free-cluely AI Tool Screenshot

Introduction

free‑cluely is an open‑source desktop application built with Electron and TypeScript that brings AI‑powered real‑time assistance to your screen and audio. It overlays context‑aware hints, code suggestions, and interview prompts without showing up in screen shares. Licensed under Apache‑2.0, free‑cluely runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and uses your Google Gemini API key for AI processing.

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Key Features

Real‑Time Screen & Audio Scanning: Continuously analyzes on‑screen text and spoken audio to generate relevant prompts and code snippets.
Invisible Overlay: Automatically hides the AI overlay during screen shares or recordings, ensuring privacy.
Electron & TypeScript Core: Cross‑platform compatibility with a single codebase—macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Customizable LLM Backend: Out‑of‑the‑box Google Gemini support, plus easy hooks to add other LLMs.
Invisibility Toggle: Manually switch the overlay on or off with a keyboard shortcut.
Apache‑2.0 License: Free to use, modify, and redistribute—perfect for personal and academic projects.
Community‑Driven: Actively accepting PRs for Windows build improvements, plugin integrations, and enhanced privacy controls.

What It Does?

free‑cluely injects AI assistance into your workflow across four main areas:

  • Coding Help: Generates code snippets, docs look‑up, and debugging tips as you type.
  • Interview Prep: Offers real‑time mock interview questions, answer suggestions, and follow‑ups.
  • Research Aid: Summarizes on‑screen articles or slides and provides concise bullet points.
  • Contextual Prompts: Detects keywords and offers relevant examples, best practices, or definitions.

How It Works?

1. Clone & Install: git clone https://github.com/Prat011/free-cluely.git && cd free-cluely && npm install
2. Configure API Key: Create a .env with GEMINI_API_KEY=your_key_here.
3. Run Dev Mode: npm run dev -- --port 5180 && NODE_ENV=development npm run electron:dev.
4. Build for Production: npm run build to generate cross‑platform binaries.
5. Invisible Overlay: Use Ctrl+Q (Cmd+Q) to quit, and the overlay auto‑hides on screen share.
6. Extend & Contribute: Fork the repo, add new LLM backends, plugins, or UI tweaks, and submit a PR.

Use Case & Target Audience

Use Case

  • Developers needing contextual code suggestions during live coding sessions.
  • Candidates practicing mock interviews without a human interviewer.
  • Students summarizing lecture slides or video tutorials in real time.
  • Presenters requiring hidden AI cues during webinars or demos.

Target Audience

  • Software engineers and full‑stack developers.
  • Job seekers preparing for technical interviews.
  • Academics and researchers wanting quick summarization tools.
  • Open‑source enthusiasts and AI tinkerers.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Free and fully open‑source under Apache‑2.0.
  • Invisible overlay during screen sharing keeps AI private.
  • Cross‑platform with Electron and TypeScript.
  • Active community contributions and plugin-friendly.

Cons

  • Requires a valid Google Gemini API key (no fallback).
  • Electron apps can be resource‑heavy on some machines.
  • Ethical concerns around cheating in interviews or exams.

Final Thoughts

free‑cluely delivers a powerful, privacy‑aware AI overlay for coding, interviewing, and on‑screen assistance. Its open‑source nature under Apache‑2.0 allows developers to customize, extend, and contribute, while its invisible overlay ensures it won’t disrupt screen shares. Ideal for developers, interviewees, and researchers looking for seamless AI help—just remember to use it ethically.

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