theJayTea/WritingTools

Writing Tools – AI‑powered, system‑wide writing assistant

What it is – An open‑source desktop application that lets you invoke a large‑language model (LLM) from any window on Windows, Linux or macOS. With a single hot‑key you can proofread, rewrite, change tone, translate, summarise web pages or YouTube transcripts, and even chat with the model.

Why it matters – It brings the kind of AI‑assisted writing that Apple ships for macOS to other platforms, and it lets you choose between cloud APIs (Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, etc.) or local models run via Ollama, llama.cpp, MLX, etc. The result is a free, privacy‑first alternative to commercial products like Grammarly Premium.

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Core features (as described in the README)

• System‑wide hot‑key (Ctrl+Space by default) works in any app that lets the program read/replace selected text.
• Proofread / Rewrite / Tone‑shift – pick from built‑in commands (Friendly, Professional, Concise) or type a custom instruction (e.g., "add comments to this code", "translate to French").
• Summarisation suite – generate a plain summary, key‑point list, or a Markdown table from selected text, web pages, or YouTube video transcripts. The output appears in a pop‑up with Markdown rendering.
• Ad‑hoc chat – press the hot‑key without a selection to open a chat window; history is cleared when the window closes.
• Custom buttons – users can define their own prompt buttons and assign shortcuts, turning the app into a personal AI command centre.
• Theme & UI – two visual themes (gradient blur or plain Windows‑V style), dark‑mode support, and a settings pane to change the hot‑key.
• Multilingual – works with any language; translation is handled via the LLM.
• Code‑aware – can improve, translate, or comment code snippets.

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Platform support

Platform	Implementation	Notable notes
Windows	Portable executable (Writing Tools.exe). No installer; just unzip and run. Requires admin rights on first launch to write config files.
Linux	Runs from source; works on X11 out‑of‑the‑box. Wayland support via XWayland or per‑app disabling with Flatseal.
macOS	Native Swift/SwiftUI app (writing‑tools.app). Requires macOS 14+ (accessibility & screen‑recording permissions). Can run local models with MLX on Apple Silicon for on‑device inference.

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Model & provider flexibility

• Cloud – easy‑to‑use Gemini 2.0 Flash (~30 B parameters) via free API key, plus OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, OpenRouter, etc. The app uses an OpenAI‑compatible interface, so any provider that speaks that protocol works.
• Local – Ollama (any model that Ollama serves), llama.cpp, KoboldCPP, TabbyAPI, vLLM, and on macOS the MLX framework for Apple‑silicon‑optimized models. The README recommends Llama 3.1 8B (≈8 GB VRAM/RAM).
• Switching providers is done in the Settings pane; you can even assign different providers per command.

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Installation (quick‑start)

• Windows – Download the latest Writing.Tools.zip from the Releases page, extract, run Writing Tools.exe. Optional: enable “start on boot” from the tray icon.
• Linux – Follow the linked Run it from the source code guide; the app works on X11, with work‑arounds for Wayland.
• macOS – Download the .dmg from Releases, drag writing‑tools.app into Applications. Grant Accessibility (and optionally Screen Recording) permissions when prompted.

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Privacy & security

• No telemetry, logging, or data collection performed by the app itself.
• API keys and configuration files are stored locally on the user’s device.
• Text is only sent to a remote provider when the user explicitly triggers a command; otherwise local models keep all data on‑device.
• The chat window discards its history on close.

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License & community

• License: GNU GPL v3 – free to use, modify, and redistribute.
• Contributors: Core Windows/Linux contributors include momokrono, CameronRedmore, Soszust40, etc.; the macOS Swift port is authored by Arya Mirsepasi with additional help from several others.
• Support: Buy‑me‑a‑coffee links for the main maintainer (Jesai) and the macOS maintainer.
• Media coverage: The README lists >30 publications and a ranking as a top‑trending AI repo (Oct 2024).

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Who might benefit?

• Writers, students, or professionals who need quick grammar fixes or tone adjustments without leaving their current application.
• Developers who want on‑the‑fly code commenting or translation.
• Anyone who prefers a privacy‑first solution and wants the option to run LLMs locally.

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Bottom line: Writing Tools is a genuine, cross‑platform AI‑assisted writing utility that leverages both cloud and local LLMs, offers extensive customisation, and is released under an open‑source license.