screenshot bar
Your recent screenshots, always within reach. Drag a thumbnail into the terminal to share it with Claude — no Finder, no file hunting.
The screenshot bar is a thumbnail strip at the bottom of the Crystl window. It uses macOS Spotlight to watch for new screenshots system-wide — regardless of where they're saved. The most recent captures appear automatically, ready to drag.
Drag a thumbnail onto the terminal and Crystl pastes the shell-escaped file path. Claude Code reads the image and you're in a visual conversation. Double-click any thumbnail to open it in Preview. Toggle the bar with ⇧⌘S or from the View menu — Crystl remembers your preference across restarts.
Why it matters
Spotlight-powered
Finds screenshots anywhere on your Mac — Desktop, custom folders, iCloud. If Spotlight indexed it, the bar shows it.
Drag to paste
Drag a thumbnail into the terminal. Crystl shell-escapes the path and sends it — Claude reads the image instantly.
One shortcut
⇧⌘S toggles the bar. Or use View > screenshot bar. Crystl remembers your preference across sessions.
Quick Look on double-click
Double-click a thumbnail to open the full screenshot in your default image viewer. Hover for the filename tooltip.
Ready to try it?
Create a free account and download Crystl for macOS.
get started getting started guide →Frequently asked questions
- Does it only find screenshots on my Desktop?
- No. The screenshot bar uses macOS Spotlight metadata (kMDItemIsScreenCapture) to find screenshots anywhere on your machine — Desktop, Downloads, iCloud Drive, or any custom screenshot folder you've configured in macOS.
- How many screenshots does it show?
- Up to 30 of your most recent screenshots, sorted newest first. The bar is horizontally scrollable, so you can scroll back through older captures.
- What happens when I drag a thumbnail into the terminal?
- Crystl pastes the shell-escaped file path into the terminal input. If Claude Code is running, it reads the image file and can analyze, describe, or act on it. For remote SSH sessions, Crystl uploads the file first, then pastes the remote path.
- Can I keep the bar visible permanently?
- Yes. Toggle the bar on with ⇧⌘S or View > screenshot bar, and it stays visible — even after restarting Crystl. Toggle it off the same way when you don't need it.
- Does the bar update in real time?
- Yes. The Spotlight query runs in live-update mode, so new screenshots appear in the bar within a few seconds of being taken — no refresh needed.
More features
Gems & Shards
Gems, shards, and the Crystal Rail keep every project one click away.
Track Everything
See what every Claude session is doing at a glance.
Parallel Sessions
Run multiple Claude instances on the same repo without conflicts.
Conversation History
Every session is preserved. Scroll back through the full context anytime.
Prompt Integration
Facet Inserts give you one-click access to saved prompts, commands, and shortcuts.
Agent Config Editor
Create, edit, and manage CLAUDE.md, rules, skills, and agent config files with a block editor, file chooser, and project optimizer.
Project Optimizer
Scan your project for gaps in agent configuration — missing files, incomplete docs, oversized code, and setup issues — with one-click fixes.
Starter Bundles
New gems launch with CLAUDE.md, rules, skills, and MCP config — all pre-configured from your bundle library.
Skills Library
Browse and import slash commands that teach Claude new tricks — code review, testing, deployment, and more.
Remote Development
Full Crystl integration over SSH — approval panels, file relay, and click-to-open on remote machines.
Crystl Quest
Assemble a party of specialized agents. Each brings unique skills, coordinates in shared chat, and executes in parallel.