First public release of TimeCap — a macOS menu bar app that captures your screen at a fixed interval and turns the frames into timelapse videos.
Naked Code: the entire app is one readable Python file. No network calls, no external data transfer — verify it yourself (or ask an AI).
Highlights
- ⏱ Interval capture (10 / 15 / 30 / 60 s) via macOS
screencapture - ⏸ Idle detection — pauses while you're away, resumes with a sound cue
- 🎬 Make Video — ffmpeg timelapse from captured frames
- 🗂 Archive Move — files frames into monthly folders
- 📁 Storage picker — keep captures on any folder or external drive
- v1.2: screencapture timeout guard + idle skip logging, ffmpeg concat quote-escaping fix
Run from source
This release is source-only (a signed app bundle may come later).
brew install ffmpeg # for video generation
pip3 install rumps py2app
python3 TimeCap.py # run directly
# or build your own app bundle:
python3 setup.py py2app # → dist/TimeCap.appPermissions
macOS will ask for Screen & System Audio Recording (System Settings → Privacy & Security). Grant it and relaunch — until then captures fail, and the app opens the settings pane for you. Notifications permission is used for status alerts.
Storage note
Frames are full-resolution JPEGs (~0.5 MB each on Retina): roughly 200 MB per hour at the 10 s interval. Point storage at a disk with room and archive regularly.
Product page: https://haenginro.com/apps/timecap/