Use HDFView on your Mac from ChatGPT or Claude
Tool for browsing and editing HDF files. With BCD, ChatGPT, Claude and other AI apps can open HDFView on your Mac, read its window and press buttons or type, from your phone or another computer.
Works on
- MacPartly
Through the app's window, with macOS accessibility: BCD reads what HDFView 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.
About HDFView
- Version
- 3.5.0
- Installs (last 365 days)
- 707 · #1,015 among Homebrew apps
- Install
brew install --cask hdfview
Try asking
“Open HDFView and tell me what is on its screen”
“Install HDFView with Homebrew”
“Quit HDFView and update it to the latest version”
Questions
Can ChatGPT control HDFView?
On a Mac with BCD, yes, through the app's window: ChatGPT can open HDFView, 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 HDFView 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.
Program data from Homebrew, updated 2026-11-11. Installs are Homebrew's installs on request over the last 365 days.