Sidekick

Sidekick is a macOS application that gives quick, Spotlight-style access to ChatGPT from anywhere on the desktop. Instead of switching to a browser tab or a separate app, users trigger a keyboard shortcut to bring up a lightweight chat window, ask a question, and get a response without leaving whatever they were working on. The app is free to use, but it requires users to supply their own OpenAI API key, so it acts as a thin, native interface layer over ChatGPT rather than a hosted service with its own backend or subscription. This design keeps the tool simple and puts usage costs and rate limits directly in the hands of the user through their own OpenAI account. Sidekick is aimed at Mac users who want fast, low-friction access to a conversational AI assistant during everyday tasks like writing, coding, or research, without the overhead of managing browser tabs or a full chat application. It emphasizes minimalism and speed over features like file uploads, plugins, or multi-model support. Because it depends on an external API key and OpenAI's own service availability and pricing, its capabilities and reliability are tied directly to OpenAI's platform rather than anything Sidekick controls itself.