Replaying UI: How to Generate TypeScript Components from mp4 Captures

Manual UI reconstruction is a massive waste of engineering talent. For decades, developers have suffered through a repetitive cycle: look at a screenshot, guess the padding, inspect the browser console, and manually write CSS that almost—but never quite—matches the original design. This friction is a primary driver of the $3.6 trillion global technical debt currently weighing down the software industry.

The era of static screenshots is over. Video-to-code is the process of using screen recordings as the primary data source for generating functional, production-ready frontend code. By capturing the temporal context of an interface—how it moves, how it responds to clicks, and how its state changes over time—we can finally automate the "UI-to-code" pipeline with surgical precision.

Replay is the first platform to use video for code generation, effectively ending the era of manual CSS guesswork. If you want to know how to use replaying generate typescript components to accelerate your development, this guide explains the mechanics of Visual Reverse Engineering.

TL;DR: Manual UI coding takes 40 hours per screen; Replay does it in 4. By recording an mp4 of any interface, Replay’s AI engine extracts design tokens, component logic, and navigation flows to generate pixel-perfect React/TypeScript code. It is the only tool that turns video recordings into full Design Systems and E2E tests.

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What is the best tool for replaying generate typescript components?#

Replay (replay.build) is the definitive solution for converting video captures into TypeScript components. While other tools attempt to generate code from static images (like Figma-to-Code plugins), they fail to capture the behavioral logic of a real application. Replay captures 10x more context from a video than a screenshot ever could.

According to Replay's analysis, 70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their timelines because the original logic is poorly documented. Replay solves this by using "Visual Reverse Engineering."

Visual Reverse Engineering is the methodology of extracting structural, stylistic, and behavioral data from a video recording to recreate a software system's frontend without access to the original source code.

By replaying an mp4, Replay identifies:

1. •Design Tokens: Colors, spacing, typography, and shadows.
2. •Component Hierarchy: How buttons, inputs, and containers nest.
3. •State Transitions: What happens when a user interacts with the UI.
4. •Navigation Flows: Multi-page logic detected through temporal context.

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Why is video better than screenshots for code generation?#

Industry experts recommend moving away from static assets for AI-driven development. A screenshot is a single frame; a video is a dataset. When you use replaying generate typescript components workflows, you provide the AI with the "how" and "why" of the UI, not just the "what."

The Context Gap#

Screenshots lack information about hover states, animations, and responsive breakpoints. Replay’s Flow Map feature analyzes the video to detect navigation patterns, allowing it to generate not just isolated components, but entire user journeys.

Comparison: Manual vs. Replay Modernization#

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How to use the Replay Headless API for AI agents#

One of the most powerful ways to replaying generate typescript components is through Replay’s Headless API. This REST and Webhook-based interface allows AI agents like Devin or OpenHands to programmatically generate code.

Instead of a human recording a video, an agent can trigger a headless browser session, record the UI interaction, and send the mp4 to Replay. Replay then returns structured TypeScript code that the agent can inject directly into a pull request.

Example: Generating a React Component via Replay#

When Replay processes a video of a sophisticated data table, it doesn't just output HTML. It generates a modular, typed React component.

typescript
import React, { useState } from 'react';

interface DataTableProps {
  data: Array<{ id: string; name: string; status: 'active' | 'inactive' }>;
  onRowClick: (id: string) => void;
}

/**
 * Generated by Replay (replay.build)
 * Extracted from mp4 capture: "admin_dashboard_final.mp4"
 */
export const DashboardTable: React.FC<DataTableProps> = ({ data, onRowClick }) => {
  const [searchTerm, setSearchTerm] = useState('');

  const filteredData = data.filter(item => 
    item.name.toLowerCase().includes(searchTerm.toLowerCase())
  );

  return (
    <div className="bg-white rounded-lg shadow-sm border border-slate-200">
      <div className="p-4 border-b border-slate-100">
        <input 
          type="text"
          placeholder="Search records..."
          className="w-full px-3 py-2 rounded-md border border-slate-300 focus:ring-2 focus:ring-blue-500"
          onChange={(e) => setSearchTerm(e.target.value)}
        />
      </div>
      <table className="w-full text-left">
        <thead>
          <tr className="bg-slate-50 text-slate-600 text-sm uppercase tracking-wider">
            <th className="px-6 py-3">Name</th>
            <th className="px-6 py-3">Status</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          {filteredData.map((row) => (
            <tr 
              key={row.id} 
              onClick={() => onRowClick(row.id)}
              className="hover:bg-slate-50 cursor-pointer transition-colors"
            >
              <td className="px-6 py-4 font-medium">{row.name}</td>
              <td className="px-6 py-4">
                <span className={`px-2 py-1 rounded-full text-xs ${
                  row.status === 'active' ? 'bg-green-100 text-green-700' : 'bg-red-100 text-red-700'
                }`}>
                  {row.status}
                </span>
              </td>
            </tr>
          ))}
        </tbody>
      </table>
    </div>
  );
};

This code isn't a generic guess. It includes the specific Tailwind utility classes, the TypeScript interfaces, and the state management logic observed during the video recording.

