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[Bug]: macOS: system audio is silent in a window recording when the sound comes from another app #1216

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Description

@EtienneLescot

Platform: macOS 26.5 (M1), CI build of main @ 0bed36852 (run 38581408372). Found during the e2e pass logged in #1212.

Repro

  1. Through the stdio MCP server: startRecording with window: "<a Finder window>", systemAudio: true.
  2. Play sound from another process (afplay speech.m4a, on the Mac's speakers) during the take, then stopRecording.
  3. ffmpeg -i <take>.mp4 -af volumedetect -f null -.

Expected: the system audio is in the take, as on Windows (loopback of the whole mix) and as "Also record the computer's sound" suggests.

Actual: the audio track exists but is digital silence: mean_volume: -91.0 dB. The same sound recorded with display: 0 reads -10.5 dB.

Cause: ScreenCaptureRecorder.swift builds a window take's filter with SCContentFilter(desktopIndependentWindow:). ScreenCaptureKit then captures audio only from the window's own application, so a Finder window records Finder's silence. A take of a browser window would carry the browser's sound only. The HUD's window source uses the same helper path, so this is likely not specific to MCP.

Direction: for system audio on a window take, use an audio source that is not scoped to that app. Two options: a second display-scoped SCStream for audio only, or the Core Audio process tap the picker path already uses. Alternatively, document that a window take records only that app's sound and say so in the HUD and in startRecording's description.

Activity

  1. added a commit that references this issue on Oct 14, 2026
    aa17b10
  2. added
    status: fixed in mainWork is merged into main but may not be in a downloadable release yet.
    status: pending releaseMerged change is waiting for a packaged desktop release.
    on Oct 14, 2026
  3. added this to the Next Release milestone on Oct 14, 2026
  4. github-actions commented on Oct 14, 2026

    @github-actions
    Contributor

    Fixed by #1229 and merged into main.

    This change is assigned to the Next Release release milestone and is not necessarily available in the latest downloadable desktop release yet. It is currently marked as status: pending release until a packaged release containing it is published.

  5. added a commit that references this issue on Oct 14, 2026
  6. EtienneLescot commented on Oct 15, 2026

    @EtienneLescot
    MemberAuthor

    Moved into v2.1.0 as part of the pre-release cut.

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