I just tried the new ChatGPT update on macOS, and it’s a total game-changer.

It can read my code straight from apps like VS Code or Xcode no more endless copy-pasting.

It’s like having an AI assistant right there in my workflow.

If you’re curious how it works or how it can help you, keep reading. This might transform the way you code.

ChatGPT MacOS app:

ChatGPT’s macOS desktop app can now read and interact with a handful of developer tools like VS Code, Xcode, Terminal, iTerm2, and TextEdit.

If you’ve ever copy-pasted code into ChatGPT (guilty!), this is a game-changer.

What’s New:

• Coding Assistant: ChatGPT can now read your active coding windows and use them as context for your prompts. Ask it to debug, explain, or even suggest changes without copy-pasting.

• “Work with Apps” Feature: For now, it’s all about coding apps, but OpenAI hints this is just the beginning. Text-based tools for writers might be next in line.

• Limited Action: ChatGPT can’t write directly into your coding environment yet you still need to copy the suggestions back manually.

How It Works:

• Uses macOS’s accessibility API to read text from apps (but not visuals like images or videos).

• For apps like VS Code, users need to install a custom extension.

• Sends the last 200 lines of code or the foremost window’s content to ChatGPT as input. You can highlight sections to focus the AI’s attention.

Why This Matters:

This isn’t full-blown AI agent territory yet, but it’s a huge step forward.

Think of it as a smarter co-pilot for your desktop that could eventually evolve into something much bigger.

OpenAI’s desktop product lead, Alexander Embiricos, even hinted that this is foundational for building AI agents that can seamlessly interact with your digital workspace.

What’s Next:

• Expanding Apps: OpenAI plans to add compatibility with more tools and potentially other OSs like Windows.

• Toward General AI Agents: This could be laying the groundwork for OpenAI’s rumored “Operator” AI agent, expected in early 2025.

For now, these features are exclusive to macOS. If you’re a developer using macOS, ChatGPT just became a lot more useful. If you’re on Windows, well, patience is a virtue.

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