Help center

Every button, explained.

What every tab, button and shortcut in NoTells does, for Mac and Windows.

Install

NoTells is not yet signed with a paid Apple or Microsoft certificate, so your computer shows a warning the first time. The app is safe to open. Follow the steps for your system once and it won't ask again.

macOS

  1. Download the Mac file from the download section and double-click the zip to unzip it.
  2. Drag NoTells into your Applications folder.
  3. Double-click NoTells. You'll see “Apple could not verify NoTells is free of malware”. Click Done.
  4. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and scroll down to the Security section.
  5. Next to “NoTells was blocked”, click Open Anyway, enter your password or Touch ID, then click Open.
  6. When asked, allow Microphone access (needed only for Ask AI).

Prefer Terminal? Run xattr -cr /Applications/NoTells.app and open the app again. Needs macOS 13 or later.

Windows

  1. Download the installer that matches your PC: Intel / AMD for most computers, ARM64 for Windows on ARM.
  2. If your browser says the file isn't commonly downloaded, choose Keep (Chrome and Edge: open the download menu, click ⋯ → Keep).
  3. Double-click the installer. If “Windows protected your PC” appears, click More info, then Run anyway.
  4. The installer runs by itself and starts NoTells. It installs for your user only and needs no admin rights.
  5. NoTells appears in the system tray (bottom-right). Use Ctrl+Shift+H to hide or show the panel.

Needs Windows 10 version 2004 or later, or Windows 11. On older versions the panel appears as a black box in recordings.

Quick start

1

Sign in

Open the app and sign in with the same account you made on the website. Your 3-day free trial starts on first sign-in.

2

Set the room

In Brief, pick a mode and write who you are and what's coming. Add key points to Notes.

3

Add your AI key

In Chat, click the key icon and paste your OpenAI key. (Only needed for Ask AI.)

4

Go live

Share your screen as usual. NoTells stays on your side only. Press play in Cue, or hold the talk key to ask.

The four tabs

Notes, Brief and Chat work together. Cue is a separate teleprompter. Notes and Brief have no send button: they are saved automatically and attached to every question you ask in Chat.

Notes

Your private scratchpad

A plain text area for talking points, numbers and reminders you want to glance at while presenting.

  • Type or paste anything. It saves on its own.
  • The clipboard icon in the footer pastes what you copied straight in.
  • The first 4,000 characters are also given to the AI as “speaker notes”, so answers match your material.
  • Text size is changed in the sliders menu.

Brief

Tell the AI about the room

The briefing is the AI's source of truth for this sitting. If it conflicts with a generic textbook answer, the AI prefers your Brief.

LectureAnswers like an academic co-pilot for a research audience: mechanism, failure modes, when the idea breaks.
InterviewAnswers like a staff-level candidate: lead with a thesis, then how it works, a tradeoff and a sharp example. Never invents work history.
CodeAnswers about code you pasted: names the function, data flow and failure path.
  • Write who you are, your stack, the topic and the questions you expect. For interviews paste the job description. For code, paste the code.
  • Up to 8,000 characters are used.
  • “N in memory” shows how many answers this session remembers, so replies stay consistent.
  • New starts a fresh session (clears chat and memory) but keeps your Brief.
  • Changing the mode applies straight away. Text edits apply from your next question.

Cue

The teleprompter

For when you want to say something word for word. It does not use the AI or an OpenAI key.

  • Paste your script into the box (the clipboard button pastes it for you).
  • Press play. The panel switches to a full reader that highlights each word and scrolls with you. Words you've passed dim.
  • Speed slider: 85 to 200 words per minute. The shortcut slows or speeds it by 8.
  • Reset (when paused) returns to the start.
  • Wander: the panel drifts slowly around the screen so your eyes keep moving naturally on camera instead of fixing on one spot.
  • Hiding the panel pauses the teleprompter.

Chat

Ask AI, hold to talk

The only tab that needs your OpenAI key. Ask by voice or by typing and answers stream in.

  • Mic button: hold it, or use the talk shortcut, while someone asks. Let go when they finish and the answer appears.
  • Type box + Send: type a question instead.
  • Status line (top): tells you what it's doing, for example “Listening…”, “Answering…” or “Live · keep talking”.
  • Trash: clears the visible chat.
  • Key: add, show, save or remove your OpenAI key. It is stored on this computer only.
  • Each answer uses your mode, Brief, Notes and earlier answers in the session.
  • If you tap too briefly it says “Hold a little longer while they talk”.

Buttons on the panel

Header (top right)

Show in recordings

Off by default, so the panel is hidden from screen sharing, recordings and screenshots. Turn it on only if you want it to appear in captures (the footer then shows IN CAPTURE).

Click-through

Lets every click go through the panel to whatever is underneath, so you can keep working. Turn it off with the same button or the shortcut.

Display

Opens sliders for opacity and text size, plus a switch for “Show in recordings”.

Account

Shows your email, plan and days left. From here you can buy or extend a plan, or sign out.

