# Desktop app

> System audio, native screenshots and a global hotkey.

## Why use the desktop app

Why use the desktop app > The desktop app is the same Cariara web frontend embedded in a native shell. It exists for a few capabilities that browsers can't provide cleanly: System audio loopback — capture interviewer audio from Zoom / Meet / Teams without virtual cables (BlackHole, VoiceMeeter). The app routes loopback through ScreenCaptureKit on macOS. Native screenshot capture — interactive window picker via macOS’s built-in screencapture -W , producing a real PNG at full resolution. Cmd+B global hotkey — instantly hide or show the window from any app. Real PDF / DOCX export — uses Chromium’s printToPDF and the docx package for proper documents (not browser screenshots). Mic permission at launch — one-time prompt when the app first opens, so you’re not surprised by a permission dialog mid-interview.

## Install

Install > Download the app for your computer from cariara.com/download . The page lists the latest version for Mac (Apple silicon and Intel) and Windows, with the install steps; until a build is published there, Attend runs in your browser. On first launch, macOS will prompt for microphone access. Approve it. If you plan to use the screenshot feature, also approve the Screen Recording permission when prompted — it’s required for full-resolution capture.

## What you get

What you get > All Cariara features — live session, coding helper, system design, prep — work identically to the web app, because the desktop shell loads the same frontend at cariara.com. The differences are OS-level capabilities the browser can’t reach: system audio loopback, native screenshots, real document export, and a global show/hide hotkey. The HTTP cache is wiped on every launch so a fresh Vercel deploy never shows you stale chunks — you don’t have to manually quit-and-relaunch after we ship a fix.

## Hotkeys

Hotkeys > Cmd+B — toggle window visibility (works from any app, even when Cariara is hidden). Cmd+R — hard-reload, ignoring cache. Use if a chunk-hash mismatch ever happens. Cmd+Shift+R — same as Cmd+R (alternate binding for muscle memory from browsers).

## Hiding the window

Hiding the window > The desktop app does not hide itself from screen-capture APIs — if you full-screen share your display, the Cariara window will be visible to whoever you’re sharing with. The recommended workflow is: Share only the meeting tab (Zoom Share Window , Meet share-tab) instead of your whole screen. If you must share the whole screen, hit Cmd+B to hide Cariara before starting the share. Cmd+B again to bring it back when you need it. Don’t rely on positioning, opacity tricks, or virtual desktops for invisibility — screen-capture APIs see all of it. Use Cmd+B and tab-share-only as your discipline.

## Current limitations

Current limitations > No Linux build — use Attend in the browser. Mac updates are manual — Windows updates itself; on a Mac, download the new DMG from /download . No system tray — close button quits the window. Cmd+B is the recommended way to keep Cariara alive in the background.

Source: https://docs.cariara.com/desktop