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lecepin/wechatvideodownloader

★ 4,681Audience · generalComplexity · 1/5Setup · moderate

TLDR

A Windows and Mac desktop tool that captures and saves WeChat video channel videos by running a local proxy that intercepts network traffic as you play videos normally in WeChat.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((WeChatVideoDownloader))
    What it does
      Download WeChat videos
      Local proxy intercept
      Preview before download
      Auto cleanup on exit
    Platforms
      Windows
      Mac
    Setup
      Certificate install
      Proxy configuration
      Manual Terminal step on Mac
    Use cases
      Save video channel clips
      Encrypted video support
    Audience
      WeChat users
      Chinese-language users
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Download videos from WeChat video channel on Windows or Mac by playing them normally while the tool runs in the background.

USE CASE 2

Capture encrypted WeChat videos that earlier tools could not handle using the version 2 proxy method.

USE CASE 3

Preview a captured video inside the app before downloading to confirm it grabbed the right clip.

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 5min

On newer Macs, the certificate setup requires manually running a Terminal command that the app copies to your clipboard.

In plain English

WeChatVideoDownloader is a desktop tool for capturing and saving videos from WeChat's video channel feature (called Shipinhao in Chinese). It works on both Windows and Mac. Version 2 added support for downloading encrypted videos, which was not possible in the earlier release. The tool works by running a local proxy on your machine and installing a certificate that lets it intercept the network requests WeChat makes when playing a video. This all happens automatically when you first open the app. Once the proxy is active, you open WeChat, play any video channel video as normal, and the app detects it automatically. You can then click a preview button to confirm the app captured the right video before downloading it. On first launch, a setup screen walks you through the certificate installation and asks for confirmation. On newer versions of Mac, the operating system blocks certain automated setup steps, so the app copies the required command to your clipboard and asks you to paste it into the Terminal app manually. When you close WeChatVideoDownloader, it removes the proxy settings automatically so your normal internet connection is not affected. The README is primarily in Chinese and is brief. It describes the feature set and shows screenshots of each step. Downloads are available through the project's GitHub Releases page.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I am setting up WeChatVideoDownloader on Mac. Walk me through the certificate installation step and what to do when macOS blocks the automated setup.
Prompt 2
Explain how WeChatVideoDownloader local proxy intercepts WeChat video traffic and what the certificate is used for.
Prompt 3
After using WeChatVideoDownloader, how do I verify the proxy settings were fully removed from my Mac so my normal internet connection is unaffected?
Prompt 4
The WeChatVideoDownloader app shows a video was captured but the download is failing. What should I check first?
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