Key Features
Native Screen Recording
Capture your entire screen with professional quality H.264 video encoding at up to 30fps.
Camera Overlay
Optional picture-in-picture camera overlay with customizable positioning and size presets.
Intelligent Video Quality
Automatic screen resolution detection plus standard quality presets for any display size.
VS Code Integration
Automated screencast mode configuration for optimal recording settings in Visual Studio Code.
Organized Storage
Default organized storage with timestamped files and customizable save locations.
Privacy Focused
All processing occurs locally. No data transmission, complete user control over recordings.
Interface
Clean menu bar interface with easy access to all recording controls and settings
Comprehensive camera overlay configuration with size and positioning options
Technical Specifications
System Requirements
- macOS 15.2 or later
- Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) or Intel
- 4GB RAM minimum
- 1GB free storage
Video Output
- H.264 encoded MOV files
- 2 Mbps bitrate
- 30fps frame rate
- Adaptive resolution up to 6K
Audio Features
- AAC encoding at 128 kbps
- Stereo recording
- 44.1 kHz sample rate
- Real-time audio processing
Download Codecaster
Get started with professional screen recording today.
Free to use • No registration required • Instant download
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Prefer to avoid the Gatekeeper prompts entirely? Download version 1.01 — the last release signed with a paid Apple Developer ID, so it installs without any of the steps below. It's missing the fixes from 1.02 (default save location, camera overlay position); see the changelog for details.
What's New in 1.02
Fixed: recordings could fail silently
Starting a recording without first choosing a save location could fail with no clear error. Recordings now default reliably to ~/Downloads/Codecaster Recordings, with an upfront check that the destination is actually writable.
Fixed: camera overlay in the wrong corner
The picture-in-picture camera position was inverted top-to-bottom — choosing "Top Left" placed it at the bottom, and vice versa. Position now matches what you select.
Build from source, no Xcode IDE needed
A new Makefile lets anyone build, test, and package Codecaster from the command line — no Xcode IDE or paid Apple Developer account required. See the GitHub repo for details.
Full technical changelog: github.com/gleicon/codecaster
Installing Codecaster
1. Download & open the DMG
Get the latest .dmg from the GitHub Releases page and double-click it to mount.
2. Clear the Gatekeeper warning
Run Install.command inside the mounted DMG (double-click it), or right-click codecaster.app and choose Open, or go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to Codecaster.
3. Move it to Applications
Drag codecaster.app onto the Applications shortcut in the DMG window, then launch it from there. It runs as a menu bar app — no dock icon, no window.
Why isn't it signed? A trusted "Developer ID" signature requires a paid $99/year Apple Developer Program membership. This is a free, independent project without one right now. Every step above is a standard, documented macOS override for exactly this situation — it doesn't disable Gatekeeper or your Mac's security, it just tells macOS you trust this specific app.
Installation FAQ
"Apple could not verify 'codecaster' is free of malware" — is this safe?
This is Gatekeeper's standard warning for any app that isn't notarized by Apple, which requires a paid Developer ID. It doesn't mean anything was detected — it means Apple hasn't reviewed this specific build. Codecaster is fully open source: read the code, the Install.command script, and the build system yourself at github.com/gleicon/codecaster before trusting it.
What does Install.command actually do?
One thing: it removes the com.apple.quarantine flag macOS attaches to anything downloaded from the internet, which is what triggers the Gatekeeper block. It doesn't touch any other file, doesn't need sudo, and doesn't download or run anything else. It's a plain, short shell script — read the exact source here before running it.
I don't want to run a script. What else can I do?
Right-click codecaster.app in Finder and choose Open — this triggers a confirmation dialog instead of an outright block. If that doesn't work, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway next to the Codecaster entry (it only appears after a blocked launch attempt).
Do I need to do this again after every update?
Yes, for the Gatekeeper step — every new build has a new signature, so each update needs its own one-time override. You'll also likely need to re-grant Screen Recording, Camera, and Microphone permissions after updating, for the same reason. This is a known tradeoff of not having a paid Developer ID; it'll go away once the project is signed and notarized.
I built it myself from source — do I need any of this?
No. Apps built locally via make build/make dmg aren't quarantined, since they never came from the internet. This entire flow only applies to a DMG downloaded from GitHub Releases (or anywhere else). See the README for build-it-yourself instructions.