Annotate Your Linux Terminal Live with Wayscriber

Ever been in the middle of a live demo, a pair programming session, or recording a tutorial and wished you could just draw on the screen? You know, circle that important output, underline a command, or draw an arrow to the exact spot where the bug is hiding? If you're working in a terminal on Linux, that's usually a hard stop. You either fumble with a separate drawing tool or resort to a clunky "imagine a circle here" explanation.

Wayscriber changes that. It's a neat, open-source tool that lets you draw live annotations directly onto your Wayland desktop. Think of it as a digital whiteboard, but for your entire screen, designed with developers and presenters in mind.

What It Does

Wayscriber is a simple yet powerful annotation tool for Wayland compositors. Once running, it puts a transparent overlay on your screen. You can then use your mouse, stylus, or touch input to draw shapes, write text, or highlight areas in real-time. It's perfect for explaining complex terminal output, guiding someone through a series of commands, or making your recorded tutorials much clearer.

Why It's Cool

The beauty of Wayscriber is in its straightforward utility. It doesn't try to be a full-blown presentation suite. It does one job and does it well: letting you draw on your screen with minimal friction.

• Zero Distraction: It runs as an overlay, so you don't need to switch applications or interrupt your workflow. Start drawing, stop, and continue with your demo.
• Built for Wayland: It taps into the modern Linux graphics stack, making it a native citizen for many current distributions.
• Developer-Focused Use Case: While anyone can use it, it's particularly handy for devs. Annotating a stack trace, diagramming a system architecture on a blank desktop, or highlighting a specific line in a config file during a live share becomes intuitive.
• It's a Solo Project: This is a focused tool built to solve a specific, common pain point, which is often where the best utilities come from.

How to Try It

Ready to turn your screen into a whiteboard? You'll need to be running a Wayland session (like on GNOME, Sway, or Hyprland).

1. Head over to the GitHub repository: github.com/devmobasa/wayscriber
2. Check the README for the latest build and installation instructions. As with many Linux tools, you'll likely clone the repo and build it with cargo (it's written in Rust).
3. Once launched, you should be able to start drawing immediately. The repository documentation will have the keybindings or controls to change colors, clear the screen, or exit.

Final Thoughts

Wayscriber fills a gap I didn't realize was so obvious until I saw it. For live coding, debugging with a colleague over a screenshare, or creating educational content, a tool like this removes a layer of abstraction. You're not just talking about the code; you can literally point at it. It's the kind of simple, effective utility that earns a permanent spot in your toolbox. If you do any kind of presenting or teaching from your Linux desktop, it's definitely worth a few minutes to set up.

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