Help

Set up in a minute.

Download and install. Open the downloaded disk image and drag Circl onto Applications. Open Circl from Applications, then eject the disk image.
Follow the setup. Circl walks you through starting your free trial (one click, then checkout in your browser; Circl activates by itself), and allowing Screen Recording, Accessibility, Microphone and Speech Recognition. If macOS asks you to reopen Circl, click Quit & Reopen.
Use it. Open any AI app: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Codex, Claude Code, Cursor or anything with a text box. Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 or hold your mouse button, draw around something while you say what you want, and let go. Circl puts the screenshot and your words into your AI app. In Claude (the app and claude.ai), plus Codex CLI or Claude Code in Terminal, it presses Return for you, so it sends; everywhere else, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok and Cursor, you press Return. Want to check first? Turn on Review before sending in Settings; the text box then waits for you to press Return.

Tips: Esc cancels a selection. Hold Shift to draw a box. Closing the window keeps Circl in your menu bar. You can run setup again from Circl’s Help menu.

Troubleshooting

Nothing happens when I try to capture

Open Circl → Settings and check Permissions. If Screen Recording is on in System Settings but Circl still asks for it, click Reopen Circl. Please don’t repeatedly reset your Mac’s privacy settings.

My mouse button doesn’t work

Mouse buttons need Accessibility access. In Settings, click your capture button and press the button again. Mouse software has to send a real button press; you can also map ⌘ ⇧ 2 to a button in that software. Left click always stays free for normal use.

My words are missing or wrong

Check the microphone selected in System Settings → Sound. Recording starts when you press, so talk while you circle and let go only when you’ve finished the sentence. Speech recognition can mishear names, numbers and code terms; if that matters, turn on Review before sending and check the prompt before you press Return.

Circl transcribes on your Mac only. If your language isn’t available on-device, Circl listens in another language you have, usually US English, and tells you. To add yours, open System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation and add the language.

It didn’t send

Circl only sends while your AI app stays in front. If focus moves or the clipboard changes mid-way, it stops: either nothing was sent, or the screenshot and words are already in the text box, unsent, and Circl tells you which. Click your AI app and press Return to send what’s there, or clear the text box and try again. If the screenshot never shows up, Circl doesn’t press Return; check that your AI app is open and its text box accepts images.

Updates

Circl checks for updates automatically; you can also choose Circl → Check for Updates. Updates wait until you’ve finished your current capture, and your settings stay as they are.

Activation and billing

There’s nothing to copy or paste: your subscription is your license. Click Start 7-day free trial in Circl, finish checkout in your browser, and Circl turns on by itself. Started your trial on the website first? Open Circl after installing and it activates automatically, or choose Already started a trial? Activate in the browser you checked out in. On a new Mac, choose Restore purchase.

Circl shows how many trial days are left. If a payment fails, Circl keeps working for 3 days and shows Update payment. To update your card or cancel, use Circl → Settings → Manage billing, or Manage billing on this site. Support can activate your Mac manually if none of this works.

Send feedback

Circl → Send feedback… lets you say what you think in about 5 seconds. Your words are transcribed on your Mac and you can edit them before you press Send. Only the text is sent, with your app and macOS versions; never audio or screenshots.

Send diagnostics

Circl → Help → Copy Diagnostic Summary copies your app version, macOS version, the app you send to and permission status. It never includes screenshots or dictated words, and nothing is sent automatically.

Uninstall Circl

Cancel your subscription first in Manage billing; deleting the app doesn’t cancel it. Then quit Circl from its menu bar icon and drag Circl from Applications to the Trash. To also remove its settings and local data, delete the Circle folders in your user Library’s Application Support and Logs folders, and turn Circl off in System Settings → General → Login Items and in Privacy & Security if it’s still listed.

Contact support

Still stuck? Email ryan@ontrail.ai. Paste your diagnostic summary and say what you tried. Moving to a new Mac? Include the email address you used at checkout. Never send passwords.