# As a condition of accessing this website, you agree to abide by the following # content signals: # (a) If a Content-Signal = yes, you may collect content for the corresponding # use. # (b) If a Content-Signal = no, you may not collect content for the # corresponding use. # (c) If the website operator does not include a Content-Signal for a # corresponding use, the website operator neither grants nor restricts # permission via Content-Signal with respect to the corresponding use. # The content signals and their meanings are: # search: building a search index and providing search results (e.g., returning # hyperlinks and short excerpts from your website's contents). Search does not # include providing AI-generated search summaries. # ai-input: inputting content into one or more AI models (e.g., retrieval # augmented generation, grounding, or other real-time taking of content for # generative AI search answers). # ai-train: training or fine-tuning AI models. # ANY RESTRICTIONS EXPRESSED VIA CONTENT SIGNALS ARE EXPRESS RESERVATIONS OF # RIGHTS UNDER ARTICLE 4 OF THE EUROPEAN UNION DIRECTIVE 2019/790 ON COPYRIGHT # AND RELATED RIGHTS IN THE DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET. # BEGIN Cloudflare Managed content User-agent: * Content-Signal: search=yes,ai-train=no Allow: / User-agent: Amazonbot Disallow: / User-agent: Applebot-Extended Disallow: / User-agent: Bytespider Disallow: / User-agent: CCBot Disallow: / User-agent: ClaudeBot Disallow: / User-agent: CloudflareBrowserRenderingCrawler Disallow: / User-agent: Google-Extended Disallow: / User-agent: GPTBot Disallow: / User-agent: meta-externalagent Disallow: / # END Cloudflare Managed Content Macsist - Explain anything you select on macOS
Macsist icon

Native macOS menu-bar assistant

Macsist

Explain anything you select, instantly, locally, in your language.

Press a hotkey to get a concise, streamed explanation of selected text or a screen region in a floating glass panel by your cursor. Use a local MLX model or any OpenAI-compatible API. No cloud required, no Electron.

Download for macOS Install via Terminal

macOS 26.2+ · Apple Silicon

The DMG is self-signed. First-open steps are shown beside the download button.

In action

A panel that appears where your work already is.

Macsist explaining selected text from a research paper
Explain selected text Highlight a passage, press ⌘⇧E, and a translation plus a concise explanation stream in beside it.
Macsist explaining a captured screen region from a PDF figure
Explain a screen region Drag-select a figure with ⌘⇧R and Macsist unpacks the diagram.

Features

Built for dense text, screenshots, and fast follow-up.

01

Explain text

⌘⇧E reads your selection through Accessibility with a clipboard-safe fallback.

02

Explain a region

⌘⇧R captures diagrams, tables, screenshots, and anything you cannot select.

03

Follow-up chat

Ask another question in the same panel; vision sessions keep the image in context.

04

6 languages

한국어, English, 简体中文, 日本語, Français, and Deutsch for the UI and answers.

05

Liquid-Glass panel

A translucent, auto-sizing panel fades in by the cursor and can be dragged away.

06

History

Every explain is saved locally and searchable, with copy, re-ask, and delete actions.

07

Your model, your choice

Run a local MLX server or point Macsist at any OpenAI-compatible API.

08

Private by default

Local-first, no telemetry, no Electron. API keys live in the macOS Keychain.

Install

Two paths: DMG for users, source install for developers.

macOS app

Download the latest DMG.

Drag Macsist into Applications, then follow the first-open steps below. The release link always resolves to the latest build.

Download Macsist.dmg

From source

Clone and run the installer.

One interactive session installs the local server, app bundle, launchd agents, permissions guide, smoke test, and macsist CLI.

git clone https://github.com/junidude/macsist.git && cd macsist && ./install.sh

On first launch Macsist asks how to connect: an external OpenAI-compatible API or a local model. Then grant Accessibility, and Screen Recording for region capture.

How it works

A thin native app talking to a local OpenAI-compatible proxy.

Macsist streams tokens through a FastAPI proxy at 127.0.0.1:8000, routing text to mlx-lm and image sessions to mlx-vlm. Both server and app run as launchd agents, and models are configurable.

Read the full architecture on GitHub
App → :8000 proxy → mlx-lm / mlx-vlm

FAQ

Practical details before installing.

Is it private?

Yes. Macsist is local-first, has no telemetry, and can run without cloud calls. If you use an external OpenAI-compatible API, keys are stored in the macOS Keychain.

Do I need a GPU or API key?

You can use a local MLX model, or paste a key for an external OpenAI-compatible API. For a local model, roughly 16 GB+ unified memory is recommended.

Why does macOS show a security warning?

The DMG is signed with a self-signed certificate and is not notarized by Apple. Use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway, as shown in the download section.

Which Macs are supported?

Macsist requires macOS 26.2+ on Apple Silicon.