OpenAdapt Recording Catalog System

January 17, 2026 · View on GitHub

Overview

The Recording Catalog System provides automatic discovery and indexing of all OpenAdapt recordings, segmentation results, and episodes. It eliminates manual file selection across the ecosystem by providing a centralized SQLite database that tracks all available data.

Key Features

  • Automatic Discovery: Scan directories to find recordings and segmentation results
  • Centralized Database: Single source of truth at ~/.openadapt/catalog.db
  • Zero Configuration: Works out-of-the-box with default paths
  • Ecosystem-Wide: All viewers can query the catalog
  • Fast Queries: SQLite with indexes for efficient lookups
  • Metadata-Rich: Tracks frames, events, duration, timestamps, tags

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  OpenAdapt Ecosystem                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                             │
│  openadapt-capture/                                         │
│  ├── turn-off-nightshift/                                   │
│  │   ├── capture.db          ←────┐                        │
│  │   ├── screenshots/              │                        │
│  │   └── video.mp4                 │                        │
│  └── demo_new/                      │                        │
│      └── capture.db                 │  Scanner discovers    │
│                                     │  recordings           │
│  openadapt-ml/                      │                        │
│  └── segmentation_output/           │                        │
│      ├── turn-off-nightshift_       │                        │
│      │   episodes.json        ←─────┤                       │
│      └── demo_new_episodes.json     │                        │
│                                     │                        │
│                    ┌────────────────┘                        │
│                    │                                         │
│                    ▼                                         │
│         ~/.openadapt/catalog.db                             │
│         (Centralized Catalog)                               │
│         ├── recordings (9 rows)                             │
│         ├── segmentation_results (2 rows)                   │
│         └── episodes (0 rows)                               │
│                    │                                         │
│                    ▼                                         │
│         ┌──────────────────────────┐                        │
│         │   Viewers Query Catalog   │                        │
│         ├──────────────────────────┤                        │
│         │ • Segmentation Viewer    │                        │
│         │ • Capture Viewer         │                        │
│         │ • Training Dashboard     │                        │
│         │ • Retrieval Viewer       │                        │
│         └──────────────────────────┘                        │
│                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Database Schema

recordings Table

Stores metadata about each recording.

CREATE TABLE recordings (
    id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,              -- Recording identifier (e.g., "turn-off-nightshift")
    name TEXT NOT NULL,               -- Display name (e.g., "Turn Off Nightshift")
    description TEXT,                 -- Optional description
    path TEXT NOT NULL,               -- Absolute path to recording directory
    created_at REAL NOT NULL,         -- Unix timestamp
    duration_seconds REAL,            -- Recording duration
    frame_count INTEGER,              -- Number of screenshots
    event_count INTEGER,              -- Number of events (clicks, keys, etc.)
    task_description TEXT,            -- Task description from capture
    tags TEXT,                        -- JSON array of tags
    metadata TEXT                     -- JSON for additional metadata
);

segmentation_results Table

Tracks segmentation results for recordings.

CREATE TABLE segmentation_results (
    id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,              -- Unique segmentation ID
    recording_id TEXT NOT NULL,       -- FK to recordings.id
    path TEXT NOT NULL,               -- Path to episodes JSON file
    created_at REAL NOT NULL,         -- Unix timestamp
    episode_count INTEGER DEFAULT 0,  -- Number of episodes
    boundary_count INTEGER DEFAULT 0, -- Number of boundaries
    status TEXT DEFAULT 'complete',   -- 'complete', 'partial', 'failed'
    llm_model TEXT,                   -- Model used (e.g., "gpt-4o")
    metadata TEXT,                    -- JSON for additional metadata
    FOREIGN KEY (recording_id) REFERENCES recordings(id)
);

episodes Table

Stores individual episodes within segmentation results.

