---
title: "Computer-use agent for Mac — Yappy works in the background"
description: "Yappy is a computer-use agent for macOS: hold a key, say what you want, and it clicks, types and fills forms in the apps you already have, in the background, without screenshots."
canonical: "https://yappy.biz/computer-use-agent-for-mac/"
last-updated: "2026-09-19"
---

# A computer-use agent for your Mac that works in the background

Hold Command, say what you want, and Yappy does it in the apps you already have.
It reads the window as text rather than photographing it, works on a window you
are not looking at, and stops at logins and anything irreversible. On the Yappy
plan, each step is decided by Jev (https://yappy.biz/jev/) in a few hundred
milliseconds.

- Trigger: hold ⌘ and speak, or type.
- Runs: in the background, minimized window or another Space.
- Reads: the window's controls (macOS accessibility) and the page (Chrome, Safari), not screenshots.
- Requires: macOS 13 or later, Apple Silicon. Free download: https://yappy.biz/api/v1/releases/latest

## Measured

Same job application, same answers, same "do not submit", one run per column,
18 September 2026. The competitor works from screenshots in the foreground.
Full method, caveats and sources: https://yappy.biz/research/yappy-vs-heyclicky/

| Measure | Screenshot-based competitor | Yappy + Jev |
|---|---|---|
| End-to-end time | 13m 14s | 1m 54s |
| Actions taken | ~104 | 22 |
| Input tokens | 11.24M | 0.39M |
| Estimated cost, same rate card | ~$4.24 | ~$0.24 |

## What a computer-use agent is

An AI that operates a computer the way a person does: it looks at the screen,
decides the next action, clicks or types, and repeats until the task is done.
Most take a screenshot every step and send it to a vision model, which is slow,
expensive, and needs the window in front of you. Yappy reads the accessibility
tree and the page as a text table of controls and acts on them by reference.

| Property | Screenshot-based agents | Yappy |
|---|---|---|
| What the model sees each step | An image of the screen | A text table of controls and page content |
| Works on a window in the background | No | Yes |
| Leaves your cursor and focus alone | No | Yes |
| Per-step decision on the Yappy plan | A vision model, seconds | Jev, a few hundred milliseconds |
| Stops at logins and irreversible steps | Varies | Yes, and says why |

## Your model or ours

Agent tasks can run on a Claude Code or Codex install you already pay for, or on
the Yappy plan, which includes inference and the Jev decision lane. Dictation
runs on-device with Whisper either way. Pricing: https://yappy.biz/pricing/

## Questions

### What is a computer-use agent?

A computer-use agent is an AI that operates a computer the way a person does: it reads what is on screen, decides what to do, and clicks, types, scrolls, and navigates to finish a task in ordinary applications. Yappy is a computer-use agent for macOS that you trigger by voice: hold the Command key, say what you want, and it does it in the apps you already have.

### Which is the fastest computer-use agent for Mac?

The only honest answer is a measured one. On 18 September 2026 we filled the same job application with Yappy and with a screenshot-based competitor: Yappy finished in 1 minute 54 seconds and about $0.24 against 13 minutes 14 seconds and about $4.24, one run each, same form, same answers. The full method, the raw numbers, and the caveats are published on our research page so the result can be repeated and challenged.

### Does Yappy take over my screen?

No. Yappy works on the window in the background, including a minimized window or one on another Space, and leaves your cursor and focus alone. It reads the window through macOS accessibility and, in Chrome and Safari, through the page itself, so it does not need the window in front of you.

### Does Yappy send screenshots of my screen to a model?

Not for ordinary tasks. Yappy reads the window as a text table of controls and page content, which is what the model sees. Screen images are a last resort, used only when a window exposes nothing readable. On the Yappy plan, each step's decision goes to Jev, which reads text only.

### Which AI does Yappy use?

Your choice. Agent tasks can run on a Claude Code or Codex install you already pay for, or on the Yappy plan, which includes inference and the Jev decision lane. Dictation runs on-device with Whisper regardless, so audio never leaves the Mac.

### What does it stop for?

Logins, payments, and anything irreversible. Yappy hands control back at those points and tells you why, instead of guessing. It also stops when a field needs a value it does not have.

### What does it run on?

macOS 13 (Ventura) or later on Apple Silicon, an M1 Mac or newer. The download is free; the app needs Microphone and Accessibility permissions, which it requests during onboarding.

## Links

- Download Yappy: https://yappy.biz/
- Jev in Yappy: https://yappy.biz/jev/
- The study: https://yappy.biz/research/yappy-vs-heyclicky/
- Machine index: https://yappy.biz/llms.txt