SegraDocs

Configuration

Storage Settings

Manage recording storage locations, limits, and automatic cleanup in Segra

Configure where Segra stores recordings, metadata, and manage disk space with automatic cleanup policies.

Storage Locations

Segra uses two primary folders:

Content Folder

contentFolderstringdefault: %USERPROFILE%/Videos/Segra

Main storage location for:

  • Session recordings
  • Replay buffer saves
  • Clips
  • Highlights

Default: C:/Users/YourName/Videos/Segra

Cache Folder

cacheFolderstringdefault: %APPDATA%/Segra

Stores metadata and generated files:

  • Video metadata (JSON files)
  • Thumbnails
  • Audio waveforms
  • Temporary files

Default: C:/Users/YourName/AppData/Roaming/Segra

The cache folder is separate from content to allow different storage locations. For example, you can keep metadata on your fast SSD while storing large video files on a slower HDD.

Fallback when a folder is unavailable

On startup, Segra creates the content and cache folders if they don't exist. If a saved folder can't be created (for example, it points to a drive that's no longer mounted), Segra falls back to the default location so the app can still start:

  • Content folder: falls back to %USERPROFILE%/Videos/Segra and shows a "Recording folder unavailable" warning
  • Cache folder: falls back to %APPDATA%/Segra and shows a "Cache folder unavailable" warning

Segra saves the fallback path to settings.json. You can point it back to the original location in Settings > Storage once the drive is available again.

Changing Storage Locations

From Settings UI

  1. Navigate to Settings > Storage
  2. Click Browse next to Recording Path or Cache Path
  3. Select the new folder location
  4. Segra will migrate existing content automatically

You can also type a path directly into the field. Segra saves a typed path when you press Enter or move focus out of the field.

Changing the content folder will trigger a warning if the new location has less free space than your current storage usage.

Storage Migration

When you change storage locations:

Validation

Segra checks that the new location has sufficient free space

Content Scan

Segra scans the new folder for existing recordings

Metadata Update

Metadata is updated to reflect the new file locations

Cache Migration (if applicable)

If changing cache folder, thumbnails and waveforms are moved automatically

Segra does not automatically move your video files when changing the content folder. You should manually move files if desired, or start fresh in the new location.

Storage Limit

storageLimitintegerdefault: 100

Maximum storage in GB for recordings.

When this limit is reached, Segra automatically deletes the oldest recordings to free space.

Range: 1 GB to unlimited (set a high value like 10000 for effectively unlimited)

How Storage Limits Work

Continuous Monitoring

Segra tracks the total size of all recordings in the content folder

Threshold Check

When total size exceeds the storage limit, cleanup is triggered

Oldest First Deletion

Recordings are deleted oldest-first until usage falls below the limit

Metadata Cleanup

Associated thumbnails, waveforms, and metadata are also removed

Setting a storage limit lower than your current folder size will immediately trigger deletion of old recordings to meet the limit.

Current Storage Usage

View your current storage usage in Settings:

Current folder size: 45.32 GB / 100 GB

This is calculated from:

  • All session recordings
  • All replay buffer saves
  • All clips
  • All highlights

The cache folder (metadata, thumbnails) does not count toward the storage limit.

Automatic Cleanup

Segra provides automatic cleanup options:

Session Cleanup

discardSessionsWithoutBookmarksbooleandefault: false

Automatically delete session recordings that have no bookmarks.

When enabled:

  • After each recording session ends
  • Segra checks if any bookmarks were created
  • If no bookmarks exist, the session is deleted

Use case: Only keep sessions where something noteworthy happened (marked with bookmarks).

This setting only affects session recordings, not replay buffer saves or clips.

Compression

removeOriginalAfterCompressionbooleandefault: false

Delete the original recording after creating a compressed clip.

When enabled:

  • After clip compression completes
  • Original file is deleted
  • Only the compressed clip remains

Use case: Reduce disk space by replacing full-quality recordings with smaller compressed clips.

Compression settings are separate from recording settings. You can record at high quality, then compress clips for sharing while saving disk space.

Folder Structure

Segra organizes files within the content and cache folders:

Content Folder Structure

C:/Users/YourName/Videos/Segra/
├── Full Sessions/
│   ├── Counter-Strike 2/
│   │   └── 2024-01-15_14-30-45.mp4
│   └── League of Legends/
│       └── 2024-01-15_16-22-10.mp4
├── Replay Buffers/
│   ├── Rocket League/
│   │   └── 2024-01-15_18-05-33.mp4
│   └── PUBG/
│       └── 2024-01-15_19-12-08.mp4
├── Clips/
│   └── Counter-Strike 2/
│       └── 2024-01-15_14-45-30.mp4
└── Highlights/
    └── Counter-Strike 2/
        └── 2024-01-15_15-00-00.mp4

Cache Folder Structure

The cache folder stores generated metadata, thumbnails, and waveforms organized by content type and game:

C:/Users/YourName/AppData/Roaming/Segra/
├── metadata/
│   ├── Full Sessions/
│   ├── Replay Buffers/
│   ├── Clips/
│   └── Highlights/
├── thumbnails/
│   ├── Full Sessions/
│   ├── Replay Buffers/
│   ├── Clips/
│   └── Highlights/
└── waveforms/
    ├── Full Sessions/
    ├── Replay Buffers/
    ├── Clips/
    └── Highlights/

The cache folder location can be changed independently of the content folder via Settings > Storage. Existing cache contents are migrated automatically when you change it.

