How to Use Escribano

Escribano runs in your menu bar and captures your screen every few seconds. Each frame is analyzed by a vision model and stored as a text description. You query that history through the escribano-query CLI.

Quick Start

Open Terminal and run:

escribano-query today

This shows your activity from today, bucketed into moments with tools, files, and descriptions.

Tip: --json is the default when output is piped, so you can pipe straight into jq, fx, or any other JSON tool.

Recipes

Jump to: What was I working on? · Find something specific · What tools did I use? · Show me the screenshot · Support context

What was I working on?

escribano-query recent --since 4h

Returns a timeline of moments. Each one includes:

• Time range — bucket_start_iso → bucket_end_iso

• Description — vlm_description

• Applications — applications

• Entities — files, URLs, tools, languages, etc.

For a tighter view without descriptions:

escribano-query recent --since 4h --compact

Find something specific

escribano-query search "debugging session" --since 1d --collapse

Search uses OR semantics by default — search "swift actor" matches either word. Use quoted phrases for exact matches:

escribano-query search '"swift actor"'      # exact phrase
escribano-query search "swift AND actor"    # both terms required

What tools did I use today?

escribano-query entities --since 24h

Returns aggregated counts grouped by entity kind:

• software_tool — VS Code, Terminal, Chrome…

• programming_language — Swift, TypeScript, Python…

• framework — React, SwiftUI…

Filter to a single kind:

escribano-query entities --since 24h --kind software_tool

Full list of entity kinds →

Show me the screenshot

escribano-query search "error message" --latest --images

The image_path field in the output is an absolute path to a JPEG. Agents with vision capability can read it directly.

Draft support context

escribano-query support-context --json

A structured context summary built for support drafts and agent handoffs — aggregated signals only, no raw observations.

Date Formats

Agent Integration

The CLI outputs structured JSON (api_version: 2) that agents can consume directly. Install the escribano-query skill for your agent to get natural-language access to your work history.

MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server for any MCP-compatible agent — coming soon.

License

Run escribano-query status to check your current tier.

Also you can request an API key in the support page, in the “Trust Console”; remember to “Allow follow-up”.

Self-Discovery

For agents (and curious humans):

escribano-query --help --json

Returns the full command surface, flags, and output schemas as machine-readable JSON.