Screenshot debugging
Capture a screenshot of your page at the moment an incident opens so you can see exactly what the browser rendered during an outage.
When a monitor goes down, HowlOps can capture one screenshot per incident so you can see exactly what the browser rendered at the moment the incident opened.
How it works
When a monitor goes down and an incident opens, HowlOps probers use a headless Chromium browser to load the page and capture a PNG screenshot. Capture is automatic and happens once per incident, not on every failed check. The screenshot is attached to the incident and available in the monitor's check history.
Automatic screenshots require screenshot_monitoring and apply to HTTP/HTTPS monitors. Ping, TCP, DNS, group, and heartbeat checks do not capture a browser screenshot. One screenshot is captured per incident, not per failed check.
Enable screenshots
- Open a monitor's settings.
- Go to Advanced Settings.
- Enable Capture screenshot on incident.
- Save.
View screenshots
Screenshots appear in:
- Monitor detail → Check History: on the check that opened the incident.
- Incidents → [Incident] → Timeline: the single screenshot captured when the incident opened.
- Alert notifications: when
screenshot_monitoringis enabled and the monitor opted in, Slack and email alerts can include the captured screenshot.
Screenshots of pages behind authentication (a login wall) show the login page, not your actual app. Use keyword checks and separate authenticated endpoints for deeper testing.
Retention
Each screenshot receives an expiry from the workspace's effective data-retention window when it is stored. It is removed after that expiry rather than after a fixed number of days shared by every workspace.
Screenshot debugging requires a Playwright-enabled prober; plain HTTP probers cannot capture screenshots.
FAQ
Does screenshot capture affect check timing? No. Capture runs out of band when an incident opens, not on every check. Your regular monitor checks are unaffected.
How many screenshots are captured per incident? One: a single screenshot at the moment the incident opens.
Are screenshots private? Yes. They are only accessible to members of your workspace.
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