Install and first-time setup

Before you start

1. Install the app

1. Open the DMG
   Double-click the downloaded WorkPilot-x.x.x-arm64.dmg.

2. Drag it to Applications
   In the window that opens, drag WorkPilot onto the Applications folder.

3. Eject the DMG
   Eject the white disk icon from your desktop.

2. Launch it for the first time

Double-click WorkPilot in Applications. If macOS asks “WorkPilot is an app downloaded from the Internet. Are you sure you want to open it?”, choose Open.

If you see “cannot verify the developer”

Depending on the build you received, macOS may show this warning. Try these in order.

1. Right-click to open
   Right-click (or control-click) WorkPilot in Applications → Open → Open again. Once it launches this way, normal double-clicking works from then on.

2. If it still won't open
   Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway next to the WorkPilot message.

3. The setup wizard (5 steps)

On first launch a setup screen appears, with five steps across the top.

At the bottom you'll find Back, Later and Next. Skipping with Later is fine — you can reopen the whole wizard from Settings → Connections → Open first-time setup again.

What is Terminal? (worth reading first)

In the next step a Terminal window opens on its own — a window of plain text. Don't panic.

• Terminal ships with every Mac. It's a place where you talk to the computer in text.
• WorkPilot types the command for you. You don't need to write anything.
• Your job is to read, pick an option with the arrow keys, and press Enter.
• Once sign-in finishes you can close the window (⌘+W).

Step 2: connect an AI (the important one)

This screen shows three cards. Connecting any one of them is enough to start.

Connecting Claude with your subscription

1. Press 🔗 Connect (sign in from Terminal) on the Claude card
   A Terminal window opens. WorkPilot has passed /login to the bundled Claude program.

2. Terminal asks how you want to sign in
   You'll see a short list, usually two options:

   • Your subscription account (Claude Pro / Max) ← choose this if you have one
   • An API-billing account (Anthropic Console)

   Move with ↑ ↓ and confirm with Enter. The mouse won't work here.

3. A browser opens
   Sign in with the account you pay for and approve access.

4. Go back to Terminal
   A success message appears. If a verification code is shown, copy it, paste it into Terminal (⌘+V) and press Enter. You can close the window afterwards.

5. Return to WorkPilot and press Test connection
   The app sends a real one-line question to the AI and checks that an answer comes back. Success turns the status green.

The screen also reminds you: Finish signing in from Terminal, then press “Test connection”. Signing in alone will not turn it green — you must press the test button.

Connecting ChatGPT

1. Press 🔗 Connect (sign in with ChatGPT). Terminal opens.

2. A browser appears — sign in with the ChatGPT account you pay for.

3. When Terminal shows success, close it.

4. Back in WorkPilot, press Test connection.

If something is missing you'll see You need to sign in to ChatGPT. Press Connect, finish signing in from Terminal, then test again.

Using Gemini (no Terminal needed)

Gemini is the exception: no Terminal involved. Paste the API key you created in Google AI Studio into the field on the card. It changes to Saved — ready to use.

Step 3: the video engine (Higgsfield)

Skip this if you're not making video — the screen even says If you're not making video, you can set this up later.

1. Press 🔗 Connect. The note says This opens the Higgsfield sign-in page in your browser.

2. Terminal opens, registers the video engine with Claude, and then a browser opens for Higgsfield sign-in.

3. Sign in with an account that has an active plan and approve access.

4. Return to WorkPilot and press the button again. Success means your remaining credits and plan name appear.

Step 4: storage and profile

This shows the folder where your work and logs are saved. The default is Documents/WorkPilot, and Open folder reveals it in Finder.

• The default is fine. You can change it later under Settings → Data.
• A company name is used for branding on deliverables. Leaving it blank is fine.

Step 5: your first prompt

The final screen offers ready-made prompts you can press straight away.

• 🎬 Make a vertical video of walking under cherry blossoms
• 🖼 Draft a 15-second company intro video
• 💬 Tell me what this app can do

If you're not sure where to begin, the third one is the safe choice. It costs nothing and the app explains itself.

Afterwards, if past Claude Code or ChatGPT conversations exist on this Mac, you'll be offered an import. Declining is fine — you can import later.

The permission prompts you'll see

macOS may ask for a few things. Here's what each is for.

If you decline by accident, you can change it later in System Settings → Privacy & Security.

Sending your first instruction

1. Create a thread
   ＋New at the bottom of the sidebar → Thread. A thread is one piece of work.

2. Pick a mode
   In the composer. For research and writing, that's Chat.

3. Write what you want and send
   Enter sends, Shift+Enter adds a line break.

4. Press Esc to stop
   It halts a running task. Within 5 seconds of sending, it undoes the send instead and returns your text.

If something doesn't work

To search by symptom, see Troubleshooting by symptom. For unfamiliar words, see the Glossary.

Where to go next

• Connect your AI and services — adding more connections later
• Understanding the interface — what lives where
• Threads and the composer — prompting and stopping