# Writing Tools by theJayTea: a system-wide AI proofreader for Windows, Linux and macOS > Writing Tools puts an LLM behind a single hotkey so you can proofread, rewrite or summarize selected text in any app. It is a strong fit for people who want an Apple Intelligence style workflow on Windows or Linux, and a poor fit for anyone expecting a stable Linux build or a browser-only tool. **theJayTea/WritingTools** — The world's smartest system-wide grammar assistant; a better version of the Apple Intelligence Writing Tools. Works on Windows, Linux, & macOS, with the free Gemini API, local LLMs, & more. - Repository: https://github.com/theJayTea/WritingTools - Stars: 2,461 · Forks: 161 - Language: Swift - License: GPL-3.0 - Published: 2026-09-09 · Updated: 2026-09-09 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/thejaytea-writingtools ## The problem Writing Tools targets: proofreading outside the editor Most grammar checkers live inside one surface. A browser extension only sees text boxes in that browser. A word processor add-in only sees that document. The README frames Writing Tools as an Apple Intelligence alternative for Windows, Linux and macOS, and the workflow it describes is deliberately surface-agnostic: you select text anywhere, press a hotkey, and the result replaces the selection. The README states that the app does not touch your clipboard, which matters because the common workaround for this problem is a script that copies, calls an API, and pastes back, clobbering whatever you had copied. The intended user is someone who writes in many places (email clients, chat apps, ticket systems, code editors) and does not want a separate subscription or a separate window per app. The README also lists summarization of webpages and YouTube transcripts, plus a chat mode when you invoke the hotkey with nothing selected. That is a wider scope than grammar checking, and it is the reason the project describes itself as a writing assistant rather than a linter. ## How the hotkey, the LLM backend and the replacement step fit together The mechanism described in the README is a three-part loop. First, a global hotkey (ctrl+space by default, and the README says the hotkey is configurable) captures the current selection. Second, a menu of actions appears: Proofread, Rewrite, Friendly, Professional, Concise, Summary, Key Points, Table, plus a free-text field labeled "Describe your change...". Third, the chosen instruction and the selected text go to an LLM, and the returned text replaces the selection, with ctrl+z to revert. The backend is pluggable by design. The README points to the free Gemini API and Gemini 2.0 as the quick path, and to local runtimes (Ollama, llama.cpp, KoboldCPP, TabbyAPI, vLLM) or cloud providers (ChatGPT, Mistral AI) through what it calls OpenAI-API-compatibility. That compatibility layer is the architectural center of gravity: anything speaking the OpenAI chat completions shape can be dropped in. The repository splits the codebase into Windows_and_Linux/ and macOS/, and the macOS side is described as a native Swift port built by a separate contributor, which explains why the two platforms version independently. The README's privacy claims are specific: API key and config files stay on the device, no logging, no diagnostic collection, no tracking, no ads, and invocation only on command. ## Installing Writing Tools on Windows and running a first proofread The README gives a one-minute install for Windows. Go to the Releases page, download the latest Writing.Tools.zip file, extract it to your desired location, and run Writing Tools.exe. The README recommends Documents or App Data/Local and notes that if you extract into a protected folder such as Program Files you must run it as administrator at least on first launch, because the app creates and edits its config files in the same folder as its executable. ```text Download Writing.Tools.zip from the Releases page Extract it to Documents or App Data/Local Run Writing Tools.exe ``` After the app starts it sits in the tray, at the bottom right of the taskbar on Windows, and the README says you enable starting Writing Tools on boot from that tray icon's Settings. The first real use is the loop the README documents: select a paragraph in any app, press ctrl+space, pick Proofread, and the selection is replaced in place. If the output is wrong, ctrl+z reverts it. To try a custom instruction instead of a preset, type something like "make it title case" or "translate to French" into the "Describe your change..." field. For summarization, the README suggests selecting a whole page with ctrl+a or selecting a YouTube transcript from the video description, then choosing Summary, Key Points or Table. The Linux instructions in the README are marked work-in-progress, so treat the Windows path as the supported one and check the Releases page for what is actually shipped. ## Where Writing Tools breaks down The most concrete limitation is stated by the project itself: the Linux build is labeled work-in-progress in the README. If you are on Linux and need this tomorrow, that label is the answer, and the Releases list shows Windows and macOS assets rather than a Linux artifact. The second constraint is the LLM dependency. Writing Tools is a front end; it does not contain a model. The free Gemini API path requires an API key and sends your text to Google. The local path keeps text on the machine but requires you to run a runtime such as Ollama and point the app at it, which is a real setup cost and a real hardware cost. There is no offline mode without that second piece. Third, the replacement model has a failure mode baked in: the tool overwrites the selection. The README offers ctrl+z as the escape hatch, which works in applications that implement