# Estage Genesis for Mac

> The desktop app gives the AI access to your own machine — read images from a folder or your Photos library, export files where you want them, capture your screen, and get a notification when a long build finishes.

Source: https://knowledge.estage.com/workspace/desktop-app/
Part of the ESTAGE knowledge base (https://knowledge.estage.com). Full corpus: https://knowledge.estage.com/llms-full.txt

---
**Estage Genesis for Mac** is a desktop app, and it changes what you can ask for. Once it's
running, the AI can reach **your own computer** — with your permission, and only where you let it.

Everything the builder does in the browser still works the same way; the desktop app adds a bridge
to your machine on top.

:::note[Availability]
Currently rolling out to internal accounts, with wider availability shortly. Mac only for now.
:::

## What it unlocks

| Ask for | What happens |
| --- | --- |
| *"use the photos from my Desktop folder"* | The AI reads the images straight off your disk, hosts them, and puts them on the page — no uploading, no drag-and-drop, no hunting through a file dialog |
| *"take the pictures from my Photos library"* | Your actual **Photos** library, not just loose files |
| *"export this as a file"* | Reports, generated images, and exports land on your machine, where you asked for them — it refuses to overwrite an existing file unless you say so |
| *"look at this, it's broken here"* | The AI **captures your screen** instead of you screenshotting and uploading |
| — | A **notification** when a long build or publish finishes, so you can look away and come back |

## Safe by design

**Reading is one thing, writing is another.**

- Your **project files still go through Genesis** and every validation check it runs — nothing on
  your machine can route around them.
- **Credential folders are refused outright** — `~/.ssh` and its neighbours are off limits.
- Access is **permission-based**: the AI reaches only what you allow it to.
- The app is **signed and notarised by Apple**, so macOS opens it without a security warning.

## Signing in

Open the app and sign in — that's the whole flow. There's no pairing code to copy and no
confirmation screen. If you were already signed into Genesis in your browser, the app connects
through that session.