A screen-aware AI companion for your Mac. Ask about what you are working on, get an answer beside an AI pointer, and keep using your app. Use it for navigation, troubleshooting, learning software, understanding unfamiliar interfaces, and ongoing computer work.
This standalone project builds on Jason Kneen's MIT-licensed OpenClicky and adds a compact, no-notch workflow with OpenSuperWhisper local dictation and ChatGPT-backed Codex sessions. It is independent of the commercial Clicky product and of OpenAI.
- Command + Option opens a focused input and starts OpenSuperWhisper.
- Multiline prompts wrap and grow; longer drafts scroll.
- New task, Tasks, and Remove task controls live in the compact panel; independent screen conversations persist across restarts.
- Connect links a cursor task to a live shared-server Codex terminal conversation, preserving its thread, settings, and history. See shared-session setup and limits.
- A task's menu bar icon opens its conversation history in the same panel.
- Follow-ups stay with the selected session; separate tasks have separate transcripts.
- Answers appear beside the moving AI pointer, with optional screen highlights.
- Escape or × dismisses answers and highlights without deleting history.
- No persistent fake-notch pill or side cursor dock.
- The default response model is
gpt-6-lunawith medium reasoning effort through Codex, playback is muted, and idle observation is off.
The interface runs locally; AI inference on the default route runs remotely through your ChatGPT-backed Codex account. No local LLM is required. The code is free under the MIT license, but provider access, subscription limits still apply.
Read the short session handoff guide. It explains what context is shared, what is not, and how to transfer a brief in both directions today.
Bidirectional session connection: connect an active Codex session with its Cursor Task Manager conversation, preserving context and progress in both directions. Terminal attachment through the shared server is implemented; attachment to desktop chats on a separate server is still pending.
This is a source distribution, not a notarized one-click installer. The current project targets macOS 26 or later and was built with Xcode 27 on Apple Silicon. The runtime preparation script also supports Intel macOS archives; that hardware has not been validated for this project.
git clone https://github.com/OuterCFO/openclicky.git
cd openclicky
python3 scripts/prepare-codex-runtime.py
cp Config/Local.xcconfig.example Config/Local.xcconfig
open cursor-buddy.xcodeproj- Put your own Apple development team ID in
Config/Local.xcconfig. - In Xcode, choose the
cursor-buddyscheme and My Mac, then build. - Copy the signed
OpenClicky.appbuild product to/Applicationsand launch that copy. - Sign in to Codex with your own ChatGPT account, or let OpenClicky's sign-in flow complete.
- Grant Screen Recording and Accessibility to the installed OpenClicky app.
- Install OpenSuperWhisper, set its recording shortcut, and turn off Hold to record.
See the complete setup guide, including sign-in, permissions, signing, and a first-use checklist. You can type instead of using local dictation.
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Press and release Command + Option | Open input and start local dictation |
| Return or Send | Submit and close the input |
| Shift + Return | Insert a newline |
| History or a task menu bar icon | Review that conversation in the compact panel |
| Escape or × | Close the input, or dismiss the current answer and highlights |
| Tools → New OpenAI Task | Start a separate task with its own session |
Try: “Explain this page and point at the settings button.” For a separate task, use the explicit new-task command rather than expecting every screen question to become background work.
Your prompt + requested screen snapshots + the current session's recent exchanges + OpenClicky's local instructions/memory are sent to the selected backend. OpenClicky renders the returned answer and pointing/highlight instructions on your desktop.
Sharing your ChatGPT login does not import your other ChatGPT or Codex chats. OpenClicky has its own context and sessions. Its account, provider, context, and execution boundaries are explained in the architecture guide. An interactive visual explainer is included; download it and open it locally. That explainer describes the inspected development setup, not every future user's configuration.
The app includes OpenAI/Codex, Claude, Apple, and other upstream adapters. This project's verified setup uses ChatGPT-backed Codex. Other providers need their own access and are not covered by a ChatGPT subscription. Screen guidance requires a backend capable of understanding the supplied images.
Screen content and prompts are sent to the selected model service. OpenSuperWhisper handles dictation locally and independently of the connected LLM. Local conversation, memory, logs, and screenshot files can contain private information. Explicit agent tasks can have broader tool access than the screen-answer path. Read SECURITY.md before enabling optional automation or exposing the local control bridge. No personal credentials, history, screen captures, or development runtime binaries belong in this repository.
| Location | Purpose |
|---|---|
cursor-buddy/ |
Native macOS application |
Packages/ |
Local Swift modules |
cursor-buddyTests/ |
App regression tests |
AppResources/OpenClicky/ |
Bundled instructions, skills, and upstream resources |
scripts/prepare-codex-runtime.py |
Download and verify the pinned official Codex runtime |
scripts/run-source-checks.sh |
Non-invasive source and regression checks |
Config/ |
Shared configuration and ignored local signing overrides |
docs/ |
Setup, architecture, troubleshooting, and project evidence |
scripts/run-source-checks.shBuild and run the native application in Xcode.
See CONTRIBUTING.md for checks and review requirements.
The repository retains the legacy cursor-buddy target/folder names for compatibility.
The app has compiled and run in the maintainer's setup. The newest adaptive prompt/history UI still requires live user acceptance testing; successful compilation is not a visual sign-off. Provider alternatives, Intel hardware, and a fresh independent user's full setup have not yet been certified. Known limitations and test steps are recorded in docs/VERIFICATION.md.
Original OpenClicky is by Jason Kneen, under the MIT license. This standalone project is maintained by OuterCFO. Third-party components retain their own licenses; see NOTICE.md.