How it works
How Circl works
Last updated
Circl works in one motion: hold, circle and talk, let go. You hold a shortcut, draw around part of your screen while you say what you want, and let go. Circl puts the screenshot and your words into any AI app, like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Codex, Claude Code or Cursor. It sends them for you in Claude (the app and claude.ai), plus Codex CLI or Claude Code in Terminal; everywhere else you press Return.
The workflow in five steps
Install Circl and allow its permissions
Open the downloaded disk image, drag Circl into Applications, and open it. Setup asks for four macOS permissions: Screen Recording (to capture the area you circle), Accessibility (to bring your AI app forward and type into its text box, and for an optional mouse button), Microphone, and Speech Recognition.
Open your AI app
Open the AI app you want to talk to: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Codex, Claude Code, Cursor and basically any app with a text box. A chat in your browser, a desktop app and an agent in your terminal all work the same way.
Hold the shortcut and circle
Press ⌘⇧2, or hold the mouse button you picked in Settings, and draw around anything on screen. Hold Shift to draw a box instead of a circle. Esc cancels, and nothing is sent. Left click always stays free for normal use.
Talk while you circle
Recording starts when you press. Say what you want while you draw; a small panel shows the screenshot and your words as they are transcribed. Speech recognition runs on your Mac, and Circl does not upload or save your raw audio.
Let go
When you let go, Circl brings your AI app forward and puts the screenshot, then your words, into its text box. In Claude (the app and claude.ai), plus Codex CLI or Claude Code in Terminal, once the text box shows exactly one screenshot and exactly your words, Circl presses Return, so it sends. Everywhere else, including the ChatGPT app and chatgpt.com, Gemini, Grok, Cursor and iTerm2, Circl pastes the screenshot and your words and you press Return. With Review before sending turned on in Settings, Circl never presses Return and you send it yourself.
Works with any AI app
Circl is not tied to one assistant. It works with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Codex, Claude Code, Cursor and basically any app with a text box: in your browser, as a desktop app or in your terminal. Switch between them whenever you like; the motion stays the same. For two examples in a terminal, see Circl with Claude Code and Circl with Codex.
What Circl does behind the scenes
- Capture. Circl captures the display you select from, keeps a rectangle around the area you circled, with a small margin, and discards the full-screen capture after selection.
- Transcription. Speech is transcribed by Apple’s on-device speech recognition, using your Mac’s language setting. Circl does not save or upload raw audio.
- Pasting. When you let go, Circl brings your AI app forward and pastes into its text box through the macOS clipboard: the screenshot first, then your words, only once Circl sees the screenshot arrive. If it can’t see it arrive, Circl stops after the screenshot and keeps your words for you to copy. It puts your previous clipboard back when it can confirm the paste went in; otherwise its paste stays on the clipboard and Restore Previous Clipboard, in Circl’s menu, brings yours back. Text-only places, such as terminals other than Terminal and iTerm2, get your words and the file path of the screenshot.
- Submitting. In Claude (the app and claude.ai), plus Codex CLI or Claude Code in Terminal, Circl checks that the text box holds exactly one screenshot and exactly your words, then presses Return once. If anything is off, Circl doesn’t press Return and tells you. Everywhere else, including the ChatGPT app and chatgpt.com, Gemini, Grok, Cursor and iTerm2, Circl pastes the screenshot and your words and you press Return. With Review before sending on, it never presses Return.
- Safety stop. If focus leaves your AI app before Circl finishes, it stops: nothing is sent, or what is already in the text box stays there unsent and Circl tells you.
Circl compared with the usual ways
| Circl | Screenshot, paste and type | A dictation app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steps | Hold, circle and talk, let go | Take a screenshot, find it, drag it into the chat, then type the request | Dictate the request, then add a screenshot yourself |
| Shows what you mean | Yes. The area you circled goes with your words. | Yes, after several steps | No. Words only. |
| Says what you want | Spoken, transcribed on your Mac | Typed | Spoken |
| Sending | Automatic in Claude (the app and claude.ai), plus Codex CLI or Claude Code in Terminal; elsewhere you press Return (always, with Review before sending on) | You press Return | You press Return |
| Works with | Any AI app with a text box | Any app | Any app |
A dictation app is the simpler tool if you only ever want words. Circl is for the moments when the hard part is describing what is on screen.
Requirements
- A Mac running macOS 14 or later, with a microphone. Circl is tested on Apple silicon with macOS 15. Intel Macs and other macOS versions have not been tested.
- An AI app to send to, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Codex, Claude Code or Cursor. Circl does not include any AI app or model usage. It works with the access you already have, with no API keys.
- Circl costs $6.99/month after a 7-day free trial. A card is required for the trial. You start it from inside the app, and Circl activates by itself.
Limits worth knowing
- Circl sends to an app that is open and has a text box. It does not open your AI app or sign you in.
- Speech recognition can mishear names, numbers and code terms. Turn on Review before sending if you want to read the prompt before it goes.
- Circl is tested end to end with Claude Code in Terminal, as well as with Codex CLI.
- Circl is for macOS only.
Keep reading
Try Circl
7-day free trial, then $6.99/month. macOS 14 or later. A card is required for the trial; cancel before it ends and you won’t be charged.