What is Frog?
Frog is a configurable native macOS toolkit. The toolkit combines writing, Explain, dictation, models, shortcuts, window management and switching, clipboard, command search, notes, scripts, a menu-bar organizer, App cleaner, optional Mr. Usage, Stay awake, and System monitor. Enable the tools you use in Features.
Does the latest download include everything in these guides?
Yes. As of October 27, 2026, the published release is Frog 1.0.40. Frog 1.0.28 added Explain, the Windows page, and App cleaner, each off by default, as well as learning from your choices in the command bar and several Claude accounts in Mr. Usage. Frog 1.0.29 lets the Explain page scroll so every setting can be reached, and snaps windows dragged at normal speed. Frog 1.0.30 lets you pin features to the top of the sidebar and move them, reopens the Frog window at the size you left it, and shows the API cost estimate for several Claude accounts instead of loading it forever. Frog 1.0.31 shows the selection bubble in Chrome and Electron apps, lets you choose the rules it offers, and shows each System Settings pane with its own icon in the command bar. Frog 1.0.32 makes Explain’s answers and its page shorter, moves the bubble choice into each rule’s editor, and keeps both Claude accounts listed in Mr. Usage. Frog 1.0.33 shows the selection bubble in Helium, Chrome, Arc and other Chromium browsers that hid their text from it. Frog 1.0.34 fixes the lag those apps, and with them the whole Mac, could show after 1.0.31: Frog no longer switches them to the screen reader’s accessibility mode, and the bubble appears there at the pointer without reading their text. Frog 1.0.35 lets you choose how Mr. Usage looks in the menu bar, can show CPU and GPU as a menu-bar item of their own, and can show a cup in the menu bar while Stay awake is on. Frog 1.0.36 keeps the menu-bar design you choose on the Mr. Usage page, which 1.0.35 reset to Numbers. Frog 1.0.37 gives every feature its own page with all its settings, among them new System monitor, Clipboard, and Window switcher pages, and leaves Features to turning tools on and off. Frog 1.0.38 adds the frog command and a skill so AI agents such as Claude Code and Codex can arrange windows, run your scripts, and use your notes, off until you turn it on in Settings → Agents. Frog 1.0.39 folds Snippets and Shelf into Notes, where a note can paste from the command bar, and moves the Quick actions text tools into the command bar. Frog 1.0.40 adds plugins: features of your own that your AI agent can build, run in a sandbox, and share as one file.
Does System monitor run in the background?
Only for the graph. While enabled, it records CPU and GPU load every five seconds so its page and the System view already show the last ten minutes when you open them. With Show CPU and GPU in the menu bar on, CPU and GPU are read every two seconds instead. Disk and power are read every two seconds only while the page or the System view is open. The graph stays in memory; nothing is saved or sent.
Where did the settings move?
Since Frog 1.0.37, every feature that is on has its own page with all its settings, including System monitor, Clipboard, and Window switcher. Features only turns tools on and off, with Open beside those that are on. Recording settings (microphone, muting, the Cancel recording shortcut) are on the Dictation page below its rules, and model memory and storage are on Models → Local models below the model list. Copied text is on the Clipboard page; History shows only Frog’s own activity: saved writing results, answers, and dictation. Windows has its own page while that feature is on; otherwise layouts are under Shortcuts → Windows. Shortcuts groups Application and Other (system actions). History, Models, Features, and Settings stay pinned below the feature list; local Statistics is inside Settings.
Where did Snippets, Shelf, and Quick actions go?
Frog 1.0.39 folded them into other features. Snippets are notes with Paste from command bar turned on, and each shelf item is a note that keeps its text and files. Notes is turned on for you if you used either. Generate UUID, Clean clipboard URL, and Base64 encode and decode are command bar rows; Lock screen is in the command bar while Shortcuts is on, and Frog’s appearance is in Settings.
What happens when I disable a feature?
Its navigation and commands disappear and its owned work stops, including relevant shortcuts, panels, tasks, observers, and polling. Settings and saved documents remain for re-enabling. Clipboard is deliberately memory-only and is cleared when disabled. Disabling Stay awake first restores a Frog-owned power session; if restoration fails, Frog reports the problem instead of discarding ownership.
Does Frog work offline?
Yes, when you use downloaded local models for all processing steps. Built-in inference requires Apple silicon and an initial download. Cloud rules, downloads, and update checks need a network connection. A local dictation workflow also needs a local text model if you enable cleanup.
Does Frog work on Intel Macs?
Frog supports macOS 14 or later on Intel and Apple silicon. Built-in speech and text inference requires Apple silicon. Intel Macs can use external providers and native toolkit features that do not require local inference.
Do I need an account or API key?
You do not need a Frog account. Downloaded internal models do not require a cloud API key. Direct external providers may require credentials and charge for API use. Models → Installed tools can use an existing Claude Code, supported Codex 0.159.x, or OpenCode login without a Frog API key. Choose Use model, then select it in a writing or cleanup rule. The tool’s account and provider policies still apply; OpenCode keeps its own session history independently of Frog history.
