Questions
Is it free?
Yes. Flyby is free, with no Flyby account and no subscription.
- Browser and Google AI Mode need no setup; AI Mode works better once you connect your Google account.
- Gemini needs your own free API key from Google AI Studio.
- Apple Intelligence needs Apple Intelligence turned on in System Settings.
Does it need permissions?
Not for the shortcut. ⌥/ is a key combo, and macOS hands those to an app with no permissions at all, so Flyby never asks for Accessibility or Input Monitoring.
Asking about your screen (⌥⇧Space) needs Screen Recording, which setup asks for.
Separately, borrowing Safari’s Google sign-in for AI Mode needs Full Disk Access. Firefox usually needs nothing.
Where does my data go?
There’s no Flyby server, so nothing comes to us, and there’s no telemetry.
- Gemini: your question goes from your Mac straight to Google’s API, with your own key.
- Google AI Mode: Google’s page loads in your own Google session, as it would in your browser.
- Apple Intelligence: answered on-device. Your question never leaves your Mac.
- Browser: handed to your default browser.
Chats are saved on your Mac only, never uploaded. Google sees what you ask Gemini and AI Mode, as it would in a browser, and source cards fetch their icons from Google’s favicon service.
How do I install it?
Paste one line into Terminal:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/emonsaqibh/flyby/main/install.sh | bash
It downloads the newest release, puts Flyby in Applications and opens it. Look for the sparkle magnifying glass in the menu bar. Needs macOS 27 on Apple silicon.
Why a script: releases aren’t notarized yet, and macOS won’t open an un-notarized app downloaded in a browser. Files fetched with curl aren’t marked as downloads.
What does it run on?
macOS 27 on Apple silicon.
Flyby 0.3 and earlier run from macOS 14, and the install script won’t install a version your Mac can’t open.
How does the shortcut work?
By default, ⌥/: hold ⌥ and press /. It works on this page too.
In Settings › Shortcut you can record any other key combo, like ⌃⌥Space. Asking about your screen has its own, ⌥⇧Space.
What are the other shortcuts?
Press ⌘/ in the bar for all of them. The ones you’ll use most:
- Return asks; ⌥Return starts a new line.
- ⌘Return opens the question in your browser, from any provider.
- ⌘1–⌘4 switch provider; ⌘K opens the provider menu.
- Esc steps back one thing at a time, then closes.
- / at the start of the bar lists commands.
Which AI does it use?
Four, and the dropdown at the end of the bar picks one (so do ⌘1–⌘4):
- Browser sends the query to your default browser and gets out of the way.
- Google AI Mode draws Google’s AI answer natively in the card.
- Gemini streams a written answer with live web sources.
- Apple Intelligence answers on-device, with no live web.
Browser (and ⌘Return from any of them) can search with Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing or Perplexity.
Is Apple Intelligence private?
Yes. It runs on Apple’s on-device model: no key, no account, and your question never leaves your Mac.
It has no live web, so for anything recent it points you to Gemini or AI Mode. It needs Apple Intelligence turned on in System Settings.
How do I set up Gemini?
Get a free API key from Google AI Studio and paste it into Settings. Flyby keeps it in your Keychain.
Google Search grounding is on, so answers reflect the live web, with source cards underneath.
How does Google AI Mode work?
AI Mode runs in your own Google session. Flyby can borrow your Google sign-in from Safari or Firefox (only Google’s cookies, copied into Flyby’s own store), or you can sign in inside Flyby.
The answer comes from a real Google page running out of sight, and Flyby draws it natively in the card. If Google wants something only you can give, like a CAPTCHA or a consent choice, the page is shown in place with a note saying why.
Since 0.4.1, follow-ups stay in the same Google conversation.
Does it work with Chrome?
Browser mode opens your default browser, whichever it is.
To borrow a Google sign-in for AI Mode, Flyby can use Safari’s or Firefox’s, but not Chrome’s: Chrome ties its Google session to the Mac’s Secure Enclave, so a copy only lasts hours.
How does it update?
Flyby checks for updates by itself, and Check for Updates… in the menu bar asks right away. When there’s one, it hands you the same install command to paste into Terminal.
Is it notarized?
Not yet. Releases are ad-hoc signed and not notarized, which is why installing is a Terminal command: macOS won’t open an un-notarized app downloaded in a browser, and files fetched with curl aren’t marked as downloads.
The source is on GitHub if you’d like to read it first.
Is the source on GitHub?
Yes, the source is on GitHub. There’s no license file yet.
Does it keep my chats?
Once an answer is up, keep typing to ask a follow-up in the same conversation.
Every chat is saved on your Mac only, never uploaded. ⌘Y, ↑ in an empty bar or the Recent Chats pill reopens one. The newest 200 are kept, and Settings › History clears them.
What is Flyby?
A search bar one keystroke away, anywhere on your Mac. Press your shortcut and a dark glass bar appears at the bottom of the screen. Type a question, and the answer grows up out of the bar as a card, over whatever app you’re in.
Esc, and you’re back where you were.
Is it a launcher?
No. Flyby doesn’t launch apps, search files or keep your clipboard. It’s a search bar, and it doesn’t try to replace Spotlight or Raycast.
Is it on Windows or iPhone?
Only the Mac: macOS 27 on Apple silicon.
Where does it live?
In the menu bar: no Dock icon, and nothing in the app switcher. Look for the sparkle magnifying glass. Its menu has Open Flyby, Settings…, Check for Updates… and Quit.
What’s new in the latest release?
- Flyby 0.6: simpler shortcuts with key combos only and no keyboard permissions.
- Flyby 0.5: ask about what’s on your screen with ⌥⇧.
- Flyby 0.4: dark glass bar, follow-ups, recent chats, and Apple Intelligence on-device.
Can I change how it looks?
Flyby is always dark, like Siri on macOS 27, in Liquid Glass. It takes your Mac’s accent colour for the caret, links and focus rim.
Reduce Transparency swaps the glass for opaque dark fills, and Reduce Motion turns the morphs into cross-fades.
