FAQ

Getting started

• What do I need before Peeknook works?

  • macOS 15 or later on an Apple Silicon Mac
  • Peeknook.app from GitHub Releases
  • Ollama.app running locally (not the Homebrew formula)
  • A vision model pull (Gemma 4 recommended; about 7-20 GB depending on tag)
  • Screen Recording permission for Peeknook in System Settings

  Full steps: Install guide.

• Why Ollama.app and not brew install ollama?

  The Homebrew formula has shipped without the model runner (llama-server). Requests fail with errors like llama-server binary not found. Use Ollama.app from ollama.com/download or:

  brew install --cask ollama-app
  

• Which Gemma 4 tag should I download?

  RAM	Suggested tag	Approx. download
  16 GB or less	gemma4:e2b	~7 GB
  17-24 GB	gemma4:e4b	~10 GB
  25 GB or more	gemma4:26b	~18 GB

  Peeknook can pull the model from Get ready on first launch.

• Does Peeknook work on Intel Macs?

  v1 builds target Apple Silicon. Intel Macs are not supported for the shipped release.

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Permissions

• Why does Peeknook need Screen Recording?

  Every capture sends a screenshot of the window or display you choose to your local vision model. macOS requires Screen Recording permission for that. Peeknook does not record in the background: only when you press the capture hotkey (default ⌘⇧P).

• I granted Screen Recording to Terminal, not Peeknook

  If you ran swift run Peeknook from source, macOS may list Terminal or Swift instead of Peeknook. Production installs should use the signed app from Releases (com.peeknook.app) and grant permission to Peeknook only.

• Is Accessibility required?

  No. Accessibility optionally adds selected text alongside the screenshot. Password fields are skipped for text extraction (screenshots still show visible pixels).

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Privacy and data

• Does Peeknook send my screen to the cloud?

  Not by default. Inference goes to Ollama on this Mac (http://127.0.0.1:11434). Remote Ollama, :cloud tags, web lookup, and third-party backends are opt-in. See Privacy Policy.

• Does Peeknook watch my screen in the background?

  No. Capture runs only when you trigger it. There is no ambient or stealth recording.

• Are conversations saved automatically?

  No. Save conversations is off by default. When enabled, threads are encrypted locally on your Mac.

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Using Peeknook

• Wrong window captured on multiple monitors

  Peeknook picks the window under the cursor, then frontmost, then largest. Move the cursor over the target window before ⌘⇧P.

• Capture is disabled / grayed out

  Complete Get ready: Ollama running, model downloaded, Screen Recording granted. Check Settings > Capture for permission repair.

• Ollama offline errors

  Open Ollama.app and confirm the menu bar icon is active. Default server: http://127.0.0.1:11434 in Settings > Answer model.

• What are the default shortcuts?

  Action	Shortcut
  Capture and answer	⌘⇧P
  Brief before capture	⌘⇧B
  Camera still (optional)	⌘⇧C
  Toggle notch	⌘⌥;

  Rebind capture and brief in Settings > Capture.

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Download and updates

• How do I verify my DMG?

  Compare the SHA-256 on GitHub Releases or in Docs > Advanced:

  shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Peeknook*.dmg
  

• macOS says the app is from an unidentified developer

  Open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway, or right-click Peeknook > Open once. The shipped build is signed and notarized.

• How do I get updates?

  v1 has no in-app updater. Check GitHub Releases or the Changelog.

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