Metadata embedded in video files

Segra also writes each video's game, title, creation date, audio track names, compression flag, and bookmarks into the MP4 file itself. Only the file's index (moov box) is rewritten, so the video and audio data never move. When you import a video that Segra recorded, Segra restores this metadata, including bookmarks, and places the video under its original game instead of Unknown.

Bookmarks are also written as MP4 chapters, so video editors and players that read chapters show them as markers. Segra updates the embedded data a few seconds after you rename a video or add or delete a bookmark. Existing videos are updated once by migration 0018_embed_metadata_in_videos.

File Naming Convention

Recordings are organized into per-game subfolders and named by timestamp:

{Type}/{GameName}/{yyyy-MM-dd_HH-mm-ss}.mp4

Examples:

  • Full Sessions/Counter-Strike 2/2024-01-15_14-30-45.mp4
  • Replay Buffers/Rocket League/2024-01-15_18-05-33.mp4
  • Clips/Counter-Strike 2/2024-01-15_19-12-08.mp4

All Segra recordings, replays, clips, and highlights are saved as MP4 files.

Storage Best Practices

Optimize Storage Location

For best performance:

  • Store recordings on a separate drive from your OS/games
  • Use an SSD if possible for faster writes (reduces stutter)
  • Keep 20% free space on the recording drive for optimal performance

Multi-drive setup:

  • OS/Games: SSD (C:)
  • Recordings: HDD (D:) or secondary SSD
  • Cache: SSD (C:) for fast metadata access
Managing Disk Space

Automatic management:

  • Set a realistic storage limit based on available space
  • Enable discardSessionsWithoutBookmarks to keep only meaningful sessions
  • Use clip compression to reduce file sizes

Manual management:

  • Review recordings weekly and delete unwanted content
  • Export highlights to long-term storage (external drive, cloud)
  • Use lower quality presets for casual recordings
Backup and Archive

Protect important recordings:

  • Copy clips and highlights to external storage
  • Use cloud backup (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)
  • Keep original high-quality files for content creation
  • Compress older sessions to save space

Workflow:

  1. Record at high quality
  2. Create clips from best moments
  3. Export highlights
  4. Back up clips/highlights to cloud
  5. Delete or compress old sessions

Storage Statistics

Segra tracks storage usage in real-time:

currentFolderSizeGbnumber

Current total size of all recordings in GB. Exposed on the runtime AppState object (sent as the State WebSocket message), not as a persisted setting.

Updated whenever:

  • A recording is saved
  • A file is deleted
  • A clip is exported
  • Storage settings are changed

View this in Settings > Storage section.

Network Storage

Segra can use network drives (NAS, SMB shares):

Important considerations:

  • Network storage can introduce latency and cause dropped frames
  • Requires reliable gigabit+ network connection
  • Not recommended for high bitrate recordings (>50 Mbps)
  • Local SSD/HDD is always preferred

If using network storage:

  1. Map the network drive as a drive letter (e.g., Z:)
  2. Set content folder to Z:/Segra (or subdirectory)
  3. Test with low-bitrate recording first
  4. Monitor for dropped frames during recording

Troubleshooting

Out of disk space errors

If Segra reports disk space issues:

  • Check free space: Open File Explorer, right-click drive, select Properties
  • Increase storage limit in Settings
  • Manually delete old recordings
  • Move content folder to a larger drive
  • Enable automatic cleanup options
Cannot change content folder

Common causes:

  • Folder is write-protected or on a read-only drive
  • Insufficient permissions (run Segra as administrator)
  • Drive is full or nearly full
  • Path contains invalid characters

Solutions:

  • Choose a different folder
  • Check folder permissions
  • Ensure target drive has free space
Recordings not appearing

If recordings don't show in Segra:

  • Verify files exist in content folder (check Windows Explorer)
  • Check metadata folder has corresponding .json files
  • Click Settings > Storage > Browse > reselect the same folder (triggers rescan)
  • Restart Segra

Segra scans the content folder on startup and when settings change.

Storage limit not working

If old files aren't being deleted:

  • Check current folder size vs. limit in Settings
  • Check the storage limit value (the Settings field accepts a minimum of 1 GB)
  • Manual deletion may be needed if limit was recently lowered
  • Restart Segra to trigger cleanup check

Settings JSON Example

{
  "contentFolder": "D:/Recordings/Segra",
  "cacheFolder": "C:/Users/YourName/AppData/Roaming/Segra",
  "storageLimit": 200,
  "removeOriginalAfterCompression": false,
  "discardSessionsWithoutBookmarks": true
}

The currentFolderSizeGb value is exposed on the runtime AppState (delivered to the frontend through the State WebSocket message), not in settings.json:

{
  "currentFolderSizeGb": 87.45
}

External Storage and Cloud

While Segra doesn't directly support cloud storage, you can:

  1. Record locally to fast SSD/HDD
  2. Export clips to a cloud-synced folder (OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.)
  3. Backup sessions manually to external drives
  4. Use cloud backup services to sync your content folder

For best results, record to local storage and use cloud services for backup and sharing clips, not live recording.