Frequently asked questions

What is Meow?

Meow is a Mac app (Windows in preview) that answers your WeChat while you're away: from your own account, through WeChat for Mac, it replies to one-to-one chats and to group messages meant for you, and signs every reply as AI.

It's a separate desktop app that lives in the Mac's menu bar. It doesn't change WeChat: it reads WeChat's window through macOS accessibility, and clicks and types the way a person does.

Looking for a WeChat auto-reply for Mac? That's what it does, with three differences: it replies from your own account through WeChat for Mac, it signs every reply as AI, and in groups it answers only what's meant for you.

When does it reply, and when does it stay quiet?

As soon as something new arrives; anything that needs WeChat in front waits until you're away.

It checks the chat list about every 10 seconds, even with WeChat behind other windows. To open another chat it waits until the keyboard and mouse have been idle for 60 seconds (you can change that), and it holds off while you're in WeChat. It answers only messages that arrived after your own last message, at most the latest 5. It waits 2–6 seconds before sending. Muted chats and official accounts are skipped. Messages that arrive while Meow isn't running are not answered later.

I live abroad. Can it keep up with my contacts in China while I sleep?

Yes, as long as a Mac stays on with your WeChat for Mac logged in.

While you sleep it answers one-to-one chats and the group messages meant for you: one to three sentences, saying you're away and leaving decisions until you're back. Abroad you can use Claude (available outside mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau) or DeepSeek. WeChat allows one desktop login per account, so while that Mac is logged in the account can't be used on another computer (your phone isn't affected).

What does it answer in group chats?

Only what's meant for you.

In groups you list as “Groups to follow”, it reads every new message and decides whether it's for you: an @-mention, your name, a question to you, or a thread you're part of. Anything else gets no reply. Other groups it opens only when someone @-mentions or quotes you. After it replies in a group it keeps an eye on it for 30 minutes.

Group replies are one or two sentences and use only web search and the public folder, never the private one. Every check in a followed group is one model request, billed even when it stays quiet.

Can it answer from my own documents?

Yes.

Files in the public folder (~/meow/Public) can be used for anyone. Files in the private folder (~/meow/Private) only for contacts you mark as trusted, and for you.

It reads text, Markdown, CSV, Word, RTF, HTML, PDF and images; PDFs and images up to 10 MB each. What's in a file is treated as material, never as instructions. DeepSeek's endpoint doesn't take PDFs, so switch to Claude if you need them read.

Can I give it instructions while I’m out?

Yes: tell it in File Transfer on your phone, or message it from your other WeChat account.

File Transfer is yours alone: turn on “Answer me in File Transfer” in Settings → You and what you write there goes to the assistant. For another account, add its WeChat ID (not its nickname) on the same page; it checks the ID on the contact's profile card before it takes any instruction. You can have it send a file from your folders to a chat, or pass a message to someone (signed as AI, like every reply). The target chat must match by exact name; namesakes are refused. It reports back whether each job worked.

How do mail alerts work?

They need the Mac app, Chrome and the Meow Mail extension.

The extension reads the unread rows of your Gmail and Outlook web inboxes: sender, address, subject, preview and time, never the body. The assistant picks out what matters and sends you a one-line summary on your other WeChat account. Reply “answer him for me” and it writes a reply as a draft in Gmail. It never sends it. Outlook gets alerts only, no drafts.

Set up mail alerts

Which language does it reply in?

The sender's.

Write to it in English and it answers in English. If a message has no words to go by, it uses Simplified Chinese. Mail summaries are in Chinese. The app’s own interface is in Chinese by default; switch it to English in Settings → General → Language.

What can't it do?

A few things.

It ignores images, stickers and recall notices. It watches only the chats visible in the chat list (about 16 in a 1920×1055 window). WeChat allows one desktop login per account. After a WeChat update it may stop working until we ship a fix.

What Mac do I need?

A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) running macOS 14 or later.

Intel Macs aren't supported. Full requirements

Which version of WeChat?

WeChat for Mac 4.1.x, with its interface in Simplified Chinese or English.

We test on 4.1.15 in both. Traditional Chinese and other interface languages can't be read. After a WeChat update Meow checks WeChat's window itself, and if it can't read it, sending pauses until we ship a fix.

Does the Mac have to stay on?

Yes.

It works only while the Mac is on and unlocked and WeChat for Mac is logged in. WeChat's window can sit behind other windows, but not minimised or on another desktop. A spare Mac that does nothing else is ideal.

Can I use the Mac while it runs?

Yes.

With WeChat behind your other windows it keeps reading, and replies in the chat that's open. Opening another chat, a profile card or sending a file needs WeChat in front, so it waits until you've been off the keyboard and mouse for 60 seconds, then hands your window back. While you're in WeChat it holds off. When messages come from many different chats, a spare Mac runs smoother.

Do I need a second WeChat account?

Not for replies, nor for giving it instructions.

Instructions can go in your own File Transfer chat. Mail alerts go to your other WeChat account; you can give instructions from it too, and the assistant recognises you by its WeChat ID.

Is there a Windows version?

Not a finished one.

