motion-watch

Records video clips and sends email alerts when your laptop camera detects motion. Runs in the foreground; press Ctrl+C to stop.

Setup

Copy the example env file and fill in your credentials:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your email address and an app password.

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macOS

Requirements: Python 3.10+

python3 -m venv venv
venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt

Grant your terminal camera access in System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Camera, then run:

./run

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Windows

Requirements: Python 3.10+ — check "Add python.exe to PATH" during installation.

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\pip install -r requirements.txt
run

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Output

Captures are saved to the captures/ folder:

• snap_<timestamp>.jpg — snapshot at first detection
• clip_<timestamp>.avi — video clip including 5s pre-motion buffer
• motion_events.jsonl — log of all events

To view recent events:

./run log        # macOS
run log          # Windows