Getting Started

Install Whiskers

Download the app, drag it to Applications, and open it for the first time.

Installation takes about a minute.

System requirements

Requirement	Minimum
macOS	15.0 Sequoia
Chip	Apple Silicon recommended; Intel works with cloud models
RAM	8 GB
Disk	75 MB – 3 GB depending on which local model you choose

Install

Download the .dmg from the Whiskers website.
Open it. A Finder window appears.
Drag Whiskers into Applications.
Eject the disk image.

Screenshot

Mounted Whiskers .dmg in Finder, with the Whiskers app icon and an Applications shortcut

First launch

Whiskers isn't distributed through the Mac App Store, so macOS will refuse to open it on the first double-click:

Open Applications.
Right-click Whiskers → Open.
Confirm the dialog.

After this one-time approval, Whiskers opens normally from Spotlight, Launchpad, or the menu bar.

Screenshot

macOS gatekeeper dialog asking 'Are you sure you want to open it?' with the Open button highlighted

What you'll see

Whiskers lives in the menu bar — no Dock icon by design. Look for the Whiskers mark near the top-right of your screen.

Screenshot

macOS menu bar with the Whiskers icon visible near the top-right

Click it for Settings, the main menu, and Quit. On first launch, onboarding will walk you through permissions and choosing a model — the next two pages cover those in detail.

Updates

Whiskers checks for updates on launch. When one's available, click Install and Relaunch — your settings, hotkeys, dictionary, and downloaded models all carry over.