Developer automates README demo GIFs to eliminate manual re-recording hassle

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A developer maintaining pgincident, an open-source terminal UI tool for Postgres incident response, grew frustrated with repeatedly re-recording README demo GIFs by hand due to inconsistencies in font, terminal state, and window appearance. Manual recordings were also prone to errors and quickly became outdated whenever the tool's interface changed. To solve this, the developer adopted VHS, a tool by Charm that converts scripted terminal instructions written in a .tape file into reproducible GIF or MP4 recordings. By scripting every keystroke, timing, and visual setting, the demo environment became fully version-controlled and consistent across recordings. This approach eliminated the need for manual choreography of complex database states and ensured the README always reflects the current state of the tool.

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