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AI Assistant

The AI assistant is an optional, removable plugin that helps you work with your files in plain language. It can summarize or explain a document, suggest a better file name, translate or proofread text, turn data into a table, and even organize a folder — and it can carry out file actions for you after showing you a plan first. It runs on-device with Apple Intelligence when available, or you can point it at a cloud model. Because it is a plugin, you can disable or remove it entirely from Configuration ▸ Plugins….

Open the assistant

Choose Commands ▸ AI Assistant to show the assistant in a docked panel on the right of the window. Type a request and press Return; the assistant can read files, look things up, and — with your confirmation — make changes.

The AI assistant chat docked beside the file panels (Figure: The AI assistant, docked on the right, working on a request.)

Right-click actions (AI ▸)

The quickest way to use the assistant is the AI ▸ submenu in the right-click menu:

  • On a file — Summarize, Explain, Suggest a name, Suggest a comment, Translate to English, Proofread, Detect tasks, and Make a table.
  • On the panel background — Organize this folder and Find likely duplicates.

Each AI ▸ action opens its own titled chat (for example, Summarize – report.txt), so different tasks stay separate instead of piling into one long conversation. When you type into the input field yourself, that request continues the current chat.

Manage your chats

  • Use the chat switcher at the top of the panel to move between conversations.
  • The Delete ▾ menu offers Delete this chat and Delete all chats, so you can clear everything at once when the list gets long. Empty chats are cleaned up automatically when you close the panel.

Changes are confirmed first

For anything that modifies files — moving, renaming, writing, deleting — the assistant shows a plan and waits for your confirmation before acting. You can change this in Settings by raising the assistant's autonomy, or lower it to read-only so it never changes anything.

Settings

Open Configuration ▸ Settings ▸ AI to configure the assistant on a single page:

  • Preferred model — Automatic (cloud if configured, otherwise on-device), On-device (Apple Intelligence), or Cloud.
  • Cloud endpoint, model, and API key — to use an OpenAI-compatible model instead of the on-device one. The key is stored in the macOS Keychain, never in your configuration files.
  • Assistant autonomy — read-only, confirm changes (the default), or autonomous.
  • Custom system prompt — optional instructions that shape how the assistant replies.
  • MCP server — an optional local-only server that lets an external agent drive the app; off by default and protectable with a token.

The AI page in Settings with autonomy and the MCP server options (Figure: All assistant options live on one AI page in Settings.)

Privacy

  • With Apple Intelligence the assistant runs on your Mac; nothing leaves the device.
  • A cloud model is used only if you configure one, and its API key is kept in the Keychain.
  • File-changing actions are confirmed before they run unless you deliberately raise the autonomy level.