Session Recording
Record the bug reproduction process and share it with developers
Table of Contents
What is Session Recording?
Session Recording captures user interactions at the DOM level, allowing developers to reproduce the exact bug occurrence process. Unlike video recording, file sizes are small and recordings can be played back interactively on the dashboard.
The QA Note Extension offers two session recording modes.
Manual Session Replay
The user manually starts and stops the recording.
How to Use
- Open capture mode via the Extension icon or keyboard shortcut, and select Session Replay.
- A recording control appears at the bottom-right of the screen, displaying elapsed time.
- Reproduce the bug, then click the Stop button.
- The recording data is automatically attached to the issue submission form.
Features
- Maximum recording time: 60 seconds. Recording automatically stops when time is exceeded.
- Page navigation support: Recording continues even when navigating to other pages. All navigation within the same tab is recorded.
- Privacy protection: Password input fields are automatically masked.
Instant Replay
A useful feature for capturing bugs that "already happened." It automatically records recent activity from the page load, ready to retrieve when needed.
How to Use
- Enable Instant Replay for the current domain from the Extension popup.
- From then on, recent activity on all pages of that domain is automatically recorded in a buffer.
- When you discover a bug, select Instant Replay in capture mode.
- The recent buffer contents are attached to the issue submission form.
Features
- Buffer length: Default 120 seconds (2 minutes). Can be changed in Extension settings.
- Per-domain settings: Select which domains to use Instant Replay on individually.
- Performance monitoring: Real-time monitoring of event volume and memory usage. If load is detected, the buffer automatically shrinks (to 60 seconds) or pauses to avoid affecting page performance.
- Capture without interrupting recording: Background recording continues even when retrieving an Instant Replay.
How It Works
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Buffer length | 120s |
| Event ceiling | 10,000 events |
| Activation | Pages whose domain is on the project's "allowed domains" list |
| Data path | Local ring buffer → gzip on capture → upload to R2 |
Opt-in. Toggle it on under Project Settings → Session Recording → "Instant Replay". For scenarios that cross tabs · popups · iframes see Multi-window session tracking.
How It Differs from Manual Recording
Manual recording only captures from the moment you press Start Recording. Instant Replay lets you rewind and submit something that has already happened.
Playback on Dashboard
Recorded sessions are played back interactively on the issue detail page. Navigate to any point using the timeline bar, and visually review DOM changes and user actions.
Plan Limits
| Plan | Monthly Session Recordings |
|---|---|
| Solo (Free) | 20 |
| Pro | 200 per seat |
| Flex | Unlimited |
Auto Overload Detection
On pages with massive DOM mutations or high-frequency events, rrweb recording itself can slow down the browser. Instant Replay watches frame time and event rate and auto-pauses once thresholds are crossed.
Detection Metrics
| Metric | Threshold | Reaction |
|---|---|---|
| Events per second | Above 1,000/s | Drops samples for 1s |
| Memory growth | Above 50MB/min | Flushes half of the buffer |
| Main-thread blocking | 3 consecutive tasks above 200ms | Pauses recording + notifies user |
When auto-pause kicks in, the Extension badge surfaces a caution mark and the user can resume manually.