diff --git a/tests/install/windows-desktop-gui-e2e.ps1 b/tests/install/windows-desktop-gui-e2e.ps1
index d1fd0bd074..06e87f0a11 100644
--- a/tests/install/windows-desktop-gui-e2e.ps1
+++ b/tests/install/windows-desktop-gui-e2e.ps1
@@ -44,8 +44,8 @@
 #
 # PROOF: screenshots at every renderer step (Playwright), full-desktop
 # screenshots around the installer/AHK phases, a rolling desktop capture
-# (every 3s) for the whole run, ahk.log, and the hand-off log. All uploaded
-# as CI artifacts.
+# (every 3s) plus a continuous ffmpeg screen recording (recording.mkv) for
+# both phases, ahk.log, and the hand-off log. All uploaded as CI artifacts.
 #
 # DEVIATIONS FROM PRODUCTION (each one deliberate and small):
 #   * the git URL redirect itself -- the staging requirement.
@@ -218,6 +218,41 @@ function Save-DesktopScreenshot([string]$OutFile) {
     }
 }
 
+function Start-ScreenRecording([string]$OutFile) {
+    # Continuous ffmpeg screen capture (gdigrab, 15fps). ffmpeg ships on the
+    # windows-latest runner image; skip gracefully elsewhere. mkv on purpose:
+    # it stays playable even if the process dies without finalizing.
+    #
+    # ffmpeg must be started, fed, and stopped from THIS process: the
+    # graceful stop is the character 'q' on its LIVE stdin pipe, which only
+    # System.Diagnostics.Process exposes (Start-Process
+    # -RedirectStandardInput hands it a file handle already at EOF).
+    if (-not (Get-Command ffmpeg -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+        Write-Host "  (ffmpeg not on PATH; skipping screen recording)"
+        return $null
+    }
+    $psi = New-Object System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo
+    $psi.FileName = "ffmpeg"
+    $psi.Arguments = "-y -f gdigrab -framerate 15 -i desktop " +
+        "-hide_banner -loglevel error " +
+        "-c:v libx264 -preset ultrafast -pix_fmt yuv420p `"$OutFile`""
+    $psi.RedirectStandardInput = $true
+    $psi.UseShellExecute = $false
+    $proc = [System.Diagnostics.Process]::Start($psi)
+    Write-Host "  screen recording started (pid $($proc.Id)) -> $OutFile"
+    return $proc
+}
+
+function Stop-ScreenRecording($proc) {
+    if ($proc -and -not $proc.HasExited) {
+        try {
+            $proc.StandardInput.Write("q")
+            $proc.StandardInput.Close()
+        } catch {}
+        if (-not $proc.WaitForExit(15000)) { try { $proc.Kill() } catch {} }
+    }
+}
+
 function Start-DesktopRecorder([string]$OutDir) {
     # Rolling desktop capture: one PNG every 3s from a detached PowerShell,
     # capped at 800 frames (~40 min). Proof that survives any step failure.
@@ -377,6 +412,7 @@ function Invoke-PhaseInstallGui {
     New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $HermesHome -Force | Out-Null
 
     $recorder = Start-DesktopRecorder (Join-Path $proof "desktop-frames")
+    $recording = Start-ScreenRecording (Join-Path $proof "recording.mkv")
     $ahkLog = Join-Path $proof "ahk.log"
     try {
         Save-DesktopScreenshot (Join-Path $proof "00-before-installer.png")
@@ -415,6 +451,7 @@ function Invoke-PhaseInstallGui {
         Assert-True $installer.HasExited "Hermes-Setup.exe exited after Launch"
     }
     finally {
+        Stop-ScreenRecording $recording
         Stop-DesktopRecorder $recorder (Join-Path $proof "desktop-frames")
         # Surface the installer's own log win or lose.
         $bootLog = Join-Path $HermesHome "logs\bootstrap-installer.log"
@@ -495,6 +532,7 @@ function Invoke-GuiUpdateDesktopRoute([string]$TargetSha) {
     Assert-True $pwResolved "@playwright/test resolvable from installed apps/desktop"
 
     $recorder = Start-DesktopRecorder (Join-Path $proof "desktop-frames")
+    $recording = Start-ScreenRecording (Join-Path $proof "recording.mkv")
     try {
         # Launch the installed app and click through Settings -> About ->
         # Update now. Exit 0 = the app quit for the updater hand-off.
@@ -603,6 +641,7 @@ function Invoke-GuiUpdateDesktopRoute([string]$TargetSha) {
         Save-DesktopScreenshot (Join-Path $proof "99-relaunched-desktop.png")
     }
     finally {
+        Stop-ScreenRecording $recording
         Stop-DesktopRecorder $recorder (Join-Path $proof "desktop-frames")
         $handoffLog = Join-Path $HermesHome "logs\desktop-update-handoff.log"
         if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $handoffLog) {