Annotations

Annotations are review notes attached to a captured session. They help a tester, developer, or agent mark important moments without changing the original evidence stream.

Place an Annotation

Use Shift+left-click while reviewing a session to create an annotation at the point you are inspecting.

• Shift+left-click on the telemetry timeline to place a time-based annotation. Use this when the note is about a timestamp, range, performance change, log cluster, or state transition.
• Shift+left-click on the replay screenshot to place a screen-targeted annotation. Use this when the note is about a visible control, map marker, clipped label, missed tap target, or other specific screen region.

After placing the annotation, add the note text and review metadata in the Annotations tab. Timeline and screen targets can be used together when a problem has both a time window and a visual location.

Target Timeline Sections

Timeline annotations are useful when the issue spans a period of time. Hold Shift and left-click on the telemetry timeline to start from the moment you are reviewing, then use the annotation details to preserve the relevant timestamp or range. Use this for a slow interaction, FPS drop, memory ramp, repeated log cluster, or any other sequence that should be reviewed as one event.

Timeline annotation example

Timeline rangeShift+left-click on the telemetry timeline to place the annotation at the time being reviewed, then keep or adjust the range in the annotation details. Telemetry contextNearby FPS, memory, battery, and app-state values explain what changed during the marked time window. Annotation cardThe note, source, time range, duration, and geometry status stay attached to the session for later review or export. Replay contextThe screenshot frame stays visible, so the reviewer can compare the time range with what the user saw in the app.

Target Screen Sections

Screen-section annotations are useful when the issue is spatial: a missed tap target, clipped label, misplaced control, confusing marker, stale screen state, or UI region that needs developer attention. Hold Shift and left-click on the replay screenshot to attach the note to the screen content visible at that moment.

Screen-section annotation example

Screen regionShift+left-click on the captured screenshot to target the exact part of the UI that needs review, such as a map marker, control, label, or content area. Replay frameThe region is anchored to the screenshot frame selected in replay, so the visual note stays tied to the captured UI state. Target timeThe telemetry cursor and timeline establish when the screen section mattered during the session. Supporting logsLogs around the same moment provide the runtime explanation behind what the reviewer saw on screen.

What Annotations Capture

An annotation can identify:

• the session it belongs to
• the time range or point in time it describes
• label text and notes
• the annotation source
• a screenshot frame id
• optional screen geometry
• related review metadata

Geometry is useful when a note is about a specific region of the screen, such as a missed tap target, clipped label, or incorrectly placed control.

Timeline ranges and screen geometry can be used together. For example, a reviewer can mark the time range where FPS dropped and target the screen section that was active during that drop.

Human and Agent Notes

Ansight Studio can show annotations created by people during review and annotations injected by an agent through the local bridge. Keeping the source lets reviewers distinguish manual notes from automated analysis.

Review Workflows

Use annotations to:

• mark reproduction steps
• call out suspicious events
• attach notes to a screenshot region
• preserve the reason a session was pinned or renamed
• carry review context into an exported bundle

Related Agent Tools

Agents use the annotation tools in Session Inspection MCP tools to read, create, update, and delete session annotations.