undo on programmatic replacement, and does not work in applications that do not. Anywhere the selection cannot be read or written reliably (some terminals, some remote desktops, some apps with custom text handling) the loop simply will not fire. Finally, the README leans on comparative claims about model size and competitor quality that are assertions, not measurements published in the repository, so weigh them as positioning rather than evidence. ## Writing Tools compared with a browser extension such as Grammarly The closest everyday alternative is a browser extension grammar checker, and the difference is architectural rather than cosmetic. An extension is injected into a rendering engine, so it sees DOM text fields and nothing else; it cannot help you inside a native email client, a PDF reader or an IDE, and it typically requires an account and a subscription tier for the better suggestions. Writing Tools inverts that: it operates at the operating system level through a global hotkey, so coverage is whatever the OS lets it read and write, and it is not tied to a browser at all. The price of that inversion is that Writing Tools has no ambient underline as you type. It is invoked, not always-on, and the README presents that as a privacy property. On the model side, the README contrasts Apple's on-device approach (described there as a 3B parameter model) with the ability to point Writing Tools at a larger hosted model or a local one. If your requirement is continuous inline suggestions inside a web app, an extension is the better tool. If your requirement is the same action across every application on the desktop, the extension cannot reach there and Writing Tools can. ## Maintenance, releases and what the GPL-3.0 licence means for you The repository is not archived and the last push was on 2026-08-19, so the project is being touched. Releases are not synchronized across platforms: the most recent listed release is Win_v9+mac_OS_v6.1 from 2026-05-10, preceded by Win_v8+mac_OS_v6.1 on 2026-03-01 and Win_v8+mac_OS_v6.0 on 2025-12-31. Windows and macOS version numbers move independently because the macOS application is a separate Swift port, so a bug fix on one side does not imply a matching build on the other. The README states the project will always remain completely free and open source, and the licence is GPL-3.0. In practical terms, GPL-3.0 means you can use, study, modify and redistribute the software, and that if you distribute a modified version you must do so under the same licence and make the source available. It does not restrict your use of the tool to produce text, and it does not oblige you to publish documents you ran through it. What it does rule out is taking the code into a closed-source product without complying with the copyleft terms. This is a summary of the licence identifier in the repository, not legal advice; read the LICENSE file for the operative text. Upgrade cost is low by design: it is a portable app, so a new release is a new zip you extract over the old folder, with your config files living alongside the executable. ## Conclusion Adopt Writing Tools if you write on Windows or macOS and want one hotkey to proofread, rewrite or summarize text in whatever app already has focus, and if you accept that the Linux build is labeled work-in-progress. Skip it if you need a browser extension, a managed service with a support contract, or a tool that works without configuring an LLM backend. Before committing, verify which release asset matches your OS, confirm the licence text in the repository's LICENSE file, and decide whether your text can leave the machine or must go to a local model through Ollama or another OpenAI-compatible endpoint. ## FAQ ### What is Writing Tools by theJayTea? It is a free, open source, system-wide AI writing assistant for Windows, Linux and macOS. The README describes it as an Apple Intelligence-inspired application that lets you select text anywhere, press a hotkey, and have an LLM proofread, rewrite, translate or summarize it in place. ### How do I use Writing Tools on a Mac? The README directs Mac users to the macOS section and notes that the macOS build is a native Swift port maintained by a separate contributor, with its own version numbers such as mac_OS_v6.1. The core interaction is the same: select text, invoke the tool, choose an action. ### How do I use Writing Tools in general? Select any text, press ctrl+space, then choose Proofread, Rewrite, Friendly, Professional, Concise, or type a custom instruction into the "Describe your change..." field. The optimized text replaces your selection, and ctrl+z reverts it. ### Is Writing Tools a good free writing tool? The README states it is completely free and open source with no subscriptions, and that it can run against the free Gemini API or a local LLM. The trade-off is that you supply the model backend yourself, either as an API key or as a local runtime such as Ollama. ### What are the alternatives to Writing Tools? The README positions it against Apple's own Writing Tools and against Grammarly Premium, and contrasts their approaches with the ability to point Writing Tools at larger hosted models or local ones. A browser extension grammar checker remains the alternative for people who only need help inside web pages. ## Sources - [Issues](https://github.com/theJayTea/WritingTools/issues) - [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/theJayTea/WritingTools/blob/main/LICENSE) - [README](https://github.com/theJayTea/WritingTools/blob/main/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/theJayTea/WritingTools/releases) - [theJayTea/WritingTools on GitHub](https://github.com/theJayTea/WritingTools) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/thejaytea-writingtools