Install the Mac app
Requirements, installing with the DMG or Homebrew, the permissions Eavesy asks for, and signing in.
Requirements
- A Mac with Apple silicon. Intel Macs are not supported.
- macOS 13 Ventura or later. Screenshots need macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
There is no Windows, Linux, iPhone or iPad app. On other devices you can use Eavesy in the browser.
Install
Download the DMG. Get it from eavesy.com/download/mac, open it, and drag Eavesy into Applications.
Or use Homebrew:
brew install --cask williamrogersdev/eavesy/eavesyBoth methods install the same Eavesy.app in Applications. Choose one method;
you don't need both. If Finder asks what to do with an existing Eavesy app,
choose Replace, not Keep Both.
Already installed? Open Eavesy from Applications and choose Update. You
don't need to download it again or switch installation methods to update it.
If you already have a copy in Downloads or on your Desktop, quit it and use
the one in Applications. You can move the extra app to the Trash; keep your
~/Eavesy recordings folder.
Eavesy updates itself, so you don't need brew upgrade for it. To remove it,
run brew uninstall --cask eavesy. Add --zap to also remove its settings,
caches and logs. Your recordings in ~/Eavesy are kept either way.
Builds are signed and notarized by Apple, so they open like any other app.
If you see a warning on first launch, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and choose Open Anyway.
Permissions
Eavesy asks for each permission the first time a feature needs it. Only the microphone is required. You can review all of them in the Mac app under Settings → Permissions, or choose Run setup again to walk through them.
| Permission | Needed for | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone | Talk, meetings and video | Yes |
| Speech Recognition | On-device text for Talk and live captions | No |
| Accessibility | Pasting text where your cursor is | No |
| Input Monitoring | Using fn as the Talk key | No |
| Notifications | Letting you know when something finishes | No |
| Screen Recording | Screenshots, video, and the other side of a meeting | No |
macOS applies some new grants only after Eavesy reopens. If the permissions list offers to reopen Eavesy, let it.
Without Speech Recognition there are no live captions, and Talk text waits for the cloud transcript, so it needs you to be signed in.
Sign in, or stay local
The first time you open Eavesy, you can sign in at eavesy.com or choose Stay local for now. Both are fine.
- Local only: captures, on-device text and live captions all work. Nothing is uploaded.
- Signed in: recordings also get a cloud transcript and brief, and show up in search, chat and over MCP. Recordings you make in the browser are copied into your Mac's folder too.
The Mac app stores one thing in your Keychain: the device token it gets when you sign in. Sign out from Settings → Account at any time.
Choose where files go
Captures are saved to ~/Eavesy/Recordings by default. Change it under
Settings → Recordings folder. You can point it at a synced folder or a
notes vault. See your files for what goes in
each folder.
Next
These docs are open source. Spotted something wrong or missing?