Get Hinty working smoothly.

Install Hinty

Download the latest Hinty.dmg from the download page. Open the DMG, drag Hinty into your Applications folder, eject the DMG, and launch Hinty from Applications or Spotlight.

Hinty requires macOS 13 Ventura or later. The installer is a universal binary, so it runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Grant Permissions

Hinty asks for permissions only when a feature needs them. You can review all of them in System Settings > Privacy & Security.

• Screen Recording is required for screen-aware answers. Hinty captures the current screen in memory when you ask, sends it with your prompt, and does not save the screenshot as an on-disk capture.
• Accessibility is required for the global hotkey to work from whichever app is currently frontmost.
• Microphone is required only for Meeting Mode on Max. Audio is streamed for real-time transcription; Hinty does not keep the raw audio.

Create An Account

On first launch, Hinty opens a browser window to sign in or create an account. You can sign in with email or Google.

After authentication, the browser redirects to hinty://auth/callback and hands the session token back to the desktop app. If your browser asks permission to open Hinty, confirm once.

A Hinty subscription is for one person. You can be signed in on up to three Macs at the same time.

Your First Question

Three steps to your first answer:

1. Open the side panel from the menu bar, or press ⌘⇧H.
2. Click Start Session in the top bar.
3. Type a question, or click Assist to let Hinty answer about what is currently visible on your screen.

The answer streams into the panel as it is generated.

The Side Panel

The side panel is where you ask, read, and keep moving. It floats above other windows, can be dragged around the screen, and stays focused on the current task.

Anatomy, top to bottom

• Drag handle moves the panel.
• Capture controls toggle the microphone and screen capture state.
• Close button dismisses the panel. ⌘⇧H summons it again.
• Chat area shows the streaming conversation and auto-attached screenshots.
• Mode selector changes the prompt style: Assist, Writing, Code, Study, Meeting, or Support.
• Quick actions trigger common asks such as Summary, Outline, Simpler, Actions, or Risk.
• Input bar accepts text. Press ↵ to send, or ⌘↵ to send without closing the panel. Max users can attach files with the paperclip.

Screen-Aware Answers

When the panel is open, Hinty can capture the visible primary display and attach it to your prompt. You can ask “explain this” or “what is wrong with this code” and Hinty knows what “this” refers to.

Attached screenshots appear as small thumbnails beside your message. Click a thumbnail to preview or download it.

Turn capture off for one question

Click the eye icon in the top-right pill to disarm screen capture. The next message sends as text only. Click the eye again to re-arm capture.

Sessions And History

A session is a conversation thread with Hinty. Sessions are stored locally on your Mac in a SQLite database under ~/Library/Application Support/Hinty/.

On the Home screen you will see:

• A daily greeting with today's totals.
• Filters for All, Meetings, and Sessions.
• A list grouped by day, with title, type, duration, and time.

Open any row to view the full transcript, summary, meeting action items, attached documents, and export options.

Invisible Mode

Invisible Mode is available on Pro and Max. When it is on, the Hinty panel stays out of recordings, screenshots, and screen shares. It does not appear in:

• QuickTime screen recordings
• Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and similar screen shares
• OBS, Loom, and other capture software
• macOS screenshots such as ⌘⇧3, ⌘⇧4, and ⌘⇧5

Toggle Invisible Mode from Settings or with ⌘⇧I. A blue dot in the menu-bar icon indicates that it is on.

Meeting Mode

Meeting Mode is the hands-free way to use Hinty during live calls. It transcribes the conversation in real time and lets you ask silent questions mid-meeting.

Starting a meeting

Click the microphone pill in the top-right of the side panel. Hinty asks for microphone permission the first time. The mic pill turns red and a live timer shows the running duration.

During the meeting

• The transcript is captured quietly in the background.
• Type a question into the panel; the answer streams without making sound on the call.
• Use quick actions such as Summary, Action items, or Decisions to ask about the conversation so far.
• Other participants hear nothing. Hinty's output is on-screen only.

Ending a meeting

Click Stop. Hinty generates a final summary with an overview, decisions, and action items with owners when they were mentioned.

Attachments

Max users can click the paperclip in the input bar to attach files to the next message. Hinty supports:

• PDF: up to 12 MB per file.
• Images: PNG, JPG, GIF, HEIC; up to 12 MB per file.
• Text: TXT, MD, CSV, and code files; up to 12 MB per file.
• Word: DOCX up to 12 MB per file.

You can attach up to three files per session. Original attached files stay on the Mac where you added them; Hinty syncs only attachment metadata.

Export A Transcript

From Session detail, click Download transcript and choose a format:

• PDF: formatted with headings, speaker labels, and timestamps.
• DOCX: Microsoft Word, same layout as PDF.
• Plain text: one speaker per line, minimal formatting.

macOS opens the native save dialog so you can choose the location. Exporting does not upload the transcript.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Remap Shortcuts

Every shortcut is remappable. Open Settings > Shortcuts, click the key combo next to the action, then press the new combination. Press Esc to cancel. Duplicate combinations are rejected.