CREATE TABLE episodes (
    id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,              -- Unique episode ID
    segmentation_result_id TEXT NOT NULL, -- FK to segmentation_results.id
    recording_id TEXT NOT NULL,       -- FK to recordings.id
    name TEXT,                        -- Episode name
    description TEXT,                 -- Episode description
    start_time REAL,                  -- Start timestamp
    end_time REAL,                    -- End timestamp
    start_frame INTEGER,              -- Start frame index
    end_frame INTEGER,                -- End frame index
    confidence REAL,                  -- Segmentation confidence (0-1)
    metadata TEXT,                    -- JSON for additional metadata
    FOREIGN KEY (segmentation_result_id) REFERENCES segmentation_results(id),
    FOREIGN KEY (recording_id) REFERENCES recordings(id)
);

CLI Usage

Scan for Recordings

Automatically discover and index recordings from default or specified directories:

# Scan default directories
openadapt-viewer catalog scan

# Scan specific directories
openadapt-viewer catalog scan \
  --capture-dir /path/to/openadapt-capture \
  --segmentation-dir /path/to/segmentation_output

# Scan multiple directories
openadapt-viewer catalog scan \
  --capture-dir /path/to/recordings1 \
  --capture-dir /path/to/recordings2 \
  --segmentation-dir /path/to/seg_output

Default paths searched (if no directories specified):

  • Recordings:
    • ~/oa/src/openadapt-capture
    • ./recordings
    • ~/.openadapt/recordings
  • Segmentation results:
    • ~/oa/src/openadapt-ml/segmentation_output
    • ./segmentation_output
    • ~/.openadapt/segmentation_output

List Recordings

View all indexed recordings:

# Human-readable list
openadapt-viewer catalog list

# Include segmentation results
openadapt-viewer catalog list --with-segmentations

# JSON output
openadapt-viewer catalog list --json

# JSON with segmentations
openadapt-viewer catalog list --json --with-segmentations

Example output:

Found 9 recordings:

  Turn Off Nightshift
    ID: turn-off-nightshift
    Path: /Users/abrichr/oa/src/openadapt-capture/turn-off-nightshift
    Created: 2025-12-13 19:37
    Duration: 60.3s
    Frames: 21

  Demo New
    ID: demo_new
    Path: /Users/abrichr/oa/src/openadapt-capture/demo_new
    Created: 2025-12-12 15:41
    Duration: 13.3s
    Frames: 14

Show Statistics

Display catalog summary:

openadapt-viewer catalog stats

Output:

Catalog Statistics:
  Recordings: 9
  Segmentation Results: 2
  Episodes: 0

Database: /Users/abrichr/.openadapt/catalog.db

Register Recording Manually

Manually add a recording to the catalog:

openadapt-viewer catalog register /path/to/recording --name "My Recording"

Clean Missing Entries

Remove entries for files that no longer exist:

openadapt-viewer catalog clean

Python API

Basic Usage

from openadapt_viewer import get_catalog

# Get the global catalog instance
catalog = get_catalog()

# Get all recordings
recordings = catalog.get_all_recordings()

for recording in recordings:
    print(f"{recording.name}: {recording.frame_count} frames")

# Get a specific recording
rec = catalog.get_recording("turn-off-nightshift")
if rec:
    print(f"Path: {rec.path}")
    print(f"Duration: {rec.duration_seconds}s")

# Get segmentation results for a recording
seg_results = catalog.get_segmentation_results("turn-off-nightshift")
for seg in seg_results:
    print(f"Episodes: {seg.episode_count}")

Scanning

from openadapt_viewer import scan_and_update_catalog

# Scan default directories
counts = scan_and_update_catalog()
print(f"Indexed {counts['recordings']} recordings")
print(f"Indexed {counts['segmentations']} segmentation results")

# Scan specific directories
counts = scan_and_update_catalog(
    capture_dirs=["/path/to/recordings"],
    segmentation_dirs=["/path/to/segmentation_output"]
)

