VHS Examples

This guide provides reference VHS tape scripts and common patterns you can copy and adapt for your demos.

Complete Example Scripts

Minimal Template

The bare minimum for a valid VHS tape:

Output ../public/gifs/minimal-demo.gif

Set Width 1200
Set Height 600

Type "echo 'Hello Strike48'"
Enter
Sleep 2s

Standard Template

Recommended starting point for most demos:

# Product - Feature Name
# Brief description

Output ../public/gifs/product-feature.gif

Require echo

Set FontSize 14
Set Width 1200
Set Height 600
Set Padding 20
Set Theme "Dracula"
Set TypingSpeed 50ms
Set PlaybackSpeed 1.0

# Title
Type "# Strike48 Product - Feature"
Sleep 1s
Enter
Enter

# Demo content
Type "your-command"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 1.5s

# Closing
Type "# ✨ Done!"
Sleep 2s

CLI Tool Demo

Showing a command-line tool with flags and output:

# StrikeKit - Engagement Creation
# Demonstrates creating a new penetration testing engagement

Output ../public/gifs/strikekit-engagement-create.gif

Require echo

Set FontSize 14
Set Width 1200
Set Height 600
Set Padding 20
Set Theme "Dracula"
Set TypingSpeed 50ms
Set PlaybackSpeed 1.0

Type "# StrikeKit - Create Engagement"
Sleep 1s
Enter
Enter

Type "strikekit engagement create 'Acme Corp Pentest'"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 1s

Type "✓ Created engagement: acme-corp-pentest"
Type "  ID: eng-a3b7c9d2"
Type "  Status: Planning"
Sleep 2s

Type "strikekit engagement list"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 500ms

Type "ID              NAME                 STATUS      CREATED"
Type "eng-a3b7c9d2    Acme Corp Pentest    Planning    2026-03-04"
Sleep 2s

Type "# Ready to start testing 🎯"
Sleep 2s

Multi-Step Workflow

Showing a series of related commands:

# SDK-rs - Project Setup and First Build
# Creating a new connector and building it

Output ../public/gifs/sdk-project-setup.gif

Require echo

Set FontSize 14
Set Width 1200
Set Height 600
Set Padding 20
Set Theme "Dracula"
Set TypingSpeed 50ms
Set PlaybackSpeed 1.0

Type "# SDK for Rust - Project Setup"
Sleep 1s
Enter
Enter

# Step 1: Create project
Type "cargo new my-connector --bin"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 800ms
Type "     Created binary (application) package"
Sleep 1s

# Step 2: Navigate
Type "cd my-connector"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 500ms

# Step 3: Add dependency
Type 'echo "Adding SDK dependency..."'
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 800ms

# Step 4: Build
Type "cargo build"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 1s
Type "   Compiling my-connector v0.1.0"
Sleep 800ms
Type "    Finished dev [unoptimized] target(s) in 1.2s"
Sleep 1.5s

Type "# Project ready! 🚀"
Sleep 2s

File Inspection Demo

Showing file contents (simulated):

# StrikeHub - Configuration Overview
# Viewing connector configuration

Output ../public/gifs/strikehub-config.gif

Require echo

Set FontSize 14
Set Width 1200
Set Height 600
Set Padding 20
Set Theme "Dracula"
Set TypingSpeed 50ms
Set PlaybackSpeed 1.0

Type "# StrikeHub - Configuration"
Sleep 1s
Enter
Enter

Type "cat config/strikehub.toml"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 500ms

Type "[server]"
Type 'host = "0.0.0.0"'
Type "port = 8080"
Type ""
Type "[connectors]"
Type "auto_discover = true"
Type 'search_paths = ["~/.strikehub/connectors"]'
Sleep 2s

Type "# Configuration loaded ✓"
Sleep 2s

Common Patterns

Pattern: Command with Confirmation Prompt

Simulating interactive prompts:

Type "strikekit engagement delete eng-123"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 800ms

Type "Are you sure? (y/N): "
Sleep 1s
Type "y"
Enter
Sleep 500ms

Type "✓ Engagement deleted"
Sleep 1.5s

Pattern: Progress Indicator

Showing long-running operations:

Type "pick scan --target 192.168.1.0/24"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 500ms

Type "Scanning... [=====>    ] 50%"
Sleep 800ms
Type "Scanning... [=========>] 90%"
Sleep 800ms
Type "✓ Scan complete - 12 hosts found"
Sleep 1.5s

Pattern: Error Handling

Demonstrating error messages and recovery:

Type "kubestudio connect --cluster missing-cluster"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 800ms

Type "✗ Error: Cluster 'missing-cluster' not found"
Type "  Available clusters:"
Type "    - prod-us-east"
Type "    - staging-eu-west"
Sleep 2s

Type "kubestudio connect --cluster prod-us-east"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 800ms
Type "✓ Connected to prod-us-east"
Sleep 1.5s

Pattern: JSON Output Formatting

Showing structured output:

Type "pick scan --target example.com --format json"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 1s

Type "{"
Type '  "target": "example.com",'
Type '  "ports": [80, 443],'
Type '  "services": {'
Type '    "80": "http",'
Type '    "443": "https"'
Type "  }"
Type "}"
Sleep 2s

Pattern: Tab Completion (Simulated)

Showing command completion:

Type "strike<Tab>"
Sleep 500ms
Type "strike48-sdk"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 1s

Pattern: Multi-Line Command

Using backslash continuation:

Type "docker run -d \\"
Sleep 200ms
Enter
Type "  --name connector \\"
Sleep 200ms
Enter
Type "  -p 8080:8080 \\"
Sleep 200ms
Enter
Type "  strike48/connector:latest"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 1.5s

Type "✓ Connector started on port 8080"
Sleep 1.5s

Pattern: Environment Variables

Showing configuration via env vars:

