[Feature Request]: Customizable "After Capture" behaviors for Screenshots (Toggle Editor, Clipboard, and Auto-Save)

[dennyschroeder]

Hi @richiemcilroy,

Currently, whenever an Area Screenshot is captured, Cap automatically forces the Annotation/Editor window to open. While this is great for quick edits, it completely disrupts the workflow when taking multiple screenshots in sequence for documentations or quick clipboard sharing.

I would love to see a highly flexible "After Capture" settings section (similar to tools like CleanShot or native macOS) allowing users to independently toggle behaviors.

Proposed Solution:
Please add the following checkbox/toggle options under the Screenshots settings panel:

• [ ] Open in Editor / Annotation Tool: If turned off, screenshots will bypass the Editor completely, allowing for uninterrupted back-to-back captures.
• [ ] Save to Default Path automatically: Automatically saves the captured file silently to the local directory without opening any UI.
• [ ] Copy to Clipboard automatically: Instantly copies the raw image to the macOS clipboard so it can be pasted straight into Notion, Slack, or GitHub.

Bonus Idea: Show Floating Thumbnail Preview
Alternatively, add a toggle for a temporary floating thumbnail in the bottom corner of the screen (native macOS style).

• If left alone, it vanishes and applies the background auto-save/clipboard rules.
• If clicked, it opens the full Cap Annotation Tool.

This level of customization would make Cap an incredibly versatile tool for both casual users and high-velocity power users who capture dozens of screenshots a day!
Thanks, Denny

[linear]

CAP-721

[tembo]

Some context from the codebase that should help with implementation:

Current screenshot flow: The editor is unconditionally opened after capture at several points:

• apps/desktop/src-tauri/src/hotkeys.rs:215,232 - after display/window screenshots
• apps/desktop/src-tauri/src/tray.rs:729 - from tray menu
• apps/desktop/src-tauri/src/lib.rs:5684 - after image import

Each location calls ShowCapWindow::ScreenshotEditor { path }.show(&app).await immediately after take_screenshot() returns.

Settings infrastructure already exists: The GeneralSettingsStore in apps/desktop/src-tauri/src/general_settings.rs has a similar pattern for recordings with PostStudioRecordingBehaviour (line 16-20), which toggles between OpenEditor and ShowOverlay. A similar enum could be added for screenshots. The settings are persisted via tauri-plugin-store and the UI pattern can be found in apps/desktop/src/routes/(window-chrome)/settings/.

Clipboard copy is already implemented: commands.copyScreenshotToClipboard(path) exists and is used in the screenshots settings page (apps/desktop/src/routes/(window-chrome)/settings/screenshots.tsx:113-116). The underlying Rust command should work for auto-copy after capture.

Related issues worth coordinating with:

• [Feature Request]: "Freeze screen" visually when triggering area screenshots #1851 - Freeze screen visually when triggering area screenshots (same workflow)
• [Feature Request]: Settings toggles to disable screenshot animations and UI sound effects #1853 - Toggle for disabling screenshot animations and sound effects (also power-user focused)

These three issues together would make Cap much more competitive with CleanShot-style workflows for high-velocity screenshot users.