The Windows version is in preview. It runs on a real Windows PC, but it isn't code-signed yet and its mail alerts are untested, so it isn't for sale or download. Join the waitlist.

Which AI models? Do I need my own API key?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash by default, on your own API key.

You can switch to DeepSeek V4 Pro, Claude (Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5, Fable 5.1, Haiku 5.5) or another Anthropic-compatible endpoint (not individually tested; no web search). You pay the model provider directly for what you use. The key stays in this Mac's Keychain. Anthropic doesn't serve mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau.

How to get an API key

What does the model cost per month?

Estimated, for a typical user: CNY 9–18 (about USD 1–3) on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, CNY 151 (about USD 22) on Claude Sonnet 5.5 and CNY 294 (about USD 44) on Claude Opus 5.5.

A typical user gets about 80 one-to-one messages a day plus about 200 a day across 3 followed groups. These are estimates from the code, not measurements. The Claude figures assume prompt caching; DeepSeek's range runs from off-peak to peak hours. Busier followed groups cost more.

Settings → Assistant in the app shows this month’s requests, tokens and an estimated cost at list prices.

Could my WeChat account be restricted?

Yes, it could: it operates WeChat for Mac through UI automation, which WeChat's terms don't allow.

WeChat's notice of January 2026 lists “using simulated key presses or automation scripts to control WeChat for auto-replies” as a violation. The app keeps a human pace, caps how much it sends, and never sends bulk messages, adds friends or touches Moments, but none of that guarantees an account won't be restricted. Start with the dry run, and with an account that matters less.

Account safety in full

Will people know it's AI?

Yes.

Every reply ends with an AI signature: by default “— Replied by AI assistant” with the app in English, “— AI 助手代回” in Chinese. You can reword it but not remove it: cleared, it falls back to the default. Asked directly, it says it's an AI assistant answering for you.

Where do my messages go?

Only to the model provider you chose, such as DeepSeek or Anthropic. Never through our servers.

What goes: the messages it answers, up to 20 earlier group messages as context, files it reads, and the sender, subject and preview of mail it alerts you about. When you ask it about your contacts, the few it finds go too. Settings, keys, logs and the scanned contacts directory stay on your Mac; the logs record chat names and actions, never message text.

Our license server hears from the app only when it activates, renews or deactivates: the license key, a hash of the device ID, the Mac's name, the platform and the app version. Never chats. Where your data goes

Can I try it first?

Yes, for as long as you like.

Download it free and it starts in dry run: it reads chats and drafts replies, shows every draft under Drafts in the menu (kept in memory only), and sends nothing. When the drafts look right, buy a license, activate it and switch Dry run to Sending at the bottom of the menu. The dry run uses your own API key.

How much is it, and does it renew automatically?

CNY 29 for 30 days, CNY 199 for 365 days, CNY 499 for a lifetime license. All one-time payments; nothing renews automatically.

Renewing adds the days to your current end date (or to today, if it has already ended). If you don't renew, the app goes back to dry run. The lifetime license includes 3 years of updates. Pricing in full

How can I pay?

WeChat Pay, Alipay or a card (UnionPay included). Prices are in Chinese yuan (CNY).

WeChat Pay shows a QR code to scan with your phone, so buying on a computer is easiest; payment doesn't work inside WeChat's own browser. If your card is declined, your bank probably blocks overseas online payments: use Alipay or WeChat Pay.

The price shown is the total; no tax is added. Stripe processes the payment, and if checkout shows the amount in your local currency, the checkout amount is what you pay. We can't issue Chinese VAT invoices (fapiao).

Where can I buy it?

Almost anywhere outside the European Union, including the UK, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Not in the EU yet: a seller outside the EU owes EU VAT from the first sale, and we aren't set up for that. EU buyers can join the waitlist on the pricing page.

How many Macs does a license cover?

Up to 2 with a 30-day or 365-day license, up to 3 with a lifetime license.

At the limit, activating another Mac deactivates the one used least recently. You can also deactivate a Mac yourself on the license page or in the app under Settings → License.

Which updates does the lifetime license include?

Every version released within 3 years of purchase, including fixes for WeChat updates. Those versions keep working forever.

Versions released after that aren't included. A 30-day or 365-day license covers every version while it lasts. The app doesn't update itself: new versions appear on the download page and in the changelog.

I lost my license key. What now?

Enter the email you paid with on the license page and we email you the keys under that address.

To protect your privacy the page never says whether an address has a license. Nothing arrived? Check spam, or write to support@meow.torabit.ai. Go to the license page

How do refunds work?

A full refund within 14 days of purchase, no questions asked.

Write to support@meow.torabit.ai with your license key or the email you paid with. A refund revokes the key, and the app stops sending at its next license check. Refund policy

Who sells it, and who do I contact?

[seller legal name — to be added], a sole trader in the United Kingdom who also makes Meow.

Email support@meow.torabit.ai. We usually answer within 2 business days. About and contact

Is it made by Tencent?

No.

Meow is an independent product, not affiliated with or endorsed by Tencent or WeChat. WeChat is a trademark of Tencent.