Take a window screenshot for an agent to inspect

Goal. After acting on an app, the agent wants to see the result. Capture only that window, so the image is small and unambiguous.

aos capture screenshot --app=Finder --out=/tmp/shot.png

Commands

aos capture screenshot --app=Safari --out=/tmp/safari.png
aos capture screenshot --monitor=2 --out=/tmp/second.png
aos capture screenshot --region=0,0,800,600 --out=/tmp/corner.png
aos capture screenshot region --copy        # select a region, put it on the clipboard

The command prints the file path and the captured bounds:

$ aos capture screenshot --app=Finder --out=/tmp/shot.png
/tmp/shot.png  1730x933+2045+94

aos screenshot is an alias for aos capture screenshot.

What to tell an agent

Screenshot the Safari window to /tmp/safari.png and tell me what page is open.

An agent that can read images then opens the file. Claude Code does this with its Read tool.

Gotchas

• --app captures the window, not the screen around it. A window that is partly off screen is captured as it is.
• The window does not need to be in front. aos captures it directly. On macOS this needs Screen Recording permission: aos permission request screen.
• Without --out, the file goes to a default location and its path is printed. Pass --out when a script needs to know the name.
• To find something in the window, use find instead. A screenshot is for looking. aos find returns exact coordinates by label.