diff --git a/packages/daemon/src/sessions/handlers/__tests__/record-runtime-start.test.ts b/packages/daemon/src/sessions/handlers/__tests__/record-runtime-start.test.ts
index 4119854f24..39f87b5de6 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/src/sessions/handlers/__tests__/record-runtime-start.test.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/src/sessions/handlers/__tests__/record-runtime-start.test.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,26 @@ test('record start preserves the requested path while the runtime receives the e
   );
 });
 
+test('record start without a path records a remote caller default on the daemon host', async () => {
+  const harness = makeRecordRuntimeHarness('record-runtime-remote-default-');
+
+  const response = await harness.run(['start'], {
+    cwd: '/client/project',
+    clientArtifactPaths: { outPath: '/client/project/recording-1' },
+  });
+
+  expect(response).toMatchObject({
+    ok: true,
+    data: { outPath: '/client/project/recording-1.mp4' },
+  });
+  expect(harness.runtime.start).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+    expect.objectContaining({
+      outputPath: expect.stringMatching(/^\/tmp\/agent-device-recording-\d+-[a-z0-9]+\.mp4$/),
+      clientOutputPath: '/client/project/recording-1.mp4',
+    }),
+  );
+});
+
 test.each(['linux', 'vega'] as const)(
   'record start on %s reports public unsupported guidance',
   async (platform) => {
diff --git a/packages/daemon/src/sessions/handlers/record-runtime.ts b/packages/daemon/src/sessions/handlers/record-runtime.ts
index a211f436e9..855dfacd01 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/src/sessions/handlers/record-runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/src/sessions/handlers/record-runtime.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import {
 } from '@agent-device/contracts/screen-recording-runtime-plan';
 import { isWholeScreenRecordingScope } from '@agent-device/contracts/recording';
 import { AppError, normalizeError } from '@agent-device/kernel/errors';
+import type { Platform } from '@agent-device/kernel/device';
 import { resolveTargetDevice } from '@agent-device/device-selection/dispatch-resolve';
 import { ensureBoundDeviceReady } from '../../core/request-runtime-binding.ts';
 import { type ScreenRecordingAdmissionLedger } from '@agent-device/capture-kit/screen-recording-admission-ledger';
@@ -46,7 +47,13 @@ import {
   prepareRecordingRequest,
   readRecordingScope,
 } from './record-runtime-request.ts';
-import { resolveRecordingOutputPaths } from '@agent-device/capture-kit/recording-output-path';
+import {
+  appendRecordingExtensionWhenMissing,
+  type RecordingOutputPaths,
+  recordingExtensionForPlatform,
+  resolveRecordingOutputPaths,
+} from '@agent-device/capture-kit/recording-output-path';
+import { buildRemoteTempArtifactPath } from '@agent-device/contracts/daemon-http';
 import {
   buildRecordingStartResponse,
   buildRecordingStartedAction,
@@ -163,7 +170,7 @@ async function startRecording(
   const { fence, outputPaths } = prepareRecordingStart(params, session);
   binding.assertAdoptable();
   const started = await runtime.operations.screenRecordingStart(
-    screenRecordingStartInput(params, session, prepared, fence, outputPaths.outputPath),
+    screenRecordingStartInput(params, session, prepared, fence, outputPaths),
   );
   await adoptStartedScreenRecording({
     admissionLedger: params.admissionLedger,
@@ -203,11 +210,30 @@ function prepareRecordingStart(params: RecordRuntimeHandlerParams, session: Sess
       resourcePath,
       device: session.device,
     }),
-    outputPaths: resolveRecordingOutputPaths({
-      requestedPath: params.req.positionals?.[1],
-      platform: session.device.platform,
-      cwd: params.req.meta?.cwd,
-    }),
+    outputPaths: resolveRecordingStartPaths(params.req, session.device.platform),
+  };
+}
+
+type RecordingStartPaths = RecordingOutputPaths & Readonly<{ clientOutputPath?: string }>;
+
+function resolveRecordingStartPaths(req: DaemonRequest, platform: Platform): RecordingStartPaths {
+  const requestedPath = req.positionals?.[1];
+  const clientOutputPath = req.meta?.clientArtifactPaths?.outPath;
+  if (requestedPath === undefined && clientOutputPath !== undefined) {
+    // A remote caller that names no path cannot know the session platform's extension, so it sends
+    // its local destination without one; its cwd does not exist on this host.
+    const extension = recordingExtensionForPlatform(platform);
+    return {
+      ...resolveRecordingOutputPaths({
+        requestedPath: buildRemoteTempArtifactPath('recording', extension),
+        platform,
+      }),
+      clientOutputPath: appendRecordingExtensionWhenMissing(clientOutputPath, extension),
+    };
+  }
+  return {
+    ...resolveRecordingOutputPaths({ requestedPath, platform, cwd: req.meta?.cwd }),
+    ...(clientOutputPath === undefined ? {} : { clientOutputPath }),
   };
 }
 
