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The screen monitor is Screen Answerer’s most powerful feature. It continuously watches your screen for quiz questions and automatically provides answers in real-time.

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How screen monitoring works

Screen Answerer uses your browser’s native screen capture API to:
  1. Capture screenshots of your selected window/screen every 5 seconds
  2. Send the image to Google Gemini API for analysis
  3. Detect if the image contains a quiz question
  4. Generate and display the answer if a question is found
The monitoring interval is set to 5 seconds to balance responsiveness with API quota management. This prevents excessive API calls while still detecting questions quickly.

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Browser compatibility

Screen monitoring works best with:
  • Chrome/Chromium - Full support, recommended
  • Firefox - Full support with adjusted frame rate
  • Edge - Full support
  • Safari - Limited support (may have restrictions)
Safari users may experience limitations due to browser restrictions on screen capture APIs. For the best experience, use Chrome or Firefox.

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Starting the screen monitor

1

Ensure API key is configured

Before starting the monitor, make sure you’ve added your Google Gemini API key:
  1. Click the ⚙️ Settings icon
  2. Navigate to the API Key tab
  3. Enter and save your API key
If you haven’t set up an API key yet, see the Getting API Key guide.
2

Click 'Start Monitoring'

In the Screen Monitor section of the app, click the Start Monitoring button.Your browser will prompt you to select what to share:
  • Entire Screen - Monitors your entire display
  • Window - Monitors a specific application window
  • Browser Tab - Monitors a single browser tab
Select the window or screen where your quiz will appear. Choosing a specific window reduces processing and uses less API quota than monitoring your entire screen.
3

Grant screen capture permission

Click Share in the browser permission dialog to allow Screen Answerer to capture your screen.
If you deny permission, the monitor won’t start. You’ll need to click Start Monitoring again and approve the permission request.
4

Monitor starts running

Once permission is granted:
  • The status changes to Active (displayed in purple)
  • The monitor status shows “Monitoring active - watching for quiz questions”
  • A preview of the captured screen appears below
  • The Stop Monitoring button becomes enabled
Screen Answerer is now watching for questions!

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When a question is detected

When Screen Answerer identifies a quiz question:
  1. Answer Display - The answer appears in the ANSWER section at the top
  2. Results Section - The full response is shown in the results area below
  3. Counter Updates - The “Questions Processed” counter increments
  4. Status Message - Shows “Quiz question detected! Answer displayed above.”
Screen Answerer displays only the most relevant answer (the first response from Gemini). This keeps the interface clean and focuses on the correct answer.

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Stopping the monitor

To stop monitoring:
  1. Click the Stop Monitoring button
  2. The status changes back to Inactive
  3. The monitor status shows “Monitoring stopped”
  4. Screen capture permission is released
If you close the tab or stop sharing from your browser’s screen sharing controls, monitoring will automatically stop.

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Understanding the interface

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Status indicators

  • Status - Shows “Active” (purple) when monitoring, “Inactive” (default color) when stopped
  • Questions Processed - Running count of questions detected during the current session
  • Monitor Status - Text description of current activity
  • Preview - Live thumbnail of what’s being captured

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Answer display

Answers are shown in two places:
  1. ANSWER section (top) - Quick reference for the current answer
  2. Results section (bottom) - Full formatted response with markdown rendering
Answers support markdown formatting, so you may see bullet points, code blocks, or other formatted text for complex responses.

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Rate limiting and performance

Screen Answerer includes built-in rate limiting to protect your API quota:
  • Client-side throttling - Minimum 5 seconds between requests
  • Server-side limiting - Maximum 100 requests per 15 minutes per IP
  • API quota tracking - Monitors approach to daily/minute limits
If you receive a “Rate limit exceeded” message, wait a few seconds. The monitor will automatically retry on the next interval.

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Tips for effective monitoring

Window capture is more efficient than full screen:
  • Reduces image size
  • Faster processing
  • Uses less API quota
  • Better focus on relevant content
Only capture the window where questions appear.
For best detection:
  • Ensure text is readable and not obscured
  • Avoid overlapping windows
  • Use adequate screen brightness
  • Maximize the quiz window for clearer capture
Keep an eye on the Questions Processed counter:
  • High counts may indicate the detector is too sensitive
  • If non-questions are detected, adjust window selection
  • Consider stopping monitoring when not actively taking quizzes
Choose the right Gemini model in settings:
  • gemini-2.0-flash-lite (default) - Faster, lower cost, good accuracy
  • gemini-2.0-flash - More capable, slightly slower, better for complex questions
The lite model is recommended for monitoring to preserve quota.

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Privacy and security

Privacy consideration: Screen monitoring captures whatever is displayed on your selected screen/window. Be careful not to capture sensitive information.
Screen Answerer handles your data securely:
  • Temporary storage - Screenshots are deleted immediately after processing (see history.safelyDeleteFile() in server.js:229)
  • No logging - Images are not stored on Screen Answerer’s servers
  • Direct API calls - Images go directly to Google Gemini; Screen Answerer doesn’t intercept them
  • Local API key - Your API key stays in your browser’s localStorage

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Troubleshooting

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Monitor won’t start

  • Check API key: Ensure a valid key is saved in Settings
  • Browser permissions: Verify screen capture permission is granted
  • Browser support: Try Chrome or Firefox if using a different browser

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Questions not detected

  • Image quality: Ensure text is clear and readable
  • Capture area: Verify the question is within the captured region
  • Detection interval: Wait at least 5 seconds after question appears
  • Model selection: Try switching to gemini-2.0-flash for better detection

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API errors

  • “Invalid API key”: Re-enter your API key in Settings
  • “Quota exceeded”: Wait for quota reset (check Google Cloud Console)
  • “Rate limited”: Reduce monitoring frequency or wait a few seconds

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Performance issues

  • High CPU usage: Select a specific window instead of entire screen
  • Slow responses: Check your internet connection
  • Browser lag: Close unnecessary tabs and applications

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Next steps

Best practices

Optimize your screen monitoring workflow

Model selection

Learn which Gemini model to use

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