Use Downie on your Mac from ChatGPT or Claude

• MacPartly

  Through the app's window, with macOS accessibility: BCD reads what Downie shows and presses buttons, types and picks menus. How far it goes depends on the app. macOS asks once to allow it.

• WindowsNo

  BCD controls app windows only on a Mac.

• LinuxNo

  BCD controls app windows only on a Mac.

Version

4.13.4,5284

Installs (last 365 days)

5,893 · #267 among Homebrew apps

Needs

macOS 13 or later

Updates

Updates itself

Homepage

software.charliemonroe.net/downie.php

Install

brew install --cask downie

“Open Downie and tell me what is on its screen”
“Install Downie with Homebrew”
“Quit Downie and update it to the latest version”

Can ChatGPT control Downie?
On a Mac with BCD, yes, through the app's window: ChatGPT can open Downie, read the buttons and text it shows, press buttons, type and pick menu items. How far that goes depends on how much of its window Downie exposes to macOS accessibility.

Does this work on Windows?
No. BCD controls app windows only on a Mac. On Windows and Linux it works with files and commands.

Is it safe?
A new computer starts read-only. Controlling the screen and apps is turned on per computer, and macOS asks once before BCD may control apps.

Try it on your computer

BCD connects ChatGPT, Claude and other AI apps to your own Mac, Windows or Linux computer. One computer is free, with 20,000 tool calls a month and no card.