AI writing superpower for macOS
Minimal, fast, and private text transformation for macOS. A lightweight, distraction-free writing assistant with native MLX support and a refined UI — built on WritingTools with major performance and stability improvements.
- Surgical Text Transformation: Select text anywhere and invoke Critique with your hotkey. Your text is instantly replaced with the AI-optimized version.
- Truly Native: Built in Swift/SwiftUI. Uses ~0% CPU when idle and remains responsive even under load.
- Privacy-First: No data collection. Use local models for 100% on-device processing.
- Rich Text Aware: Proofread preserves RTF formatting (bold, italics, etc.) so your documents stay styled.
- Customizable: Create your own "tones" with custom instructions and shortcuts.
Critique evolves the native writing tool experience with deep UI flexibility, allowing it to adapt to your specific workflow.
- Dynamic Layouts: Switch between the traditional Grid View or the modern Toolbar Layout that places controls exactly where your eyes are.
- Adaptive Visuals: Tailor the interface density by choosing to show Icons, Labels, or Both for your interaction buttons.
- One-Click Optimization: Set a Default Tone to bypass menus. Select text, hit your hotkey, and click the primary action for immediate results.
- Download the latest
.dmgfrom Releases. - Install by dragging Critique.app into your Applications folder.
Security Note (macOS Gatekeeper)
Because Critique is currently in early development and not yet notarized by Apple, macOS will block it from opening initially.
To resolve this:
- Method A: Right-click (or Control-click) the app in your Applications folder and select Open, then click Open again in the dialog.
- Method B: Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll down to the Security section, and click Open Anyway.
- Permissions: Grant Accessibility access (required to read/replace text).
- Setup: Choose your provider in Settings:
- Cloud: OpenAI, Google (Gemini), Anthropic, Mistral, OpenRouter.
- Local: Apple Intelligence, MLX (on-device), or Ollama.
Important
System Requirements:
- macOS 14.0+ is required for Accessibility API features.
- macOS 15.4+ is required for native Apple Intelligence features.
- Apple Silicon is recommended for MLX on-device inference.
Critique lets you mix & match based on your needs:
- Local (Privacy): Use Apple Intelligence or MLX on Apple Silicon for low-latency, on-device inference.
- Cloud (Power): Use GPT-5, Claude 4.6, or Gemini Pro for complex tasks.
- OpenAI-Compatible: Seamlessly connect to Ollama or other local servers.
Critique is distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.
Based on the WritingTools project.