Sign out

Signs you out of this computer.

Hide

Hides the panel. Bring it back with the show/hide shortcut or from the menu-bar / tray icon.

Close

Quits NoTells completely. It only appears on the sign-in and locked screens.

Footer (bottom left)

Paste

Pastes your clipboard into Notes, or into your script when you're on the Cue tab.

Under camera

Moves the panel to the top centre of your screen, right under the webcam, so you look at the lens while you read.

Snap left

Moves the panel to the left edge, centred vertically.

Snap right

Moves the panel to the right edge, centred vertically.

On the right of the footer you'll also see a short hint for the current tab and your plan label (for example “2d trial”).

Chat tab extras

Clear chat

Removes the conversation on screen.

API key

Shows the box where you paste, save or remove your OpenAI key.

Cue play / pause

On the Cue tab, starts or stops the teleprompter.

You can also drag the panel by its header and resize it from its edges.

Keyboard shortcuts

What it doesMac shortcut
Show / hide the panel
Instantly hides NoTells and brings it back. Also pauses the teleprompter when hiding.
⌘⇧H
Click-through on / off
When on, every click passes through the panel to the app underneath. Press again to turn off.
⌘⇧P
Lower opacity
Makes the panel more see-through.
⌘⇧[
Raise opacity
Makes the panel more solid.
⌘⇧]
Talk to Ask AI
Listens to the question, then writes a speakable answer in the Chat tab.
Hold the key while the question is being asked and release when they finish.
HoldRight ⌥
or hold⌘⇧A
Play / pause the teleprompter
Starts or stops the Cue script and switches to the full-screen reader.
⌘⇧T
Slower teleprompter
Reduces speed by 8 words per minute.
⌘⇧,
Faster teleprompter
Increases speed by 8 words per minute.
⌘⇧.

Shortcuts work everywhere, even when another app is in front. If one does nothing, another app may already use it. The buttons in the panel and the menu bar menu do the same things.

Staying invisible

NoTells asks your operating system to leave its window out of screen sharing, recordings and screenshots. Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Loom and OBS then skip it. This is on by default.

  • Always test first. Do a quick recording or a one-person call and check the panel isn't in it.
  • Windows: hiding needs Windows 10 version 2004 or later.
  • Limits: a physical camera aimed at your screen, or a hardware capture card, can still see what's displayed.
  • Your data: notes, briefings and answers stay on your computer. When you use Ask, audio goes straight to OpenAI under your own key; we never see or store it.

Trial, plans & locks

  • 3-day free trial starts the first time you sign in. No card needed.
  • When it ends, the app shows a lock screen with Buy a plan. Pick a package on the payment page, pay with Payoneer or Binance and upload the confirmation.
  • After we approve (usually within 24 hours), the days are added and the app unlocks. Press I've paid — check again or wait a minute.
  • Plans are 30, 90 or 365 days. New days are added on top of any time you still have.
  • Blocked accounts see a message with a Contact support button.
See plans My account

Troubleshooting

I can't see the panel

Press the show/hide shortcut (⌘⇧H on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+H on Windows), or click the menu-bar / tray icon and choose Show overlay. If it is visible but you can't click it, click-through is on: press ⌘⇧P / Ctrl+Shift+P to turn it off.

The microphone doesn't work

Allow microphone access. On Mac: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone → turn on NoTells. On Windows: Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone → allow desktop apps. Then try again. If you're on Windows remember Ctrl+Shift+A is a toggle: press once to start, press again to send.

Chat says to add an OpenAI key

Open the Chat tab, click the key icon, paste your key (it starts with sk-) and Save. The key is stored only on this computer. Your OpenAI account needs available credit for answers to work.

Chat answers don't use what I wrote in Brief or Notes

Brief and Notes are read automatically on every question. Check you picked the right mode (Interview for interviews; Lecture is the default and answers like an academic), and that the Brief has real details such as your role, stack and the questions you expect.

The panel shows up in my recording

Look at the record icon in the header and the footer: if it says “IN CAPTURE”, the panel is deliberately visible. Click the icon (or turn off “Show in recordings” in the sliders menu) to hide it again. On Windows, hiding needs Windows 10 version 2004 or later. A physical camera pointed at your screen, or a hardware capture card, can't be blocked, so always do a short test recording first.

A shortcut does nothing

Another app may already use that combination. The same actions are available from the buttons on the panel and from the menu-bar / tray menu.

I see “Your free trial has ended” or “Your plan has ended”

The app locks until you add time. Click Buy a plan, choose a package, pay and upload your slip. After it's approved, press “I've paid — check again” (the app also re-checks every minute).

“Your account is blocked”

The administrator has paused the account. Press Contact support to email us, and we'll help you restore it.

My Mac or Windows PC warns about the app

The apps are not yet signed with a paid developer certificate, so both systems ask you to confirm the first time. On Mac: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. On Windows SmartScreen: More info → Run anyway. Step-by-step instructions are in the Install section above.

Didn't find your answer?Email us and we'll help.
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