How to Install ScreenshotMachine CLI on Windows with WSL
The sources reviewed document a ScreenshotMachine API package, not a Windows or WSL CLI. Learn how to check what you need and install the separate WSL screenshot clipboard utility.
Short answer: The sources reviewed do not document an official ScreenshotMachine CLI for Windows or WSL. ScreenshotMachine’s located GitHub example describes a Node.js package for calling its screenshot and PDF APIs; it is not evidence of a standalone CLI. The similarly named wsl-screenshot-cli is a separate project that monitors the Windows clipboard so screenshots can be pasted into WSL as file paths. First check which task you mean, then follow the matching setup below.
1. Identify the tool you need
| If you want to… | Use this |
|---|---|
| Request a screenshot of a website from code | ScreenshotMachine’s documented Node.js API package, installed with npm install screenshotmachine. This is an API client, not a documented Windows/WSL command-line program. Consult the package’s own repository and account instructions before using it. ScreenshotMachine Node.js example repository. |
| Take a screenshot in Windows and paste a usable file path into a WSL terminal | The separate wsl-screenshot-cli project. Its name and behavior are not evidence that it is made by ScreenshotMachine. Project repository. |
| Capture a web page with a single HTTP request | See the ScreenshotNeo option near the end of this guide. |
If you require an official ScreenshotMachine CLI specifically, verify that product and its installation instructions with ScreenshotMachine before running an unrelated tool. The material reviewed for this guide establishes the Node.js API example and the separate clipboard utility, but cannot prove that no other CLI exists.
2. Install WSL on Windows
Skip this section if WSL is already installed. Microsoft’s documented quick-start supports wsl --install on Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) or later, or Windows 11. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
wsl --installRestart Windows if prompted. On first launch, create a Linux username and password for the distribution. Check installed distributions and their WSL versions from PowerShell:
wsl --list --verboseUse a WSL 2 distribution for the clipboard utility described here. Installing WSL does not install ScreenshotMachine’s API package or wsl-screenshot-cli; each is a separate setup. See Microsoft’s Install WSL guide.
3. Install the separate WSL screenshot clipboard utility
These commands install wsl-screenshot-cli, the Nailuu project, not a ScreenshotMachine product. Its repository documents WSL 2 with Windows interop enabled and powershell.exe available on the WSL PATH as prerequisites. A Go toolchain is not needed for the install-script route; Go 1.25 or later is listed for building from source.
Check PowerShell interop
In your WSL shell, check that Windows PowerShell can be found and invoked:
command -v powershell.exe
powershell.exe -NoProfile -Command '$PSVersionTable.PSVersion.ToString()'If the first command returns no path or the second cannot run, check that you are in WSL 2, Windows interop is enabled for your distribution, and Windows paths are included in the WSL PATH. The utility relies on this boundary between Windows and Linux.
Run the documented installer
From WSL, run the project’s documented quick-install command:
curl -fsSL https://nailu.dev/wscli/install.sh | bashThe project says this route downloads the latest binary to ~/.local/bin/ and does not require Go. Because this command downloads and executes a remote script, inspect the project’s current installation instructions and script before running it if you need to review exactly what will be installed.
Check that the binary is available:
~/.local/bin/wsl-screenshot-cli --helpIf the command works by its full path, but not by name, add the install directory to your shell’s PATH. For Bash, add this line to ~/.bashrc:
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"Reload the file and check command discovery:
source ~/.bashrc
command -v wsl-screenshot-cli4. Start and manage the clipboard monitor
The project documents these commands for its own utility:
# Start the monitor in the background
wsl-screenshot-cli start --daemon
# Check its status
wsl-screenshot-cli status
# Stop it
wsl-screenshot-cli stop
# Update to the latest GitHub release
wsl-screenshot-cli updateAfter it is running, take a screenshot using your Windows screenshot workflow, then paste into the WSL terminal where you need the image path. The project says it sets multiple clipboard formats so a WSL terminal receives a path while Windows image applications and Explorer can retain image or file paste behavior. This is the project’s stated behavior; check its README for current usage details and limitations.
