> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vibrai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Capture

> Capture the current Live set as a .vibrai YAML file

Capture the current Live set as a .vibrai YAML file

## Command line

### `capture`

Capture the current Live set as a .vibrai YAML file

```bash theme={null}
vibrai capture --out <PATH> --force --dry-run --merge-with <PATH> --no-warn-lossy-automation
```

<ParamField path="--out">
  Output file path. Defaults to Captured.vibrai in CWD.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--force">
  Overwrite the output file if it already exists.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--dry-run">
  Emit the YAML to stdout, do not write a file.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--merge-with">
  Overlay section metadata (category, tension, modifier, variation, scale overrides) AND the first template's Automation from this prior .vibrai onto the captured project. Sections matched by id, falling back to position. Scene names always come from the captured set.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--no-warn-lossy-automation">
  Suppress the lossy\_arrangement\_automation warning that capture emits when no --merge-with is provided and the captured arrangement\_automation array is empty (the LOM-blind-spot for bouncer-produced envelopes).
</ParamField>

## MCP tools

### `capture_project`

Capture the running Live set as a .vibrai YAML file. Set dry\_run=true to return the YAML in the response without writing to disk. Set merge\_with=\<path> to overlay section metadata (category, tension, modifier, variation, scale overrides) AND Templates\[0].Automation from a previously-authored .vibrai onto the captured project — Live's LOM cannot read these, so capture cannot derive them. When no merge\_with is supplied and the captured arrangement\_automation array is empty, the summary includes a lossy\_arrangement\_automation warning explaining the LOM gap; pass warn\_lossy\_automation=false to suppress it.

```json theme={null}
{
  "tool": "capture_project",
  "arguments": {
    "out": "<String>",
    "force": "<Boolean>",
    "dry_run": "<Boolean>",
    "merge_with": "<String>",
    "warn_lossy_automation": "<Boolean>"
  }
}
```

<ParamField path="out" type="String" required>
  Absolute file path to write the captured .vibrai YAML to.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="force" type="Boolean">
  Overwrite the file if it already exists.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="dry_run" type="Boolean">
  Return the YAML in the response without writing.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="merge_with" type="String">
  Optional absolute path to a prior .vibrai whose section metadata AND Templates\[0].Automation should overlay the captured sections (matched by Section.Id, falling back to Position). Scene names always come from the captured set.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="warn_lossy_automation" type="Boolean">
  When true (default) AND merge\_with is null AND captured arrangement\_automation is empty, emit a lossy\_arrangement\_automation warning string in the summary explaining the LOM gap. Set to false to suppress the warning.
</ParamField>