FAQ

The short answers. Anything not covered here: hello@marchingants.app.

Using it

Do I need my own API key?

No. You sign in with Google and Marching Ants runs the models for you. There is nothing to set up and no key to paste.

Which AI answers my question?

More than one. Two models from different companies work on every capture and you see whichever finishes first, usually in a few seconds. A second model then checks that answer in the background, and the badges at the bottom of the popup show you whether it agreed. If you want a third opinion you can tap for it — nothing waits on that unless you ask.

Does my screen data go to you?

A capture passes through a Marching Ants server only long enough to get your answer. The image is held in memory for that one request — never written to disk, never logged, never used for training. Your answer isn’t kept on the server and your history stays on your Mac.

What does it run on?

macOS 13 Ventura or later, on Apple silicon. Intel Macs aren’t supported yet.

Where does it show up? How do I open it?

It’s a menu-bar app. The icon sits at the top-right of your screen, next to the clock, and there is no Dock icon and no window. If it seems “closed,” reopen it from Spotlight (⌘Space, type “Marching Ants”) or from your Applications folder.

Why does macOS warn me the first time I open it?

The beta is signed but not notarized with Apple yet. Open the app once, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the bottom, and click Open Anyway. macOS remembers it after that. (On newer macOS the old right-click → Open trick no longer clears this.)

What is ghost mode?

On by default, it keeps the answer popup out of every screen capture — screen recordings, screenshots, and screen sharing on calls. Nobody watching your shared screen sees your answer. Turn it off in Settings if you actually want the popup to record, for example to make a demo.

If something’s not working

I press the shortcut and nothing happens

Marching Ants needs two macOS permissions to work. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and check both:

• Screen Recording — lets it capture the region you draw. Without it the shortcut does nothing, or the capture comes back black.
• Accessibility — lets the global shortcuts fire while another app is in front.

Turn Marching Ants on in each list. macOS will ask you to quit and reopen the app. That fixes it in almost every case.

It worked before, then stopped after I updated

macOS ties those permissions to the exact version of the app. A new build can register as a different app, so the old permission is dropped. Fix:

1. System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording.
2. If “Marching Ants” is listed, select it and click the − to remove it. If it’s listed twice, remove both.
3. Click + and add /Applications/Marching Ants.app. Make sure its switch is on.
4. Do the same in the Accessibility list.
5. Quit Marching Ants from the menu-bar icon and reopen it.

The capture box is black or empty

That’s the Screen Recording permission specifically. Follow the steps above for Screen Recording, then reopen the app.

The answer is wrong

Answers come from the AI model you picked and they can be wrong or incomplete, especially on messy handwriting, tiny text, or trick questions. Try selecting a tighter box around just the question, or switch models in Settings. Always check anything that matters.

How do I change the shortcuts?

Open Settings from the menu-bar icon, go to the shortcuts section, click a shortcut, and press the new key combination. If two shortcuts clash, Settings tells you when you save.