@@ -216,12 +242,12 @@ function screenRecordingStartInput(
   session: SessionState,
   prepared: ReturnType<typeof prepareRecordingRequest>,
   fence: ScreenRecordingStartInput['fence'],
-  outputPath: string,
+  outputPaths: RecordingStartPaths,
 ): ScreenRecordingStartInput {
   return {
     sessionId: params.sessionName,
-    outputPath,
-    clientOutputPath: params.req.meta?.clientArtifactPaths?.outPath,
+    outputPath: outputPaths.outputPath,
+    clientOutputPath: outputPaths.clientOutputPath,
     scope: prepared.scope,
     showTouches: prepared.showTouches,
     hideTouchesRequested: prepared.hideTouchesRequested,
diff --git a/src/remote/daemon-artifacts.ts b/src/remote/daemon-artifacts.ts
index 39aaee1395..f0537ec3ed 100644
--- a/src/remote/daemon-artifacts.ts
+++ b/src/remote/daemon-artifacts.ts
@@ -272,7 +272,12 @@ function prepareRemoteArtifactCommand(
   }
   if (req.command === 'record' && (positionals[0] ?? '').toLowerCase() === 'start') {
     if (!recordingHasRequestedClientPath(req) && req.flags?.platform === undefined) {
-      return null;
+      // The extension follows the session platform, which only the daemon knows: it completes
+      // this destination and records to a temp path on its own host.
+      return {
+        field: 'outPath',
+        localPath: resolveAbsoluteClientPath(`recording-${Date.now()}`, req.meta?.cwd),
+      };
     }
     const fallbackExtension = recordingFallbackExtension(req);
     const localPath = normalizeRecordingClientArtifactPath(
diff --git a/test/integration/provider-scenarios/remote-daemon-client.test.ts b/test/integration/provider-scenarios/remote-daemon-client.test.ts
index f6e0b61ea9..4b332b8169 100644
--- a/test/integration/provider-scenarios/remote-daemon-client.test.ts
+++ b/test/integration/provider-scenarios/remote-daemon-client.test.ts
@@ -709,7 +709,7 @@ test('remote web recording appends WebM extension to extensionless client paths'
   assert.equal(prepared.clientArtifactPaths?.outPath, '/tmp/project/recording.webm');
 });
 
-test('remote recording without platform or requested path lets daemon choose session-specific default', async () => {
+test('remote recording without platform or requested path lets daemon name the client default', async () => {
   const prepared = await prepareRemoteRequestArtifacts(
     {
       session: 'default',
@@ -723,7 +723,7 @@ test('remote recording without platform or requested path lets daemon choose ses
   );
 
   assert.deepEqual(prepared.positionals, ['start']);
-  assert.equal(prepared.clientArtifactPaths, undefined);
+  assert.match(prepared.clientArtifactPaths?.outPath ?? '', /^\/tmp\/project\/recording-\d+$/);
 });
 
 test('Provider-backed integration daemon proxy forwards remote client RPC commands', async (t) => {
diff --git a/website/docs/docs/commands.md b/website/docs/docs/commands.md
index 0f6894cc06..40de67525a 100644
--- a/website/docs/docs/commands.md
+++ b/website/docs/docs/commands.md
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ Remote daemons and tenants:
 
 - `--tenant`, `--session-isolation tenant`, `--run-id`, and `--lease-id` enforce lease admission on tenant-scoped daemons.
 - `--daemon-base-url http(s)://host:port[/base-path]` calls a remote HTTP daemon directly instead of starting a local one. Add `--daemon-auth-token <token>` (or `AGENT_DEVICE_DAEMON_AUTH_TOKEN`) for non-loopback daemon URLs.
-- Screenshots and recordings from a remote daemon are downloaded to the path you pass, so `screenshot page.png` and `record start session.mp4` work as they do locally.
+- Screenshots and recordings from a remote daemon are downloaded to the path you pass, so `screenshot page.png` and `record start session.mp4` work as they do locally. `record start` without a path downloads to `recording-<timestamp>.mp4` (`.webm` on web) in your working directory.
 - To drive a Mac's simulators and devices from another machine, see [Remote Proxy](/docs/remote-proxy). For hosted devices in CI, see [BrowserStack](/docs/browserstack), [AWS Device Farm](/docs/aws-device-farm), or [TestMu AI](/docs/testmu). For `connect --remote-config`, see [Remote Metro workflow](#remote-metro-workflow).
 
 ```bash