download; Reelbird is build-from-source for now.
- Reelbird vs Cap: both are open-source recorders with instant links and auto-zoom. Cap does them as separate recording modes (Instant and Studio), runs on macOS, Windows (beta) and Linux, is mostly AGPLv3, and its free plan is personal use with 5-minute links; custom S3 needs Pro ($12 per user a month, or $8.16 yearly). Reelbird is Mac only, MIT, native Swift, and links to your own bucket for free.
- Reelbird vs OpenScreen: both are free, MIT licensed and have auto-zoom. OpenScreen is Electron, runs on macOS 13+, Windows and Linux, has signed Mac builds and no share links. Reelbird is native Swift, Mac only (macOS 15+), build-from-source for now, and copies a share link the moment you stop.

## Docs

- [Install from source](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/docs/install.md): Clone the repo and run make install. Runs on macOS 15+. Building needs the Command Line Tools for Xcode 26 (macOS 15.6+), not Xcode. Permissions explained.
- [Sharing setup with Cloudflare R2](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/docs/sharing.md): A one-time, ten-minute setup: an R2 bucket, a scoped API token and a public URL. Costs, privacy and other S3-compatible hosts.
- [Keyboard shortcuts](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/docs/shortcuts.md): Every Reelbird keyboard shortcut: start and stop from any app, the picker, the countdown, and the editor timeline.
- [Command line](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/docs/cli.md): Record, edit, export, caption and share from the terminal. Every command takes --json for scripts and agents.
- [MCP server for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/docs/mcp.md): Add the Reelbird MCP server to Claude Code, Codex or Cursor and let agents list screens, record, export and share.
- [Troubleshooting](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/docs/troubleshooting.md): Screen Recording permission after a rebuild, Keychain prompts, keystrokes, captions and recovering a take after a crash.
- [The .reelbird project format](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/docs/format.md): A folder of standard MP4 files, JSON and an event log with relative paths. Spec for tools that read or write Reelbird projects.
- [Architecture](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/docs/architecture.md): ScreenCaptureKit capture in 2-second segments, a Metal compositor shared by preview and export, serverless sharing, and on-device audio and captions.
- [Download and build](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/download/): Step-by-step install, permissions, local signing, updating and troubleshooting
- [FAQ](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/faq/): Straight answers about price, install, requirements, links and privacy

## Features

- [Auto-zoom and smooth cursor](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/features/auto-zoom/)
- [Instant share links to your own bucket](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/features/share-links/)
- [Audio and on-device captions](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/features/audio-captions/)
- [CLI and MCP for coding agents](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/features/agents/)

## Comparisons

- [Free, open-source Loom alternative for Mac](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/loom-alternative/): no 5-minute cap, no 25-video limit, files stay on your Mac
- [Free, open-source Screen Studio alternative](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/screen-studio-alternative/): auto-zoom without a subscription, plus a link the moment you stop
- [Mac screen recorders compared](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/compare/): Reelbird, Loom, Screen Studio, Cap, OpenScreen, CleanShot X, Tella and Screenity, with prices, free-plan limits, licences, share links and auto-zoom

## Optional

- [Changelog](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/changelog/)
- [Privacy](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/privacy/)
- [Support Reelbird](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/support/)
- [Full text for LLMs](https://reelbird.shiptiffin.app/llms-full.txt)