macOS ScreenCaptureKit Explained

ScreenCaptureKit is Apple's modern screen-capture framework, introduced in macOS 12.3 to replace the older CoreGraphics-based capture APIs. It is the underlying mechanism most modern proctors and screen recorders use on Mac.

SCK provides three primitives: SCStream (continuous frame capture), SCScreenshotManager (one-shot screenshots), and SCContentFilter (specify what to capture). The content filter accepts inclusion or exclusion lists for displays, applications, and windows. A privacy-flagged window is excluded by macOS itself even when not in the exclusion list - the OS filters before the API returns frames. ScreenCaptureKit replaced CGWindowListCreateImage and AVCaptureScreenInput as the recommended path; legacy capture clients are gradually being moved over. macOS 15.4+ introduced an entitlement that lets certain capture clients see flagged windows; we are evaluating implications for the overlay on those versions.

Performance, security, and compatibility with new macOS architecture (the older APIs predated screen-share permissions).

For specific capture clients with the entitlement, yes. For typical proctor apps without it, no. We recommend macOS 14 or 15.0-15.3 for maximum overlay reliability.

It requires a request to Apple and approval. Standard proctor apps in 2026 do not have it.