Dictation types what you say. The assistant answers what you ask. Hold the assistant key, speak a question, and Clabrate replies — with optional context from your screen, clipboard, or selection.
Start a chat
Press and hold right ⌘ Command and ask your question out loud — “summarize this in three bullets,” “what’s a better subject line for this email?”, “explain this error.” The assistant responds in its panel.
Screenshot pending: assistant-panel.png
Give it context
You can attach context so the assistant answers about something specific:
- A screenshot — capture what’s on screen for the assistant to look at. (Requires the optional Screen Recording permission — see Install & permissions.)
- Clipboard text — hand it whatever you last copied.
- Your current selection — let it work with the text you’ve highlighted.
Ask it to move windows
Turn on the Window Snap extension (Settings → Add-ons) and the assistant can place windows for you: “put this window on the left,” “maximize this,” or a zone you’ve named — “put this in my reading nook.” It moves one window at a time — the one in front. Turn the extension off and those commands disappear from the assistant’s vocabulary entirely.
Saved layouts work by voice too — create one, then apply or cycle its slots. For the full story, see Put the browser on the left.
Manage conversations
- Recent chats — a list of your previous conversations to jump back into.
- New / resume — start fresh or continue where you left off.
- Delete — remove a conversation you don’t want kept.
History is stored locally on your Mac and can be cleared any time — see History & insights.
Note: The assistant uses your selected model profile. The on-device default keeps everything local; a cloud profile like Gemini sends your question (and any attached context) to that provider. See Models & providers and Privacy & your data.
Common questions
Is the assistant the same as dictation? No — dictation inserts text at your cursor; the assistant answers questions in its own panel.
Can it see my screen automatically? Only when you attach a screenshot, and only if you’ve granted Screen Recording. It’s optional and opt-in.
Do I have to talk? Voice is the fast path, but you interact with the conversation in its panel.