SOPs and how-tos without a documentation suite

CobaltCapture is a free, browser-based way to document a process once and ship it as markdown, PDF, or Word, without an SOP tool. Capture each step, pin the button the user clicks, dictate the action, and publish. The process doc is a review URL plus one-click exports, produced in the time it takes to walk the workflow.

Process documentation often lands on whoever has the context, not a dedicated writer. An ops lead documents the refund flow, an engineer writes the deploy runbook, a CS manager captures the onboarding steps. For that person, a full SOP platform with templates and team management is more tool than the one doc needs. The job is to capture the steps clearly and hand them off, fast.

Document the process as you do it

Open the tool or flow you are documenting. Click Capture screen, grab the first step, and drop a numbered pin on the control the reader uses. Dictate the action: "Pin 1, open the Billing tab. Pin 2, click Issue refund. Pin 3, confirm the amount." Walk the whole process this way and each step becomes an item in order. That is quick documentation without a separate authoring suite, the screenshots and the steps captured together in one pass.

When a full SOP builder is overkill

If you maintain a large, branded library of standard operating procedures that fifty people read over two years, a purpose-built tool like Scribe earns its price with auto-step capture and template management. If you are shipping one process doc this week, that machinery is friction. The Scribe alternative comparison lays out the split: use the heavyweight tool for a maintained knowledge base, and a free no-install capture flow for the one-off doc and the quick how-to.

Ship it where it lives

Export the doc as markdown for a wiki or a coding agent, as PDF for a printable runbook, or as a Word doc for a team that works in Office. Pins are burned into every export and the source URL is stamped on each frame, so the doc stays accurate to the screens it describes. The public review URL works for anyone you send it to, with no account.

For shorter customer-facing answers, the support and customer success workflow uses the same capture-and-publish flow at FAQ scale.

Get started

cobaltcapture.com, free, no install or signup needed to ship your first process doc.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a dedicated SOP or knowledge-base tool?

No. CobaltCapture captures each step of the process, lets you pin the buttons and dictate the action, and exports the result as markdown, PDF, or Word. For a single process doc or a short how-to, that is lighter than standing up and maintaining an SOP platform.

How does this compare to Scribe?

Scribe auto-captures step-by-step SOPs and is purpose-built for a maintained, branded knowledge base. CobaltCapture is the lighter, free, no-install option for one-off process docs and how-tos. The Scribe alternative comparison covers exactly when each one fits.

Can a coding agent or another tool read the doc?

Yes. The markdown export carries the screenshots, pins, source URLs, and your notes, so it pastes cleanly into a wiki, a help center, or a coding agent like Cursor or Claude Code.