Getting Started

This guide walks you through the first few minutes with Atua.

Install

  1. Download Atua from the website.
  2. Drag Atua.app into your Applications folder.
  3. Open Atua.

Atua requires macOS 15 Sequoia or later.

Activate Your License

The first time you open Atua, you will be asked for your license key.

  1. Paste your license key into the welcome window.
  2. Click Activate License.
  3. After activation, Atua moves to your menu bar.

If you do not have a license yet, you can get one from the Atua website.

Connect Your AI Provider

Before you can ask anything, you need to connect a model provider:

  1. Click the Atua icon in the menu bar and open Settings.
  2. Go to the Models tab.
  3. Click + and choose a provider such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or Groq.
  4. Paste your API key and click Save.
  5. Make sure the provider is toggled as Active.

If you want to keep your prompts local, you can also use Ollama or LM Studio.

Try It

  1. Open any app where you have text, such as Mail, Notes, Slack, or your browser.
  2. Select some text.
  3. Press ⌥ + Space.
  4. Type something like “make this more professional” and press Enter.
  5. When the answer looks good, press ⌘ + Enter to paste it back into your app.

Permissions You May See

You do not need to grant every permission up front. Atua asks when you use a feature that needs one.

PermissionWhat it is used for
AccessibilityReading selected text from other apps and capturing text-based app content
Screen RecordingReading on-screen text with {{ocr}} and other screen-based capture features
MicrophoneSpeech to Text and Voice Paste
AutomationLetting tools interact with apps like Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Finder, and Shortcuts

The easiest place to check your current status is Settings → General inside Atua.

Accessibility

Atua needs Accessibility permission to read selected text from other apps.

macOS will ask the first time you use that feature:

  1. Click Open System Settings when prompted.
  2. Turn Atua on in the Accessibility list.

Screen Recording

Atua needs Screen Recording permission for screen-based text capture, especially when you use {{ocr}} to read text that is visible but not selectable.

If you plan to work from screenshots, scanned PDFs, images, or UI text, turn this on when prompted.

Microphone

Atua needs Microphone permission for Speech to Text and Voice Paste.

If you only type, you can skip this permission.

Automation

Atua may ask for Automation permission when tools need to work with other apps on your Mac.

This mainly matters for features like:

  • Calendar tools
  • Reminders tools
  • Notes tools
  • Finder tools
  • Shortcuts

If you never use those tools, you may never see this permission.