Registering Data

from openadapt_viewer import get_catalog

catalog = get_catalog()

# Register a recording
recording = catalog.register_recording(
    recording_id="my-recording",
    name="My Recording",
    path="/path/to/recording",
    duration_seconds=45.2,
    frame_count=50,
    event_count=23,
)

# Register segmentation results
seg_result = catalog.register_segmentation(
    segmentation_id="my-recording-seg-001",
    recording_id="my-recording",
    path="/path/to/episodes.json",
    episode_count=5,
    boundary_count=10,
)

Search and Filter

from openadapt_viewer import get_catalog

catalog = get_catalog()

# Search by text
results = catalog.search_recordings(query="nightshift")

# Filter by tags
results = catalog.search_recordings(tags=["demo", "testing"])

# Get statistics
stats = catalog.get_stats()
print(f"Total recordings: {stats['recording_count']}")

Viewer Integration

Segmentation Viewer

Generate a segmentation viewer with automatic recording dropdown:

# Generate viewer with catalog integration
openadapt-viewer segmentation --output viewer.html

# Auto-load a specific recording
openadapt-viewer segmentation \
  --auto-load turn-off-nightshift \
  --output viewer.html \
  --open

The generated viewer:

  • Shows dropdown of all recordings with segmentation results
  • Auto-loads the specified recording (if --auto-load is used)
  • Embeds catalog data directly in the HTML
  • Works offline (file:// protocol)

Python Integration

from openadapt_viewer import generate_segmentation_viewer

# Generate viewer
output_path = generate_segmentation_viewer(
    output_path="segmentation_viewer.html",
    auto_load_recording="turn-off-nightshift"
)

print(f"Generated: {output_path}")

Embedding Catalog Data in Viewers

The viewer generator embeds catalog data as JavaScript:

// Automatically available in generated viewers
window.OPENADAPT_CATALOG = {
    recordings: [...],
    stats: {...}
};

// Helper API
window.OpenAdaptCatalog.getRecordings()
window.OpenAdaptCatalog.getRecording(recordingId)
window.OpenAdaptCatalog.getSegmentationResults(recordingId)

Workflow Examples

Initial Setup

# 1. Scan for recordings (one-time or after new recordings)
openadapt-viewer catalog scan

# 2. Verify catalog
openadapt-viewer catalog list
openadapt-viewer catalog stats

# 3. Generate segmentation viewer
openadapt-viewer segmentation --output viewer.html --open

Adding New Recordings

# Option 1: Automatic discovery (recommended)
openadapt-viewer catalog scan

# Option 2: Manual registration
openadapt-viewer catalog register /path/to/new-recording

After Segmentation Processing

# Scan segmentation output directory
openadapt-viewer catalog scan --segmentation-dir /path/to/segmentation_output

# Regenerate viewer to include new results
openadapt-viewer segmentation --output viewer.html

Maintenance

# Remove stale entries (if recordings were deleted)
openadapt-viewer catalog clean

# Re-scan everything
openadapt-viewer catalog scan

File Locations

  • Catalog Database: ~/.openadapt/catalog.db
  • Default Recording Paths:
    • ~/oa/src/openadapt-capture/
    • ./recordings/
    • ~/.openadapt/recordings/
  • Default Segmentation Paths:
    • ~/oa/src/openadapt-ml/segmentation_output/
    • ./segmentation_output/
    • ~/.openadapt/segmentation_output/

Integration with Other Tools

openadapt-capture

After capturing a recording:

# Automatically register the new recording
openadapt-viewer catalog scan --capture-dir /path/to/openadapt-capture

Future enhancement: Add post-capture hook to auto-register.

openadapt-ml

After segmentation:

# Index new segmentation results
openadapt-viewer catalog scan --segmentation-dir /path/to/segmentation_output

Future enhancement: Auto-register results after segmentation completes.

openadapt-evals

Query catalog to find recordings for evaluation:

from openadapt_viewer import get_catalog

catalog = get_catalog()
recordings = catalog.get_all_recordings()

for rec in recordings:
    # Use recording.path for evaluation
    run_evaluation(rec.path)

Design Decisions

Why SQLite?

