Install and set up Gab AI for Mac, learn Chat and Work, save files, use voice and shortcuts, and keep the app updated.
Gab AI for Mac brings Chat, AI models, Bots, media tools, and Work into a native desktop app. Work can use project folders, browser tabs, and supported Mac apps that you choose. You can review file changes, restore supported edits, run local checks, and continue folder tasks from a paired phone. Sign in with your existing Gab AI account to use the same conversations, plan, and credit balance. Folder permissions, command settings, and recovery originals belong to the Mac where you set them up.
Choose New Chat from the File menu, select a model in the composer, and send a question. Attach a reference with Upload File or drag a file from Finder. Continue in the same conversation when you want the model to use its earlier context. Search finds saved conversations; collections group related chats and uploads. Use Bots for assistants with reusable instructions. Image, video, and music tools create media using your account’s credits. The model or tool you select determines which inputs and outputs are supported.
Read the notes in this project folder. Create project-brief.md here with a summary, open questions, and a checklist of next steps. Use only the supplied notes and mark anything missing. Tell me which files you read and changed.Open Settings → Mac app → Browser and app access → Set up browser and app access. Connect Brave or Chrome tabs with the extension, or select Safari and supported Mac apps and follow the permission prompts. The browser guide below walks through connection, website approval, Take over, and Hand back.
The manual preview provides side chat in Brave or Chrome with your Gab AI sign-in. Connecting it to a compatible Mac app also enables browser automation. Open the extension page below for the download and illustrated installation steps, including Load unpacked, profile selection, and manual updates.
Open a delivered file from the conversation or your Files library. Use the file’s own controls to preview, edit, play, download, or export it. Document, spreadsheet, and presentation exports are covered in the workshops below. Available controls depend on the file type and your app version. When a native Save dialog opens, choose the destination and filename, then Save. Exporting a chat artifact creates a copy at that location. For a task that should update a connected project, explicitly name the project-relative output path in your instructions and check Review changes afterward. An attachment or preview alone does not give Work access to the surrounding Finder folder.
Use the microphone control to dictate a Chat message or a Work instruction. Allow microphone access when macOS requests it, speak, stop recording, and review the transcribed draft before sending. Dictation can also supply a follow-up while Work runs. Live voice conversation requires Plus and is available in Chat when its voice controls are shown; Work uses dictation rather than live voice mode. End the voice session when finished. If recording is unavailable, check Gab AI under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. Audio and transcripts are processed by Gab AI’s services; this is not offline dictation. If voice gets stuck starting, bring Gab AI to the foreground and click the voice button again after checking microphone permission. An older build may still show Use Voice Mode in your browser; check for an updated Mac release or use web voice until one is available.
Closing the main window hides it while Gab AI stays running. Reopen it from the Dock or Window → Show Main Window. Quitting with Command–Q ends the app’s connection to local files, browser/app access, and managed commands. Keep the Mac awake, online, and Gab AI running whenever a task or paired phone needs those resources. In a direct-download release with updates enabled, choose Gab AI → Check for Updates…. When the sidebar shows Update, selecting it installs the update and restarts the app. Finish local work and save open edits before updating; the restart interrupts local connections and stops managed development servers. The browser extension preview is updated separately using the browser guide. If a documented control is missing, check for an app update and any availability message in the app. Some features require both a compatible Mac build and enabled service support.
Gab AI uses cloud AI models and a cloud Work agent. Files read from a project folder and browser/app text or images used for a task are sent to Gab AI and its providers. The app does not run an offline AI model. Folder access, tests/builds, development servers, browser/app access, website approvals, microphone permission, and Remote sharing are separate controls. Enable the capabilities your task needs. Recovery originals remain on the Mac where the edits were made; signing in on another device does not move those originals there.
Chats or credits are missing: confirm that you used the same account and sign-in method as on the web. Complete any browser authentication before returning to the app. Project folder is missing: sign in, select Work, and start a new chat. A cloud-only chat does not gain a local folder when you select one for another task. Local files are unavailable: wake the Mac, open Gab AI, restore the network connection, and check Folder access. Reconnect a missing disk before retrying. An update cannot start: retry Check for Updates… with the Mac online. Use the official Mac download page if you need the installer. For browser permissions, failed commands, or recovery conflicts, follow the focused guides above.