# Get started

> What your Mac needs, which accounts you need, and what the first launch looks like.

Source: https://eddystudio.ai/docs/get-started/ · Written from the app's source code, last checked 3 November 2026; generated tables are rebuilt from the source on every build; not every behaviour hand-tested in the beta build

## What you need

| Need | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Mac | Apple silicon (M1 or later). Intel Macs are not supported. |
| macOS | macOS 13 or later. Eddy tells you if your Mac is older. |
| Memory | 16 GB. With less, Eddy warns that edits may be slow or stop. |
| Fast transcription model | Optional. About 5.6 GB, downloaded once when you click Download. It needs macOS 14 or later. Without it, Eddy transcribes with the model that comes with the app, which is slower on a long recording. |
| Vision model | Optional. About 3.9 GB, downloaded only when you click Download on its card in the Doctor sheet. The vision model needs macOS 14 or later. Without it, Eddy labels scenes from on-screen text and screen movement. |
| AI account | A ChatGPT or Claude subscription. Either one is enough. |
| Internet | Needed to talk to ChatGPT or Claude and for the one-time model downloads. |
| Free disk space | Depends on your footage. Before an edit starts, Eddy works out roughly how much it needs and tells you. Long 4K recordings can need tens of GB. |

_Generated from the app's source code each time these docs are built. The rows after Vision model are written by hand._

> **Unknown:** Which macOS versions have been tested end to end is still being confirmed. macOS 13 is the minimum the app accepts.

Eddy doesn't have its own account. You sign in with ChatGPT or Claude, and the sign-in opens in your browser. You never need a terminal.

## Install

Eddy comes as a signed and notarized disk image for Apple silicon. Open it and drag Eddy to Applications. After that, Eddy updates itself (see [Updates](#updates)).

> **Not yet:** There is no public download. During the private beta, Eddy is only for the creators the team picks.

## The first launch

There is no welcome tour. The first screen is the drop zone where your footage goes. Beside it is a short **Get ready** list. None of its rows blocks you; you can drop footage straight away.

1. **Connect ChatGPT or Claude.** The editor runs on whichever one you sign in with.
2. **Your look.** Your colours, lettering and logo for motion graphics. Eddy can read them from your channel. See [Your look and style](https://eddystudio.ai/docs/your-look/).
3. **Fast transcription.** Optional: a one-time download (about 5.6 GB) of a faster transcription model that runs on your Mac. The fast transcription model needs macOS 14 or later, so this row only shows on Macs that can run it. Without it, Eddy transcribes with the model that comes with the app, which is slower on a long recording.
4. **Install.** Only appears if one of the app's own health checks fails, and tells you what to fix.

Scene labels need no extra download: Eddy labels scenes from on-screen text and screen movement. An optional vision model (about 3.9 GB) also lets Eddy look at each scene, still on your Mac. It is only downloaded when you click **Download** on its card in the Doctor sheet, and the vision model needs macOS 14 or later.

The **Doctor** sheet shows every health check in one place. It is also where you connect agents, turn on remote access and send a support report.

## Recording inside Eddy

Eddy can record for you: your screen (the whole display or one window), your camera, your microphone and your Mac's sound. It also records where your cursor goes and where you click, so it can zoom to the right place later. macOS asks you for Screen Recording, Camera and Microphone permission the first time.

## Updates

Eddy checks for updates shortly after launch and then every few hours. It downloads new versions in the background and installs them when you quit, or when you click **Restart now**. It never installs while you are recording, and it never goes back to an older version.