Which models can Frog use?
Internal speech options include supported Whisper and Parakeet models; internal text options include compatible MLX versions of Qwen3, Llama 3.2, and Gemma 3. Frog also connects to Ollama, LM Studio, OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, and compatible endpoints. Supported model formats and categories matter: not every model file or API supports every type of rule.
Can Frog rewrite text in every app?
Frog works with supported editable fields and depends on the selection information macOS and the target app expose. It checks the original target before replacement. When automatic replacement cannot be completed, the result remains on the clipboard for manual pasting.
Does Explain change the text I select?
No. Explain shows the answer in a panel next to the selection and replaces nothing in the other app. It sends the selection, the rule’s instructions, and, when Include surrounding text is on, up to 1,000 characters around it to the rule’s model. With a local model, this stays on your Mac.
Is Frog always listening?
No. Recording starts when you invoke an audio rule or Record. With local transcription, microphone audio stays in process memory and is discarded after completion or cancellation. Selecting an external speech model sends the recording to that provider.
Can I configure Frog with a file?
Yes. ~/.config/frog/config holds commented key = value settings; config.json beside it holds complex rules and connections. Use Settings → Configuration → Open config, save, then Reload. Comments and symlinks are preserved, and both files can be tracked with chezmoi. Export/Import still supports a complete single JSON document; the split live config.json alone is not a complete export. Credentials, private data, model weights, and permissions stay separate.
Is the window switcher an AI feature?
No. The optional Command–Tab switcher uses native macOS window information and keyboard navigation. It does not need a text or speech model, send window titles to a provider, or capture screenshots.
Can Frog move and resize windows?
Yes. Turn on Windows in Features and choose Snap on its page to drag windows to screen edges and corners, hold Shift for zones, and open the layout picker. Its layout shortcuts cover halves, quarters, thirds, maximize, minimize, center, restore, displays, and full screen. Accessibility access is required; an AI model is not.
What opens the command bar?
Enable Command bar in Features, then press Control–Option–Space. Change the binding on Command bar’s page. Up/Down selects, Return runs, and Escape dismisses. Command–Return copies a note that pastes or a clipboard item instead of attempting to paste it; it is not a universal copy action for every result. Learn from your choices, off by default, lists the rows you pick a bit higher.
Is clipboard history saved to disk?
No. The optional Clipboard tool retains at most 100 text entries in memory and clears them on disable or quit. Saved writing/dictation history is a separate opt-in. Sensitive clipboard markers hide previews, but Frog cannot reliably identify unmarked passwords.
Does a configuration export include notes or scripts?
No. Notes and saved script text live in a separate private local document store. Use the item’s Export action for its text. Notes that came from the shelf point to original files rather than copying them into a synced library.
When do scripts run?
Only when you press Run, choose a saved script in the command bar, or, with agent access on, an AI agent runs one with frog scripts run. They run as your user in zsh, from your home folder, for up to 60 seconds, with output limited to 256 KiB. Stop, feature disable, timeout, and quit clean up the owned process group. A run an agent starts may take up to 600 seconds when it asks for a longer timeout.
Can AI agents use Frog?
Yes, once you turn it on. Settings → Agents installs the frog command and a skill for Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, pi, and OpenCode. Agents can then arrange windows, run your saved scripts, read and add notes, and more. Agent access is off by default, works only for programs running as your user on this Mac, and listens on no network port.
Can I add my own features to Frog?
Yes, since Frog 1.0.40. A plugin adds a page or command-bar commands of your own. Ask your AI agent with the Frog skill to build one, or install one people shared from the plugin directory. Plugins run in a sandbox and do only what you approve.
Does App cleaner delete files?
No. It moves an app and the items you ticked to the Trash after a confirmation and never empties the Trash. Recently moved lists the last 30 days and puts items back while they are still in the Trash. Apple’s files, iCloud Drive, Mail, Photos libraries, and keychains are never offered.
Is Mr. Usage app telemetry?
No. It is an optional menu-bar readout, popup, and dashboard for your own AI limits, tokens, and estimated API costs. Collection continues while enabled, even with the dashboard closed; disable it or quit Frog to stop. Display choices are portable, but credentials and readings are not. Frog leaves renewing a login to the tool that owns it and sends no transcripts to usage endpoints. Website analytics is separate.
What does Settings → Statistics store?
Local aggregate recording, rule, and tool counts, with microphone time, word counts, and all-time/7-day/30-day views. Collection defaults to enabled; pause it to retain totals or Reset to clear them. No transcripts or individual event logs are stored and no data is sent over the network. Statistics is separate from result history and Mr. Usage, and is not synced in configuration.
Does enabling Stay awake immediately keep my Mac awake?
No. The feature makes its session and access page available. Sessions start off, default to four hours, and stop at expiry, normal quit, or below 20% battery while unplugged. One-time setup takes place in Terminal; Frog never receives your administrator password.
Can I use Frog in the browser?
Frog is a native macOS app. Download and install it to rewrite text, dictate, and manage windows. This website provides feature information and setup guides.