Overview

SideOS.ai is a locally run AI assistant that occupies the notch of a MacBook. By pressing Control + Option and speaking a command, the tool reads the accessibility tree of the screen and takes action, opening an app, clicking a button, typing text, or running an AppleScript. The assistant is sold as a one‑time purchase and ships with on‑device dictation.

When you activate sideOS, the program hooks into macOS's accessibility API, which lists every button, checkbox, and text field by name. From there, sideOS can open Mail, Notes, Calendar, or a browser, then find the button “Send” and click it, all without leaving a hand for you to press anything. While speaking, you can point the cursor at a region of the screen; the notch lights up and a laser pointer follows the spoken phrase, allowing commands such as “highlight this paragraph” or “fix that error.” If the user speaks text while no editable field is focused, the spoken words are copied to the clipboard and the notch signals that the clipboard now contains the text.

Background tasks are managed in an isolated loop so they do not interfere with the user's current activity. Commands like `research this market and write me a report` spawn a task that runs shell commands, reads Markdown files, performs web searches, and renders PDFs. All output lands in the `Documents/sideOS Tasks` folder, and a notification appears when the file is ready. When the assistant needs your confirmation, for example, for a command it cannot safely undo, it prompts with a simple dialog.

For meetings, sideOS watches for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet windows. Upon detection, it offers one‑tap recording. The audio is kept on the Mac and processed by Whisper locally. The resulting transcript is split by speaker, summarized, and any identified action item becomes a reminder in the notch. The user can decide how long the full audio or transcript is stored, from instant deletion to a one‑year retention. Reminders can also be set manually: saying “remind me to send Maya the deck at two tomorrow” creates a timed alert that can trigger before the time, allowing the assistant to fetch a news digest and present it ahead of schedule.