Familiar

A little help, right beside your game. Press a shortcut, ask about what’s on screen, and get a hint or an explanation—with a mark on the detail when useful. Return to your game with the answer still beside you. Familiar runs on Windows and macOS and uses the AI account, API key or local model you choose.

See Familiar in action

A real question, response and screen annotation in Familiar 0.2.9 on Mac with Claude. The 27-second clip uses actual game and app captures, with framing and a longer final hold; the answer is unchanged. Gameplay: The Battle for Wesnoth 1.18.8, © The Battle for Wesnoth contributors. Familiar is an independent app; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.

Free video sources & licenses — no Familiar app or free trial. The free ZIP below contains this clip’s source captures, editing script, credits and licenses. Itch labels free attachments “Download demo”; here that button downloads video materials only. The archive is DEMO-MEDIA-SOURCE-0.2.9.zip. This media package is GPL-3.0-or-later, with the underlying Wesnoth artwork notices preserved. That license covers the video materials; Familiar has its separate buyer permission.

Games, homework, code, and the rest of your screen

• Get a small game hint, a second opinion on a move, or an explanation of a confusing mechanic.
• Work through homework: ask for a concept explained, a problem broken into steps, or help understanding where you got stuck.
• Talk through code, error messages, or an unfamiliar app.
• Hold a screenshot and compare it with a later one.
• Choose company, guidance or coaching, and give your companion a name.
• Choose when screenshots are included and whether conversations become memory notes.

Bring your own AI

Your purchase covers Familiar, not AI access. Use your own Claude account through the unmodified native Claude Code client, an OpenAI / Anthropic / OpenRouter API key, or a compatible local Ollama vision model. ChatGPT-plan login is not included. OpenAI API credit is separate from a ChatGPT subscription. There is no Familiar subscription. Cloud use needs internet and follows the provider’s limits, terms and data policies. Automatic remembering and optional speaking-up glances use additional AI calls.

Use windowed or borderless games; exclusive fullscreen is not supported. Familiar reads and talks; it never presses keys or moves the mouse in your game. AI can be wrong and can spoil a game: ask for spoiler-free hints and check important answers. Compatibility with every game or anti-cheat system is not guaranteed.

Early access

Unsigned early-access downloads: the Mac app is not Developer ID signed or notarized, and the Windows installer is unsigned. macOS Gatekeeper or Windows SmartScreen may block the first launch. Do not disable system security. If you are unsure about installing an unsigned app, contact sourcelator@proton.me before buying.

Mac testing was on Apple silicon. An Intel build is included in the universal download, but its interface has not yet been tested on Intel hardware. Use a windowed or borderless game. If another app takes the Talk shortcut, change it in Settings & privacy.

Local vision models are an advanced setup and share memory and processing power with your game. In the 0.2.8 Windows test, a 27B model took about 128 seconds on an RTX 4070 Ti with 12 GB VRAM, using Thinking Off, 800-pixel captures and 512 reply tokens. This is a tuned result, not a promise of default performance. Choose a cloud route if you need quicker answers; compatible account access or API credit is separate.

Your screen and conversations

Screen on includes screenshots with your messages to your chosen AI. Screen off sends text only. Chats and notes stay on your computer; cloud providers receive the context you send. Private chat skips memory notes but still saves the chat and sends it to the AI. Provider copies follow their policies. No Familiar account or Familiar-hosted AI backend. Read the bundled PRIVACY.txt.

Install and update

Windows: Run familiar Setup, then choose an assistant.

Mac: Open the DMG, drag familiar into Applications, and allow Screen Recording when asked.

No Node.js or source checkout is needed. To update, quit Familiar and install the new download over the old version. Settings and notes stay. Updates require manual installation. START-HERE.txt is bundled.

Buying and support

$5 once, with optional pay-more. One purchase permits you to install and use Familiar on your own computers, including for work. Source code and resale or redistribution permission are not included, except where applicable law or third-party licenses allow them. Those licenses, your separate AI-service agreements and your consumer rights continue to apply. Read BUYER-PERMISSION-0.2.9.txt.

Email sourcelator@proton.me with the version (Settings & privacy), your OS, AI route, error text and what you tried. Use a harmless test window if a picture is needed. Never send passwords, keys, tokens or private conversations.

Refund requests are handled through itch.io support, under itch.io’s refund rules and applicable consumer rights. Troubleshooting does not replace those rights.

About the images and AI

The gameplay clip shows an actual Battle for Wesnoth session with Familiar 0.2.9 and Claude. Setup and privacy images show the actual 0.2.9 apps; no controlled puzzle is a bundled game. Familiar uses AI-assisted code and artwork. Conversation and optional screen annotations come from your chosen AI service or local model.