If a combo does not work after setting it, another app probably owns it globally. Common conflicts include Spotlight, Alfred, Raycast, and input-method switchers.

Theme

Open Settings > Appearanceand choose Light, Dark, or Match System. The theme applies to Hinty's side panel and app windows. It does not affect other apps.

Auto-Updates

Hinty checks for updates on launch and every four hours while running. Updates download in the background and install the next time you quit the app.

You can trigger a manual check from Settings > About > Check for updates. To turn automatic installs off, uncheck Install updates automatically.

What We Store

On Hinty servers:

• Your email, account identifier, and plan tier.
• Daily request counts used to enforce plan limits.
• Billing history through Stripe, including the last 4 digits of the card.

On your Mac:

• Conversation history, session lists, meeting transcripts, and attachments in SQLite under ~/Library/Application Support/Hinty/.
• Your session token, encrypted with macOS Keychain.

Screenshots, messages, transcripts, summaries, and session metadata sync to your Hinty account so you can access history from another signed-in Mac. Original attached files stay on the device where you added them. Meeting audio is streamed for transcription and is not stored by Hinty. See the full Privacy Policy.

Delete Your Data

Delete a single session

Open the session on Home, hover, and click the trash icon. The session and transcript are removed from your local database.

Delete all local data

Quit Hinty, then remove ~/Library/Application Support/Hinty/ in Finder. Relaunch Hinty and it opens with an empty history.

Delete your account

Go to Settings > Account > Delete Account. Hinty asks for confirmation, cancels any active subscription, and removes account metadata within 30 days.

Security

• All traffic between Hinty and servers uses TLS 1.2+.
• Session tokens are stored in the macOS Keychain.
• If FileVault is enabled, your local Hinty database is encrypted at rest by macOS.
• Stripe stores payment card data under PCI-DSS compliance; Hinty never stores full card numbers.
• Security issues can be reported to security@hinty.app.

Plans Compared

Pro is $20/month or $200/year. Max is $39/month or $390/year. Prices are in US dollars and exclude applicable taxes.

Upgrade Or Cancel

Upgrade: Settings > Billing > Upgrade, or visit the pricing page. Changes take effect immediately and the prorated difference is charged through the end of the current cycle.

Downgrade: Settings > Billing > Manage plan. Downgrades take effect at the end of the current cycle.

Cancel: choose Cancel subscription. You keep paid access until the current billing cycle ends, then the account returns to Free.

Refund Policy

• Monthly plans are not refunded mid-cycle. Paid access continues until the cycle ends.
• Annual plans are eligible for a full refund within 14 days of original purchase or renewal when usage has stayed within light evaluation use.
• Where law allows, heavy use such as more than 50 AI requests or more than 60 minutes of Meeting Mode transcription may reduce or disqualify a refund.
• Statutory consumer rights in your jurisdiction apply in addition to this policy.

To request a refund, email hi@hinty.app from the email on the account, or use the refund link in a recent receipt. See the full Refund Policy.

The Panel Does Not Appear

1. Check the menu bar for the Hinty icon. If it is missing, relaunch from Applications.
2. Make sure Accessibility permission is granted in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility.
3. Try ⌘⇧H. If it does nothing, see Hotkey Does Nothing.
4. If the panel appears off-screen after changing monitors, press ⌘⇧H twice to recenter it.

Hotkey Does Nothing

Another app is probably claiming the same shortcut.

1. Open Hinty Settings > Shortcuts.
2. Click Summon panel.
3. Press a new combo, such as ⌘⇧ Space, ⌥ Space, or F12.
4. Test the shortcut.

Permission Errors

“Hinty can't capture your screen”

Enable Hinty in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording, then quit and relaunch Hinty.

“Accessibility access needed”

Enable Hinty in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility. No restart is usually needed.

If toggles are unavailable

Unlock the Privacy & Security panel with Touch ID or your password, then try again.

Microphone Not Working

1. Enable Hinty in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone.
2. Make sure Zoom, Teams, or another app is not holding exclusive access.
3. In Hinty, open Settings > Audio > Input device and choose the mic you are actually using.
4. After a macOS update, quit and relaunch Hinty so it can re-register audio access.

Auto-Update Stuck

If Hinty says an update is available but never installs:

1. Quit Hinty completely from the menu-bar icon or with ⌘Q.
2. Re-open Hinty. The update should install on launch.
3. If it still does not install, download the latest build from the download page and install over the existing app. Settings and local history are preserved.

Contact Support

Still stuck? Email hi@hinty.app. Please include:

• Your macOS version.
• Your Hinty version from Settings > About.
• What you expected to happen and what happened instead.
• A screenshot or short recording if it is safe to share.

We usually reply within one business day.

Useful Links

• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Refund Policy
• Changelog