# What Recorder captures

Canonical: https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/captured-data/

Updated: 2026-10-10
Publication state: published
Product version: Recorder source f6ed5b96

Agent summary: Understand the evidence available for a browser test. Viewer and download coverage differ; the retained timeline is bounded.

## Prerequisites

- Recorder installed

## Inputs

- A planned browser check

## Outputs

- An understanding of available evidence

## Limitations

- Viewer and download coverage differ; the retained timeline is bounded

## Permissions

- Website access and browser debugging for capture

## Privacy

- Review captured content before sharing


Understand the evidence available for a browser test.

Recorder captures browser evidence after you start recording. The [retained-timeline limit](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/developers/capture-support/#recording-retention) determines which timeline events remain at Stop.

## Actions and page changes

Captured actions include supported clicks, input changes, keyboard actions, scrolling, and navigation, including SPA URL changes. Labels, selectors, and available DOM/state changes help explain the sequence.

Capture is not a video or complete replay of every page state. Sensitive inputs, untrusted frames, and inaccessible components can limit action detail. See [Recorded actions and user steps](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/steps-and-events/).

## Requests and diagnostic messages

Network evidence includes captured requests, responses, headers, payloads, timing, and available initiator information. GraphQL and supported streaming traffic have additional viewer evidence. Bodies may be unavailable, redacted, or truncated.

Console output, JavaScript exceptions, and browser messages help explain failures. Capture scope and browser availability affect what is present. See [Network](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/network/) and [Console](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/console/).

## Images and annotations

You can take viewport or area screenshots and attach images from the clipboard or a file. Screenshots are explicit captures, not automatic images for every step. Clicked images can also have a small captured thumbnail in action details. Privacy preview reports those thumbnails under **Not sanitized → Screenshots**, but cannot hide them; inspect the action and repeat with safe content when needed.

Add notes to relevant evidence in the local viewer. Save essential observations as notes and include `notes.md` in your handoff; check [session and notes exports](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/bundle-contents/#session-summary-and-notes). Images and notes require manual privacy review.

## Environment and performance

Browser/page context, lifecycle events, FCP/LCP observations, long tasks, and selected resource timings can support an investigation. Performance measurements may include buffered entries from before Start; they do not supply pre-Start action history.

Recorder does not provide a complete Core Web Vitals profiler, accessibility scanner, or automatic test verdict.

## Match evidence to the handoff

The viewer and [download folder](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/bundle-contents/) have different coverage. A HAR contains HTTP evidence, not all viewer diagnostics. WebSocket frames are viewer evidence and are not included in the standard download bundle.

See [session and notes exports](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/bundle-contents/#session-summary-and-notes). Keep build, environment, expected and actual behavior, and your result in a separate execution summary. Consult [Capture support and limits](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/developers/capture-support/) for technical boundaries.