Helper - macOS Screen Capture + Claude Chat

A macOS application that automatically captures screenshots and sends them with your questions to Claude AI for analysis.

Features

• 🖼️ Auto Screen Capture - Automatically captures screenshots (excluding the app window) when sending messages
• 💬 Claude AI Integration - Uses Claude Sonnet 4.5 for intelligent responses with vision capabilities
• 🔒 Secure Storage - API keys stored safely in macOS Keychain
• 🎨 Clean Interface - Minimal chat UI with inline image display
• ⚙️ Customizable - Toggle auto-capture and configure window position
• 🪟 Side Window - 1/3 screen width window that positions on left or right

Requirements

• macOS 12.3 or later (for ScreenCaptureKit)
• Xcode 14.0 or later
• Anthropic API key (get one here)

Setup

1. Open the project

   open helper.xcodeproj

2. Add files to Xcode (if not already added)

   • Right-click on helper folder in Project Navigator
   • Select "Add Files to 'helper'..."
   • Add the Core, Views, and ViewModels folders
   • Ensure "Create groups" is selected and helper target is checked

3. Configure build settings

   • Select helper target → Build Settings
   • Change "macOS Deployment Target" to 12.3
   • Set "Info.plist File" to helper/Info.plist

4. Build and run

   Cmd+B (Build)
   Cmd+R (Run)
   

5. First launch

   • Settings will open automatically
   • Enter your Anthropic API key
   • Grant screen recording permission when prompted

Usage

1. Type your question in the text field
2. Screenshot is automatically captured (if enabled)
3. Message sent to Claude with the screenshot
4. Response appears in the chat

Settings

• API Key - Your Anthropic API key (stored securely in Keychain)
• Auto-capture - Toggle automatic screenshot capture
• Window Position - Choose left or right side of screen

Architecture

helper/
├── Core/
│   ├── Models/          # Data models (Message, AppSettings, APIError)
│   ├── Services/        # API and system services
│   │   ├── ClaudeAPIService.swift
│   │   ├── ScreenCaptureService.swift
│   │   └── KeychainService.swift
│   └── Utilities/       # Helper functions
├── Views/               # SwiftUI views
│   ├── ChatView.swift
│   ├── Components/      # Reusable UI components
│   └── Settings/        # Settings interface
└── ViewModels/          # Business logic
    └── ChatViewModel.swift

Technical Details

• Model: Claude Sonnet 4.5 (claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929)
• API: Anthropic Messages API v1
• Image Format: JPEG at 80% quality, base64 encoded
• Max Tokens: 4096
• Context Window: 200K tokens

Troubleshooting

Screen Recording Permission Denied

1. Click "Open System Settings" in the error banner
2. Go to Privacy & Security > Screen Recording
3. Enable permission for Helper
4. Restart the app

API Errors

• 404: Check model name and API version
• 401: Verify your API key in Settings
• 429: Rate limit exceeded, wait a moment

Check Xcode console for detailed debug logs.

Privacy

• Screenshots are sent to Anthropic's API for processing
• API key stored locally in macOS Keychain
• No chat history is persisted (cleared on each app restart)
• No telemetry or analytics

License

MIT

Credits

Built with Claude Code (Claude Opus 4.5)