Type "export MATRIX_HOST=connectors.strike48.com"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 500ms

Type "export CONNECTOR_NAME=my-scanner"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 500ms

Type "echo $CONNECTOR_NAME"
Sleep 300ms
Enter
Sleep 500ms
Type "my-scanner"
Sleep 1.5s

VHS Configuration Snippets

Settings: Small Demo

For simple, focused demos:

Set FontSize 16
Set Width 1000
Set Height 500
Set Padding 15

Settings: Detailed Demo

For complex workflows needing more space:

Set FontSize 13
Set Width 1400
Set Height 700
Set Padding 20

Settings: Fast Typing

For experienced user simulation:

Set TypingSpeed 30ms

Settings: Slow Typing

For tutorial-style demos:

Set TypingSpeed 80ms

Settings: Alternative Themes

# Light theme
Set Theme "GitHub Light"

# Warm theme
Set Theme "Monokai"

# Cool theme
Set Theme "Nord"

# Purple theme
Set Theme "Catppuccin"

Troubleshooting

Issue: VHS Executes Real Commands

Problem: VHS runs actual commands, creating unwanted files/directories.

Solution: Simulate output instead of running commands:

# ❌ Problem: Actually creates directory
Type "cargo new my-project"
Enter

# ✅ Solution: Simulate the output
Type "cargo new my-project"
Enter
Sleep 500ms
Type "     Created binary (application) package"

Add these artifacts to vhs-scripts/.gitignore:

my-project/
*/target/
**/Cargo.lock

Issue: Command Not Found

Problem: VHS tries to run a command that doesn't exist on your system.

Solution 1: Install the command:

cargo install strike48-sdk  # Example

Solution 2: Simulate the entire interaction:

Type "strikekit --version"
Enter
Sleep 300ms
Type "strikekit 0.5.0"

Solution 3: Use Require to validate prerequisites:

Require cargo
Require rustc

Issue: GIF Size Too Large

Problem: Generated GIF exceeds 1MB.

Solutions (in order of preference):

Reduce timing:
```
# Before
Sleep 2s

# After
Sleep 1s
```
Reduce dimensions:
```
Set Width 1000
Set Height 500
```
Shorten demo duration:
- Remove less important steps
- Combine related commands

Post-process with gifsicle:

gifsicle -O3 --lossy=80 -o output.gif input.gif

Issue: GIF Loops Awkwardly

Problem: GIF cuts abruptly when looping.

Solution: Add a pause at the end:

Type "# Done! ✨"
Sleep 3s    # Longer pause before loop restarts

Issue: Text is Unreadable

Problem: Font is too small or colors have poor contrast.

Solutions:

# Increase font size
Set FontSize 16

# Try different theme
Set Theme "GitHub Light"  # Better contrast

# Increase dimensions
Set Width 1400
Set Height 700

Issue: Commands Execute Too Fast

Problem: Viewer can't follow what's happening.

Solution: Slow down typing and add more sleep:

Set TypingSpeed 80ms    # Slower typing

Type "command"
Sleep 500ms             # Longer pause before Enter
Enter
Sleep 2s                # Longer pause after output

Issue: VHS Hangs During Recording

Problem: VHS doesn't complete; process hangs.

Common causes:

Interactive prompt without input:

# Problem: Waits for user input
Type "strikekit delete"
Enter
# Hangs here waiting for confirmation

# Solution: Simulate the prompt
Type "strikekit delete"
Enter
Sleep 500ms
Type "Are you sure? (y/N): y"
Enter

Long-running command:

# Problem: Actually runs 5-minute build
Type "cargo build --release"
Enter

# Solution: Simulate output
Type "cargo build --release"
Enter
Sleep 1s
Type "   Compiling my-project v0.1.0"
Sleep 800ms
Type "    Finished release [optimized] target(s) in 45.2s"

Background process:

# Problem: Process doesn't exit
Type "strikekit server start"
Enter

# Solution: Use & or show startup only
Type "strikekit server start &"
Enter
Sleep 1s
Type "[1] 12345"
Type "✓ Server started on port 8080"

Issue: Special Characters Don't Display

Problem: Unicode characters or emojis don't render.

Solution: Ensure terminal supports UTF-8:

# Usually works fine with Dracula theme
Type "✓ Success"    # Checkmark
Type "✗ Error"      # Cross
Type "⚠ Warning"    # Warning
Type "🚀 Ready"     # Emoji

If issues persist, use ASCII alternatives:

Type "[OK] Success"
Type "[FAIL] Error"
Type "[WARN] Warning"

Best Practices Summary

Do's ✓

Keep it short - 10-30 seconds ideal
Focus on one feature - One demo per MediaCard
Add pauses - Let viewers read output
Use title cards - Context at start
Simulate long operations - Don't wait for real builds
Test locally - View GIF before committing
Write descriptive alt text - Accessibility matters
Check file size - Under 500KB target

Don'ts ✗

Don't execute destructive commands - Simulate instead
Don't skip timing - Rushed demos are confusing
Don't make it too long - Split into multiple GIFs
Don't use real credentials - Use fake/example data
Don't commit build artifacts - Only .tape scripts and .gif output
Don't skip testing - Always verify locally first
Don't forget alt text - MediaCard description must be descriptive

Additional Resources

VHS GitHub Repository - Official documentation
VHS Examples Gallery - Community examples
GIF Guidelines - Strike48-specific standards
GIF Workflow - Step-by-step creation guide
Issue #92 - GIF Production Pipeline Epic

Need Help?

If you encounter issues not covered here:

Check the VHS GitHub Issues
Review existing .tape scripts in vhs-scripts/ for patterns
Ask in Strike48 team chat or open a GitHub discussion

Happy recording! 🎬