# Fairlead Recorder: Stop describing the bug. Hand over the evidence. Canonical: https://fairleadhq.com/ Updated: 2026-09-26 Publication state: published Product version: 0.1.0 Agent summary: Fairlead Recorder captures short browser checks for local review and downloads. Connected projects add shared configuration, backend correlation, issue submission and report storage. ## Prerequisites - Google Chrome on a computer - Permission to test the target application ## Inputs - A user-controlled manual browser test session ## Outputs - Reviewed browser evidence files - Connected issue or report submission when configured ## Limitations - Timeline retention is bounded; see Capture support and limits. - Screenshots, console messages and notes need manual privacy review; Recorder has no pixel-redaction editor. - Generated scripts need setup, safe test data and assertions. Recorder does not assess test outcomes. - Backend correlation requires connected recording and an application that logs the identifiers. Header injection is not limited by capture domain rules. - Downloads include session.md and notes.md when saved annotations exist. The downloadable sample is a real reproduction archive; its files reflect that recording. ## Permissions - Active-tab access for the page being recorded - Browser debugging access while recording network and console activity ## Privacy - Inspect captured content before downloading or sharing; automatic redaction does not cover everything. - Account-free recording does not send correlation headers or upload reports. Connected services and request headers have separate data destinations. - Website analytics follows regional consent and your saved cookie preference. Local development runs no analytics. Fairlead Recorder is a Chrome extension for recording browser tests, reviewing diagnostic evidence, and sharing selected files or submitting evidence through a connected project. Record a short check and download the actions, requests and console messages behind it, ready to attach to any ticket. Page title: Fairlead Recorder | Browser testing evidence for QA and developers Updated: 2026-09-26 Publication state: published Product version: 0.1.0 ## Free. Forever. The extension, capture, review, and bundle have no trial, seat, payment card, or session cap. ## Record locally. Choose how to share. Account-free recording keeps evidence in your browser until you download it. Connected projects can submit issues and store reports in configured services. Review each destination and the content you send. Connected recordings also add request identifiers during capture, including to third-party request destinations. - **Local review:** Inspect actions, requests, console messages and attachments in the browser. - **No account for local capture:** Record, review and download files without signing in. Sign in before starting a project recording. - **Explicit start and stop:** Capture begins after Start. Stop preserves the retained timeline for review. - **Review before sharing:** Inspect images and text yourself. Automatic rules do not remove every sensitive value. 1. **Start** — Begin just before the check you want to preserve. 2. **Record** — Capture browser actions, requests and console evidence. 3. **Review** — Inspect the result and sensitive content in the viewer. 4. **Download** — Save selected evidence for your issue or test run. ## Download the evidence your team needs. - `network.har` — Captured HTTP requests and available responses in HAR format. - `console.log` — Captured console messages and stack traces. - `steps.json` — Supported actions in Chrome DevTools Recorder format. - `playwright.spec.ts` — A starter Playwright test to adapt and add assertions to. - `puppeteer.js` — A starter Puppeteer script to adapt before running. - `screenshots/` — Added image attachments. Pixels are not automatically masked. ## Review captured data before sharing. - Inspect captured content before downloading or sharing; automatic redaction does not cover everything. - Account-free recording does not send correlation headers or upload reports. Connected services and request headers have separate data destinations. - Website analytics follows regional consent and your saved cookie preference. Local development runs no analytics. ## Compare the Recorder with screenshots, video, and hosted capture tools. This compares approaches rather than named products. The differences describe where the artifact lives and what a developer receives. | Criterion | Screenshot + sentence | Screen recording | Hosted capture tool | Recorder | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Developer receives | The end state, in prose | A video of the interaction | A link to a session on the vendor's site | HAR, console, action flow, starter scripts and added images | | Session lives | Your tracker | A local file or video host | Vendor servers under vendor retention rules | Your browser and downloads; optional project storage | | Account required | No | Depends on the recording tool | Yes | No for local capture; yes for connected projects | | Restricted network | Works | Local files work offline; hosted sharing needs access | Needs the vendor host | Local capture and downloads without a project connection | | Primary cost | A second reporting round trip | Time spent reviewing video | A seat or retention plan | No Fairlead fee | ## Recorder technical FAQ. ### How does the Recorder protect sensitive tokens and personal data? Automatic rules handle selected keys and structured content. Project rules replace the local baseline. Inspect console messages, notes, screenshots and unparsed bodies yourself; Recorder has no arbitrary field or pixel editor. ### Where is captured session data stored? Local recordings remain in browser storage until downloaded. Connected projects can send issues and screenshots through Bridge and reports to their Data Plane. Correlation headers leave during connected recording, before submission. ### How does the Recorder differ from hosted capture tools? You can record, review and download files without an account. Sign in before recording to use shared project settings and configured issue or report destinations. ### What formats are included in a Recorder bundle? Downloads write individual files into a folder: network.har, console.log, steps.json, Playwright and Puppeteer scripts, and available screenshot PNGs. Downloads include session.md and notes.md when saved annotations exist. The website sample ZIP contains a real reproduction with its recorded artifacts. ## Recorder limitations and non-goals. - Timeline retention is bounded; see Capture support and limits. - Screenshots, console messages and notes need manual privacy review; Recorder has no pixel-redaction editor. - Generated scripts need setup, safe test data and assertions. Recorder does not assess test outcomes. - Backend correlation requires connected recording and an application that logs the identifiers. Header injection is not limited by capture domain rules. - Downloads include session.md and notes.md when saved annotations exist. The downloadable sample is a real reproduction archive; its files reflect that recording. ## Who made it We are backend developers. For years we were on the other end of the handoff, across dozens of apps and millions of lines of code: a screenshot, a sentence, and no way to find the request in the traces and logs. We built the capture side of the answer. The reproduction ID exists because it is the thing we always wanted and never got. Fairlead is a product of Allyx, Inc. The report covers what we need as backend developers. If your team's bar is different, a QA step or a field the report should carry, tell us: Resources: - [Documentation](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/) — Recording, evidence review, downloads, connected workflows and privacy. - [Capture support and limits](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/developers/capture-support/#recording-retention) — Recording retention, supported evidence, and capture boundaries. - [Artifact formats](https://fairleadhq.com/docs/recorder/schema/) — Runtime Report, local files and the sample reproduction archive. - [Sample bundle ZIP](https://fairleadhq.com/downloads/fairlead-recorder-sample-v1.zip) — Real reproduction: Blocked tag stays after card leaves the Blocked lane.