Overview

camsnap lets you grab snapshots, clips, or motion events from configured cameras with simple commands. It relies on ffmpeg on the PATH and a YAML config to manage multiple camera hosts. This makes it easy to monitor feeds, collect quick evidence, or automate camera checks.

How This Skill Works

Configure cameras in ~/.config/camsnap/config.yaml and use snap, clip, or watch to capture data. camsnap uses ffmpeg on PATH to encode snapshots and MP4 clips and to monitor motion with a threshold; outputs are written to the specified --out locations. A doctor command helps verify connectivity and probe camera health.

When to Use It

• Need a quick still image from a configured camera (snapshot).
• Need a short video clip from a camera for evidence or testing.
• Monitor for motion events with a threshold and trigger an action.
• Discover devices and verify camera availability and configuration.
• Diagnose camera health and connectivity with the doctor probe.

Quick Start

1. Step 1: Install camsnap via brew: brew install steipete/tap/camsnap
2. Step 2: Add a camera to the config: camsnap add --name kitchen --host 192.168.0.10 --user user --pass pass
3. Step 3: Capture a snapshot: camsnap snap kitchen --out shot.jpg

Best Practices

• Ensure ffmpeg is installed and available on the system PATH before use.
• Test with short clips first to confirm quality and permissions.
• Use clear, descriptive names in config.yaml for each camera.
• Secure camera credentials and rotate them regularly.
• Organize outputs logically (directories per camera/date) and back up important clips.

Example Use Cases

• camsnap discover --info
• camsnap snap kitchen --out /shots/kitchen.jpg
• camsnap clip kitchen --dur 5s --out /clips/kitchen_5s.mp4
• camsnap watch kitchen --threshold 0.2 --action 'send alert'
• camsnap doctor --probe

Frequently Asked Questions