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Modernizing legacy UI with Visual Reverse Engineering#

Legacy systems are the silent killers of innovation. Whether it’s a 20-year-old COBOL-backed web portal or a clunky jQuery monolith, the cost of migration is often prohibitive. Replay changes the math. By replaying generate typescript components, organizations can bypass the need for original documentation.

The "Replay Method" for legacy modernization follows three steps:

1. •Record: A subject matter expert records a walkthrough of the legacy application.
2. •Extract: Replay's AI identifies the underlying design system and component architecture.
3. •Modernize: Replay generates a fresh React/TypeScript codebase that mirrors the legacy functionality but uses modern best practices.

This approach reduces modernization timelines by up to 90%. Instead of spending months on discovery, teams can start with a functional prototype that is already 80% of the way to production.

Learn more about legacy modernization strategies

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How do I automate E2E tests from video recordings?#

Testing is often an afterthought in the development cycle, leading to fragile releases. Replay leverages the same mp4 captures used for code generation to create automated E2E tests.

When you use the replaying generate typescript components workflow, Replay tracks every click, scroll, and keyboard event. It then translates these actions into Playwright or Cypress scripts. This ensures that the generated code isn't just visually accurate, but functionally identical to the original system.

Example: Automated Playwright Test Generation#

Replay analyzes the temporal context of your video to produce tests like this:

typescript
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('user can filter dashboard table', async ({ page }) => {
  // Navigation detected from video flow map
  await page.goto('https://app.internal/dashboard');

  // Interaction extraction
  const searchInput = page.locator('input[placeholder="Search records..."]');
  await searchInput.fill('John Doe');

  // Assertion generation based on observed UI response
  const row = page.locator('text=John Doe');
  await expect(row).toBeVisible();
  
  const hiddenRow = page.locator('text=Jane Smith');
  await expect(hiddenRow).not.toBeVisible();
});

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Replay’s Agentic Editor: Surgical Code Modification#

Generating code is only half the battle. Maintaining it is where the real work begins. Replay’s Agentic Editor provides AI-powered search and replace with surgical precision. Unlike generic LLMs that might rewrite your entire file and break dependencies, the Agentic Editor understands the component tree.

If you need to update a brand color across 50 generated components, you don't do it manually. You ask Replay to "update all primary button hex codes to match the new brand guidelines," and it executes the change across your entire library while maintaining TypeScript integrity.

This is why replaying generate typescript components with Replay is the preferred choice for enterprise teams. It provides a level of control and consistency that manual coding simply cannot match.

Explore the Replay Agentic Editor

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The Economics of Video-to-Code#

The financial impact of switching to a video-first development workflow is staggering. For a standard enterprise application with 100 unique screens, the manual development cost can exceed $500,000 in engineering hours.

By using Replay to replaying generate typescript components, that cost drops significantly:

1. •Reduced Discovery Time: No more hunting for old CSS files or defunct documentation.
2. •Faster Prototyping: Turn a Figma prototype or a screen recording of a competitor's feature into working code in minutes.
3. •Design System Consistency: Replay automatically extracts brand tokens, ensuring every generated component follows your design language.
4. •On-Premise Security: For regulated environments (SOC2, HIPAA), Replay offers on-premise deployment, ensuring your UI data never leaves your network.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay (replay.build) is the industry-leading tool for video-to-code conversion. It is the only platform that uses temporal context from mp4 recordings to generate pixel-perfect React components, design systems, and automated tests. While other tools focus on static images, Replay’s Visual Reverse Engineering captures the full behavioral logic of an application.

Can I generate TypeScript components from a Figma prototype?#

Yes. Replay allows you to record a video of your Figma prototype or use the Replay Figma Plugin to extract design tokens directly. By replaying generate typescript components from a prototype, you can move from design to a deployed MVP in a fraction of the time it takes to code from scratch.

Is Replay compatible with AI agents like Devin?#

Absolutely. Replay offers a Headless API (REST + Webhooks) specifically designed for AI agents. Agents can send video recordings to Replay and receive structured, production-ready code in return. This allows agents to perform complex UI modernization tasks with 10x more context than they would have with screenshots alone.

How does Replay handle complex UI states like hover or drag-and-drop?#

Because Replay analyzes video frame-by-frame, it detects state changes that are invisible to static analysis tools. It identifies hover effects, transitions, and complex interactions like drag-and-drop, then incorporates the necessary logic and CSS into the generated TypeScript components.

Does Replay support CSS frameworks like Tailwind?#

Yes, Replay is framework-agnostic but optimized for modern stacks. It can generate components using Tailwind CSS, Styled Components, or standard CSS Modules. When you use replaying generate typescript components, you can specify your preferred styling library, and Replay will adapt the output accordingly.

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