Contact Download for Mac
How it works

From wake word to finished task

Three layers, two of them invisible. We describe them because it is worth knowing what happens to what you say.

Install and first use

  1. Download and install

    One file: a disk image. Move Ariadne to your Applications folder and launch it FROM THERE, not from the image window. This is not a formality: an app launched straight from the image cannot update itself, and that looks exactly like having no new versions. The instructions inside are read by VoiceOver from beginning to end.

  2. Connect a key and a reasoning layer

    Ariadne has no model of its own; it runs on your accounts. Two things are needed:

    • An OpenAI key: required.Pasted once, under Settings → Speech. Without it the voice conversation will not start.
    • Claude Code or Codex: for carrying out tasks.Either one is enough. You install it in the terminal.
    • The account: Claude takes two routes, Codex one.Claude accepts a sign-in with claude, or a key in ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. Codex accepts only a sign-in with codex login.

  3. Grant permissions

    On first launch: microphone, accessibility, contacts and calendar. Reading your mail also needs full disk access, and ducking background audio needs screen recording. Ariadne asks aloud and says what each one is for, instead of sending you to settings with no explanation.

  4. Call it, or press the shortcut

    “Hey Ariadne” or Command Control Option Space, from any app.

What Ariadne needs

Ariadne has no model of its own and handles no payments: it runs on your accounts, and the bill goes straight to the provider. That is why the app is free. Before you first use it, it needs two things.

An OpenAI key: required

It powers the voice conversation and image descriptions. Without it Ariadne will not start a conversation: it says what is missing. You paste it once; it then lives in the macOS keychain.

Claude Code or Codex: for tasks

The layer that reaches your mail, files, shell and remote machines. Either one is enough. Without it Ariadne still talks and describes the screen, but it will not carry out the task.

How to connect it

The OpenAI key

Create it on your OpenAI account, copy it and paste it into Ariadne.

  • platform.openai.com

Settings → Speech. That is the only place it is needed.

Claude Code or Codex

Either one is enough. Install it in the terminal and sign in.

Claude Code

  • brew install --cask claude-code
  • claude

or

Codex

  • codex login

Codex also comes with the ChatGPT app.

The check

Ariadne checks both at startup and says what is missing, together with the command that fixes it.

An installed claude or codex binary is not enough on its own: it needs an active account.

What happens when you speak

The wake word is heard by speech recognition built into macOS. Until it is spoken, no audio leaves the computer: nothing is sent and nothing is stored.

After the wake word, the conversation goes to the voice model that speaks and listens. When you ask for something a conversation cannot settle, it hands the work to the execution layer and tells you it is working.

The execution layer has access to files, the shell, mail, the home and plugins. It does the work and returns the result, which the voice model relays in a plain sentence.

Decisions made for listening, not looking

A few choices that only show up when you are not watching the screen.

  • Esc stops speech and a running task: always, from any app.
  • If a task takes more than a moment, Ariadne says so in one sentence and then keeps quiet. It does not report that nothing has happened yet.
  • While a tool is working the microphone is closed, so the assistant does not answer what you say to yourself.
  • It updates itself quietly and holds the install until the conversation ends.

Common questions

Does Ariadne replace VoiceOver?

No. VoiceOver reads the screen and Ariadne does not. Ariadne carries out requests. They work together.

Do I have to memorise commands?

No. You speak in plain sentences, as you would to a person. If something is unclear, it asks.

What if it gets it wrong?

Before anything irreversible it asks first. During a task, Esc stops it. Afterwards it tells you what it did.

Do I need an OpenAI key?

Yes. It powers the voice conversation and image descriptions, so without it Ariadne will not start a conversation and tells you what is missing. You create the key on your own OpenAI account and paste it once into Settings; you pay the provider directly for what you actually use.

Why Claude Code or Codex?

That is the layer which carries out requests reaching beyond the conversation: mail, files, the shell, remote machines. Either one is enough, installed and with an active account. Without it Ariadne still talks and describes the screen, but it will not carry out the task, and it says so plainly.

Does all of this cost extra?

Ariadne itself is free and handles no payments. You settle directly with the providers you hold accounts with: OpenAI for the key, and the reasoning layer under your own Claude or ChatGPT subscription.

See it in practice

Download and try it on your own machine.

Download for Mac

Requires a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 26 or later. The app updates itself quietly and holds the install until your conversation ends, so nothing interrupts you mid-sentence.