Troubleshooting

Most problems come down to a permission, a window macOS won't let DemoTake see, or an app that isn't running. DemoTake tries to tell you which one in the message itself, so read it first: it usually names the fix.

#Permissions

#Screen Recording doesn't take effect

Symptom: you switched on DemoTake under System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen Recording, but DemoTake still can't record.

Cause: macOS sometimes applies Screen Recording only after the app restarts.

Fix: DemoTake watches System Settings and notices on its own. When macOS needs a restart, the permission row says Reopen DemoTake to finish and DemoTake offers Relaunch DemoTake. Click it; DemoTake reopens on the same screen.

DemoTake › Settings › Privacy

SScreen RecordingReopen DemoTake to finishRelaunch

MMicrophoneOptional. Narrate while you record.Allowed

AAccessibilityOptional. Lets agents operate apps by name.Allowed

CCameraOptional. Presenter camera.Not set

Screen Recording is required. The others are optional. Changes here update live.

#Agents can't operate the app

Symptom: your agent can observe and record, but clicks and typing fail.

Cause: operating apps needs DemoTake Agent with Accessibility allowed. DemoTake Studio, the Mac App Store edition, never operates other apps.

Fix: in DemoTake Agent, open Settings › Privacy, click Turn On… next to Accessibility and allow DemoTake in System Settings. In DemoTake Studio, let your agent operate the app with its own computer-use tools and report each step with take_log_event. See Connect your agent.

#Recording

#Black or blank video

Symptom: parts of the recording are black, blank or frozen.

Cause: DemoTake keeps recording a window that's covered or moved aside, and most apps keep drawing. Some apps that draw with the GPU (Metal), such as games, video players and the iOS Simulator, stop drawing while they're covered.

Fix: DemoTake detects those spans, warns you while you record ("… stopped drawing — keep it visible") and cuts the blank frames from the edit automatically. To avoid them, keep that window visible while you record. For iOS apps in DemoTake Agent, pick the Simulator device as the target instead of the Simulator window: DemoTake then records the device screen directly and windows on top don't matter. If you want the blank frames back, turn off Cut blank frames under Effects › Pacing in the editor's inspector. The Polish tab's Blank Stretches group says why each stretch went blank (window covered, minimized, screen locked…) and what to change; see Why a stretch went blank.

#"Nothing to record" or window is minimized

Symptom: recording won't start, with one of these messages:

DemoTake — Checkout redesign

Scene 1 · Sign in

Nothing to record from Aurora — Safari: the window is minimized or on another desktop. Bring it onto this desktop (it can be covered by other windows) and try again.

Choose Window…Start Recording

• "Nothing to record from …: the window is minimized or on another desktop."
• "… is minimized. macOS pauses capture of minimized windows — move it aside instead of minimizing."

Cause: macOS delivers no frames for a minimized window or a window on another desktop (Space). Covered windows are fine.

Fix: un-minimize the window and bring it onto the desktop you're on. It can sit behind other windows or off to the side. If the window was closed, you'll see "Couldn't find a window matching …": reopen it, then Choose Window… again.

#Your window isn't listed

Symptom: Choose Window… doesn't show your app, or an agent's targets_list says "No capturable windows found."

Cause: usually Screen Recording isn't granted yet (without it, DemoTake can't see other apps' windows), or the app has no open window.

Fix: check Settings › Privacy and relaunch if asked, then make sure the app has a normal window open. Untitled windows that aren't on screen are treated as helper panels and left out.

#The iOS Simulator isn't listed

Symptom: your iPhone or iPad simulator doesn't appear as a target.

Cause: DemoTake lists only booted Simulator devices, and recording a device directly needs DemoTake Agent.

Fix: boot the device, either by opening it in Simulator or with xcrun simctl boot <UDID>, then look again. In DemoTake Studio, record the Simulator window instead and keep it visible. See iOS Simulator.

#A browser recording shows tabs or infobars

Symptom: the video shows the browser's tabs, toolbar, bookmarks, or a bar like "Chrome is being controlled by automated test software".

Cause: the whole browser window is recorded.

Fix: in the New Take sheet's Browser section, turn on Browser page only. DemoTake keeps only the page area and follows it as bars come and go. Turn on Show address bar if the video must show your domain. A fixed crop can't follow bars that appear and disappear, so use this instead. See Browser windows.

#Two cursors in the video

Symptom: a recording shows two pointers: the one your agent's browser tool draws and DemoTake's presentation pointer.

Cause: your agent drives the app with its own tool while DemoTake only records, and both draw a cursor.

Fix: in that setup DemoTake's pointer is off by default since 1.2. For a take that already shows both, set Motion to Invisible in the Pointer group of the editor's Setup tab. Agents can pass pointer: "off" to capture_start. See Camera and pointer.

#Editing

#A crop or camera edit seemed to do nothing

Symptom: a crop or a camera focus on a region was accepted, but the video looked the same.

Cause: a bug in versions before 1.2.

Fix: update to 1.2 and export again. A crop now shows exactly its region in every format and on every frame, and a camera focus frames exactly its region, including in reviewer takes. To check without exporting, press E (Exact Frame) in the editor: it shows the frame at the playhead exactly as the export draws it. See Framing.

#Agents

#Agent can't connect

Symptom: your agent reports "DemoTake isn't running", "DemoTake rejected the MCP token" or can't reach 127.0.0.1:47823.

Cause and fix, in the order to check:

1. DemoTake isn't running. Open it. The demotake-mcp bridge opens the edition it ships inside by itself (DemoTake Studio or DemoTake Agent), unless your client passes --no-launch or sets DEMOTAKE_NO_LAUNCH=1.
2. The server is off. In Settings › Agents, turn on Local MCP server. The menu bar menu shows "Agents: listening on …" when it's on.
3. The token is wrong. The bridge reads the current access token itself. If you pasted a token into an HTTP setup, copy it again from Settings › Agents (Access token, then the copy button), or switch to the bridge.
4. The port is different. With DemoTake Agent and DemoTake Studio both running, the second one uses the next free port. Use the endpoint that Settings › Agents shows.

Then click Check Connection. DemoTake connects the way an agent does and reports "Healthy: … tools answered in … ms" or what went wrong. Restart your agent after changing its configuration. More in Connect your agent.

#Exports

#An export failed

Symptom: an export job is marked failed.

Cause: almost always a clip that won't decode. Before rendering, DemoTake test-decodes every clip the cut uses; a clip that fails is read from a compatible copy instead, and the finished file is validated before it's marked ready. A job that still fails carries a diagnosis naming the scene, the clip and the time.

Fix: read the diagnosis in the export's details and follow Export checks and troubleshooting. Your recording is never modified by these checks.

#The video is too big to upload

Symptom: a review or upload form rejects the video because the file is too large.

Cause: the default High quality exports at 60 fps, which makes large files.

Fix: in the Export sheet's Video file section, choose Upload-friendly and turn on Keep under a size with a size a little below the form's limit. DemoTake picks the bitrate to land under it. A shorter cut helps too. For a TikTok review, see Platform upload limits.

#Account

#Recording and exporting stopped working

Symptom: Record and Export show "Your 3-day trial has ended. Activate a license to record and export."

Cause: the free trial lasts 3 days. After that, recording and exporting need a license. Your library, previews, editing and Settings keep working, and nothing is deleted.

Fix: buy once or subscribe on Pricing, or in DemoTake Studio through Settings › Plans. If DemoTake Agent asks you to "Connect to the internet once so DemoTake can confirm your free trial", it needs one successful check-in before the trial continues.

#Where to go next

• Install and permissions
• Choosing a window
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Privacy and data