# Record your first test

Canonical: https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/quick-start/

Updated: 2026-10-07
Publication state: published
Product version: Source verified — 52de40a

Agent summary: Record a short test without an account, stop within the retained timeline, inspect the evidence, assess the result, and download local artifacts before starting a new recording.

## Prerequisites

- Recorder installed
- Target application open in the active tab

## Inputs

- A short check with an expected result
- Safe test data

## Outputs

- Reviewed local evidence files
- A tester-assessed outcome

## Limitations

- The retained timeline is bounded
- Test outcomes are assessed by the tester

## Permissions

- Website access and browser debugging for recording

## Privacy

- Review captured data before sharing; console messages and screenshot pixels are not automatically redacted


Capture a short browser check, review what happened, and save the evidence with your result.

Record one short check, inspect the captured evidence, and save it with your test result. This guide uses local recording, so you don't need a Fairlead account or a connected project.

## Choose a check

[Install and open Recorder](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/installation/) first. Open the application you want to test and prepare safe test data.

Choose a short, focused check. The [real sample](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/schema/#sample-reproduction-bundle) uses this check:

> **Check:** Move a card from Blocked to In progress.
>
> **Expected result:** The card reaches In progress and its Blocked badge clears.

Use a check appropriate for your application. You can read the supplied sample without repeating its actions on the public site.

Keep the build, environment, and any test case or run reference in your test notes.

Recorder captures actions only after you start. Check the [retained-timeline and session limits](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/developers/capture-support/#recording-retention) when planning your test. For a longer test, save separate recordings around meaningful checks; the elapsed timer does not show how much history is retained.

## Record the check

1. Open Recorder from the Chrome toolbar.
2. If the sign-in screen appears, select **Continue without an account**.
3. Select **Start recording**.
4. Perform your check and observe the result.
5. Select **Stop recording** as soon as you've observed the result. If the side panel has closed, select **Stop** in the in-page controls.

Stop promptly even when the check passes. Leaving capture running can push the actions you need outside the retained window.

If recording does not start, read the message in the panel and resolve the reported problem before repeating the check. Actions performed before capture starts won't be included.

## Review the evidence

Select **Investigate** in the side panel to open the session viewer. Start with **Overview**, then inspect the relevant evidence tabs.

- **Actions → Recorded Actions:** Check that the retained actions cover your test.
- **Network:** Inspect requests and responses relevant to the result.
- **Console:** Look for messages or errors that help explain what happened.

Compare the evidence with what you observed in the application. Missing events or responses are gaps in the recording; they don't prove an action never happened. A clean console alone doesn't mean the check passed.

Before sharing, review captured values, console messages, any screenshots, and your notes for sensitive data. Screenshots are not automatically masked. If the evidence contains information you cannot share, keep it private and repeat the check with safe data.

## Write down the result

Write the outcome in the viewer’s **Description** and keep the result in your test-management system when applicable. Description saves locally after a pause; check for a save error before downloading. Recorder supplies the evidence; you decide whether the expected result was met.

Use **passed** when the expected result was met, **failed** when it wasn't, **blocked** when you couldn't perform the check, or **inconclusive** when you couldn't determine the result.

The supplied recording supports this result:

```text
Check: Move QB-DEMO sticky Blocked from Blocked to In progress
Application: Quackban on SpaceDucking
Recorded: 2026-10-07 at 04:43:24.309 UTC; duration 42 seconds
Expected: The card reaches In progress and its Blocked badge clears
Actual: The final board response has status in_progress; the badge remains
Outcome: Failed against the stated expectation
Evidence: session.md action 20; network.har entries 4–5; screenshots/003-area.png
Limits: Application build not supplied; screenshot crop has no lane heading
```

Use **Add → Recorded actions** and **Add → Notes** to bring local evidence into the description. These insertions do not require an account.

Add your test case or run reference if you have one. If you skipped part of the check or the recording missed it, note the gap.

## Save the recording

1. Return to the Recorder side panel using its toolbar icon.
2. Select **Download report**.
3. Check that the files downloaded successfully. Download starts immediately; there is no additional privacy acknowledgement.

Chrome saves the artifacts in a folder under your download location. The available files include `session.md`, `network.har`, `steps.json`, generated scripts, and screenshot attachments. `notes.md` requires saved notes or pins; `console.log` requires console text. Read [session and notes exports](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/bundle-contents/#session-summary-and-notes), then confirm that your description and notes are present. This local download does not upload the recording or create an issue.

If some files fail to download, keep the session open and select **Download report** again to retry. Attach the reviewed files to your test run or share them through your team's usual channel, together with the result you wrote down.

Save the evidence before selecting **New recording**. Starting a new recording clears the previous local session and its open viewer.