Login

u/Trick-Assignment-828

▲ 3 r/ollama

Hey r/ollama 👋

Built a small native Swift app for macOS that connects to Ollama and has one unusual feature: it's completely invisible to screen capture.

Zoom, Teams, OBS, QuickTime, Cmd+Shift+5 — none of them see it. Only you do. Useful if you use Ollama during work calls, interviews or demos without wanting it visible on screen share.

The trick is one AppKit call:

swift

window.sharingType = .none

Removes the window from macOS's display compositor before any recorder touches it. Public documented API, no hacks.

Why it might be useful for Ollama users:

  • Use any local model during meetings without it being visible
  • Screenshot analysis — attach your screen to a message, the model sees it, the recorder doesn't
  • On-device voice input via whisper-cpp — speak your prompt, fully local
  • No Dock icon, lives only in the menu bar as ⬡

Setup: point it at http://localhost:11434, pick your model, done.

Also supports OpenAI, Claude, OpenRouter, NVIDIA NIM, LM Studio, llama.cpp — any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.

~5MB native Swift, zero telemetry, MIT license, free.

https://github.com/rbc33/Ghostbar

Happy to answer questions!

reddit.com
u/Trick-Assignment-828 — 17 days ago
▲ 12 r/cscareerquestionsOCE+1 crossposts

Looking for a free Cluely alternative on macOS that doesn't cost $20-$149/month?

Ghostbar — native Swift, invisible to screen sharing, completely free:

✅ Invisible in Zoom, Teams, Meet, OBS (tested)
✅ Ollama / local LLMs — nothing leaves your machine
✅ OpenAI, Claude, OpenRouter, NVIDIA NIM (free tier)
✅ On-device voice input via Whisper
✅ Screenshot analysis — AI sees your screen, recorder doesn't
✅ ~5MB, no Electron, no Chromium, instant startup
✅ Zero telemetry, no account needed, MIT license

The main difference vs Pluely/Natively/Vysper: those are all Electron or Tauri (cross-platform). Ghostbar is native Swift — purpose-built for macOS, much lighter.

https://github.com/rbc33/Ghostbar

u/Trick-Assignment-828 — 2 days ago
▲ 21 r/MacOSApps

Hey r/MacOSApps 👋

I got tired of every "invisible AI" tool being a 200MB Electron app so I built Ghostbar — a native Swift macOS menu bar AI that's invisible to screen capture.

The pitch: use AI during Zoom calls, interviews, demos — nobody sees it. It uses NSWindow.sharingType = .none, a native AppKit API that excludes the window from macOS's display capture pipeline entirely. Tested invisible in Zoom, Teams, Meet, OBS, QuickTime, Cmd+Shift+5.

Why native Swift matters:

  • ~5MB app vs 150–500MB for Electron alternatives
  • Instant startup, no Chromium overhead
  • Actual macOS citizen — no Dock icon, no Mission Control trace

Backends: Ollama (local), OpenAI, Claude, OpenRouter, NVIDIA NIM, LM Studio, llama.cpp
Extras: On-device voice input (whisper-cpp), screenshot analysis
Price: Free, MIT license, no subscription, no telemetry

https://github.com/rbc33/Ghostbar

Happy to answer questions!

reddit.com
u/Trick-Assignment-828 — 17 days ago