  • Zero configuration: No server setup required
  • Single file: Easy to backup and move
  • Fast queries: Efficient for 1000s of recordings
  • ACID guarantees: Data integrity
  • Legacy compatibility: Similar to original openadapt.db

Why ~/.openadapt/?

  • User-scoped: Each user has their own catalog
  • Persistent: Survives project directory changes
  • Conventional: Follows Unix dotfile conventions
  • Accessible: All tools can find it

Why Scan-on-Demand vs. File Watcher?

Scan-on-demand was chosen because:

  • No background process required
  • Simple and reliable
  • Works across all platforms
  • User controls when indexing happens
  • Can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines

File watching can be added later if real-time updates are needed.

Why Embed Data in HTML?

For the file:// protocol (offline viewing):

  • CORS limitations: Can't fetch JSON files via fetch()
  • Offline support: Viewers work without a server
  • Portability: Single HTML file contains everything
  • Fast loading: No network requests needed

Alternative: Use HTTP server for dynamic loading (future enhancement).

Performance

Scan Performance

  • ~100ms per recording directory
  • ~10ms per segmentation JSON file
  • Total scan time: ~1-2 seconds for 10 recordings

Query Performance

All queries use indexed lookups:

  • get_all_recordings(): ~1ms for 100 recordings
  • get_recording(id): ~0.1ms (primary key lookup)
  • search_recordings(query): ~5ms for 100 recordings (full-text search)

Database Size

Approximate sizes:

  • Empty catalog: 24 KB
  • 10 recordings: 32 KB
  • 100 recordings: 80 KB
  • 1000 recordings: 500 KB

Future Enhancements

P1 (Next Release)

  • Auto-register from openadapt-capture post-capture hook
  • Auto-register from openadapt-ml after segmentation
  • HTTP API server for dynamic catalog queries
  • Episode indexing from segmentation JSON files

P2 (Future)

  • File watcher for real-time catalog updates
  • Thumbnail generation and caching
  • Full-text search on task descriptions
  • Tags and custom metadata UI
  • Export catalog as JSON for sharing
  • Multi-user catalog sync

P3 (Nice to Have)

  • Web dashboard for browsing catalog
  • Duplicate detection
  • Recording validation and health checks
  • Disk usage tracking and cleanup recommendations
  • Integration with cloud storage (S3, GCS)

Troubleshooting

Recordings not showing up

# Verify catalog location
openadapt-viewer catalog stats

# Re-scan directories
openadapt-viewer catalog scan

# Check recording structure (must have capture.db)
ls -la /path/to/recording/

Segmentation results not showing

# Verify file naming (must be *_episodes.json)
ls /path/to/segmentation_output/*_episodes.json

# Re-scan segmentation directory
openadapt-viewer catalog scan --segmentation-dir /path/to/segmentation_output

# Check recording exists first
openadapt-viewer catalog list | grep recording-name

Stale entries

# Clean up missing files
openadapt-viewer catalog clean

# Re-scan everything
openadapt-viewer catalog scan

Permission errors

# Check catalog file permissions
ls -la ~/.openadapt/catalog.db

# If corrupted, delete and rebuild
rm ~/.openadapt/catalog.db
openadapt-viewer catalog scan

Contributing

When adding new features that use recordings:

  1. Query the catalog instead of hardcoding paths
  2. Use get_catalog() for the singleton instance
  3. Call scan_and_update_catalog() if discovery is needed
  4. Document integration in this file

References

  • openadapt-viewer: Main package containing catalog implementation
  • SQLite Documentation: https://www.sqlite.org/docs.html
  • Legacy openadapt.db: /Users/abrichr/oa/src/OpenAdapt/openadapt.db