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Dev.to
Dev.to
7/7/2026
Tired of re-recording my README demo GIF by hand, I turned the whole demo environment into code

Tired of re-recording my README demo GIF by hand, I turned the whole demo environment into code

Short summary

To eliminate endless manual re-recordings of README demo GIFs, a developer automated his entire demo environment using vhs—a terminal recording tool that executes scripted operations from a .tape file—combined with a bash script that provisions the required database state and load. The result: consistent, version-accurate demos that update instantly when the tool changes, solving a major pain point for open-source CLI and TUI maintainers.

  • Automate demo GIF generation with vhs by scripting terminal operations in .tape files
  • Wrap .tape with a setup script to provision required state (databases, background load, etc.)
  • Eliminates inconsistencies and keeps demos fresh without manual re-recording effort

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