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Scrawl Linux preview 1

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@kitlangton kitlangton released this 20 Oct 21:44
linux-preview-1
2e8c86b

An early Linux build of Scrawl for testing before the Linux release. Based on Scrawl 0.3.10.

Built from 2e8c86b2a61a9c29391bcb5ea8d9b1e8f3841412. macOS, Windows and Linux checks and both AppImage builds passed.

Install and run

Download the AppImage for your computer: x86_64 for Intel/AMD, or aarch64 for ARM64. These builds target Ubuntu 24.04 or newer.

For x86_64:

chmod +x Scrawl-0.3.10-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./Scrawl-0.3.10-linux-x86_64.AppImage app

On ARM64, use Scrawl-0.3.10-linux-aarch64.AppImage instead.

If it reports a missing libfuse.so.2, install FUSE support on Ubuntu 24.04:

sudo apt install libfuse2t64

Or run without FUSE:

./Scrawl-0.3.10-linux-x86_64.AppImage --appimage-extract-and-run app

SHA256SUMS contains checksums for both downloads. With it and the AppImages in the same directory, check your download with sha256sum --check --ignore-missing SHA256SUMS.

On Wayland, clicks and Shift ink need access to input devices:

sudo usermod -aG input "$USER"

Log out and back in, then reopen Scrawl. Settings → Permissions checks whether the devices are readable. Without this access, Scrawl can record the screen and voice but cannot reliably capture clicks or Shift ink over other apps.

Scrawl downloads its roughly 731 MB speech model on first launch unless Hex already has it. Settings → Recording shows progress.

Try a capture

Tap Alt+Shift+S to start recording and tap it again to finish. Hold it to open the target picker. Hold Shift and move the pointer to draw. Use Alt+Shift+V to paste the capture into your agent. On Wayland, the desktop may ask permission for screen sharing or paste control.

Desktop coverage

The Linux implementation was tested in Ubuntu 24.04 ARM64 VMs with GNOME 46 and KDE Plasma 5.27.12. Those desktop recordings predate this rebase onto 0.3.10; CI checks the rebased code and both packaged AppImages.

  • GNOME Wayland: screen/area capture, shortcuts, clicks, Shift ink, transcription, contact sheets, Settings, onboarding and paste into Text Editor.
  • GNOME X11: display/window capture, shortcuts, clicks, ink, transcription, contact sheets, target picker, Settings, onboarding and paste.
  • KDE Wayland: screen/area capture with saved portal selection, shortcuts through KGlobalAccel on Plasma 5, clicks, ink, transcription, contact sheets, Settings, onboarding and paste into native Kate. Cancelling a pending sharing dialog also works.

Known limits

  • Click positions over native Wayland apps can be wrong with a relative mouse or touchpad. Click timing is retained. Absolute-pointer devices used by the VMs do not have this limitation.
  • On Wayland, the Window picker lists only XWayland windows. Use Screen or Area for native Wayland apps.
  • On KDE Wayland, ink hides from the desktop between Shift strokes so clicks can reach the app below it. The saved bundle retains the ink.
  • Scrawl's pill can appear in recordings. Keyframe selection ignores its changing timer when looking for activity.
  • GNOME 48+ and Plasma 6 portal shortcuts, physical mouse/touchpad input and multi-monitor layouts still need testing. Scrawl's own windows use XWayland.

Report a problem

Open a GitHub issue with the linux label. Include your distro, desktop version, X11 or Wayland session, architecture, what you tried, and what happened. Include the output of:

scrawl inspect latest

Settings → Agents can install the scrawl command. You can also inspect directly with the downloaded AppImage:

./Scrawl-0.3.10-linux-x86_64.AppImage --appimage-extract-and-run inspect latest

Review the output before posting; it can contain your transcript and local paths. If no capture finished, say that in the issue.

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