5. If you meant ScreenshotMachine’s API package
The located ScreenshotMachine example uses Node.js and is installed as an npm package. That is a different job from transferring a Windows clipboard screenshot into WSL. The repository instructs users to create an account and use a customer key (and a secret phrase where applicable). Follow the current repository documentation for exact methods, parameters, and authentication rather than treating the package as a CLI.
npm install screenshotmachineThe supplied research does not document a Windows or WSL executable, a ScreenshotMachine CLI command, or a complete current API call, so this guide does not invent one. If your requirement is a command-line workflow, ask ScreenshotMachine whether it currently provides an official CLI and request its supported install instructions.
6. Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
wsl-screenshot-cli: command not found |
~/.local/bin/ is not on PATH, particularly in a non-login shell. |
Run ~/.local/bin/wsl-screenshot-cli --help. If that works, add the PATH export shown above to the relevant shell startup file and open a new shell. |
powershell.exe is missing or will not launch |
Windows interop is unavailable, Windows paths are absent from PATH, or the shell is not the expected WSL environment. | Check wsl --list --verbose in Windows PowerShell, then check command -v powershell.exe inside WSL and your distribution’s interop configuration. |
| The installer command fails before downloading | Connectivity, TLS, or curl may be unavailable; the install endpoint or project instructions may also have changed. |
Check curl --version and network access, then consult the project’s current README and release information. Avoid substituting an unverified URL. |
| The utility starts but clipboard paste does not produce a path | The monitor may not be running, Windows interop may be unavailable, or the paste action may differ from the project’s supported workflow. | Run wsl-screenshot-cli status, verify PowerShell interop, and follow the current project usage instructions. Check whether your Windows screenshot method places an image on the clipboard. |
| WSL is installed but reports version 1 | The distribution is running under WSL 1, while the project lists WSL 2 as a prerequisite. | Use wsl --list --verbose in PowerShell and consult Microsoft’s current instructions for converting the distribution to WSL 2. |
You cannot find a screenshotmachine command |
The located ScreenshotMachine repository documents an npm package for API calls, not a standalone CLI. | Confirm that you installed the package in the intended Node.js project and check the repository. Ask ScreenshotMachine directly if you need an official CLI. |
7. Performance, reliability, and cost
- Startup: The clipboard utility is documented as a background monitor. Use its status command to check whether it is running before troubleshooting paste behavior.
- WSL boundary: This workflow depends on WSL 2, interop, and access to
powershell.exe. A failure at that boundary can prevent the monitor from accessing Windows clipboard behavior. - Updates: The project’s
updatecommand is documented as updating to the latest GitHub release. Check the repository for current release instructions if updating fails. - Builds: Go is only needed if you choose to build from source; the repository lists Go 1.25 or later. The installer route avoids that prerequisite.
- Cost: The research reviewed describes software and an account-based ScreenshotMachine API, but does not establish pricing for either the WSL utility or ScreenshotMachine. Check each project’s current official information for applicable terms.
8. Or skip the browser setup
If your goal is to capture a website rather than paste Windows screenshots into WSL, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers. One GET request returns an image or PDF. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for the available options.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpimport requests
r = requests.get(
"https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
timeout=90,
)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot request failed: ${res.status}`);
const bytes = new Uint8Array(await res.arrayBuffer());
await (await import('node:fs/promises')).writeFile('shot.webp', bytes);ScreenshotNeo removes cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets before the shot. Bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. Its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Sign up free and get 1,000 screenshots a month with no card.
9. FAQ
Does installing WSL install ScreenshotMachine’s API package?
No. WSL is Microsoft’s Linux environment for Windows. The npm package, WSL clipboard utility, and WSL itself are separate installations.
Is wsl-screenshot-cli the ScreenshotMachine CLI?
The reviewed sources identify it as a separate Nailuu project for making Windows clipboard screenshots pasteable as paths in WSL. They do not identify it as a ScreenshotMachine product.
Do I need Go for the quick install?
The project’s documentation says no. It lists Go 1.25 or later for a source build.
Can this clipboard utility capture a URL as a website screenshot?
Its described purpose is transferring Windows clipboard screenshots into WSL as file paths. For website URL capture, use a website screenshot API or a browser automation workflow.
