中文EN
Get notified

Install, permissions and updates

Four things to do: move it to Applications, grant two permissions, get WeChat ready, add an API key. After that it runs dry and sends nothing.

Updated

Before you start

  • A Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 14 or later, ideally one you can dedicate to it.
  • WeChat for Mac 4.1.x, logged in, with its interface in Simplified Chinese or English.
  • An API key from a model provider: how to get one.
  • Optional: your other WeChat account (for mail alerts, and for instructions if you like; for instructions alone, File Transfer on your phone is enough), and Chrome (for mail alerts).

Install

  1. DownloadGet the zip from the download page.
  2. Move it to ApplicationsDouble-click the zip and drag Meow.app into Applications.
  3. Open itIt's signed with a Developer ID and notarised by Apple, so it opens normally. It lives in the menu bar at the top right, with no Dock icon. The first time, the setup window opens.

The setup window

Steps on the left, one at a time on the right. The app starts in Chinese: the language menu (the globe) at the bottom left switches it to English. To open setup again later, click the menu-bar icon, then ⋯ → Set Up….

1. Permissions

  • Accessibility: to read WeChat's window and type into it. Click Grant and switch Meow on in System Settings.
  • Screen Recording: to tell who wrote each message. After switching it on, quit and reopen Meow as prompted (there's a Relaunch button).
  • WeChat's files (recommended): so it can read files people send you. Click Allow and follow the prompt.

macOS ties these permissions to the app's signature. As long as you update with our releases, they stay granted.

2. WeChat

  • WeChat must be running and logged in (scan the QR code with your phone if it isn't).
  • Its interface can be in Simplified Chinese or English; we test on 4.1.15 in both. Traditional Chinese and other languages can't be read. The Language row in setup says whether it was recognised.
  • Use a normal window, not full screen (setup has an Exit Full Screen button). It can sit behind other windows, but don't minimise it or move it to another desktop, or it has to be brought forward every time.
  • Turning on automatic file download in WeChat's settings lets it read files people send.

3. Assistant

Choose the model provider (DeepSeek by default). The Open button takes you to the provider's console to create a key. Paste it, click Save, then Test. The key is kept in this Mac's Keychain and goes only to that provider. Step by step

4. You

  • Enter your name. Replies use it, as in “Joe is away from his desk”.
  • To get mail alerts or give instructions from your other WeChat account: send this account a message from it, open that chat in WeChat, click This Chat Is Me and confirm with Yes, That's Me. It notes that account's WeChat ID and from then on recognises you by the ID on the profile card, never the nickname. Meow has to be stopped for this step.
  • To give instructions from your phone only: later, turn on Answer me in File Transfer in Settings → You and talk to it in File Transfer.

5. Mail (optional)

Mail alerts need a Chrome extension; you can set them up later. Mail alert setup

6. License (optional)

Activate your key here if you have one. Without one it simply runs dry. Activate your license key

Start

Click Start (Dry Run). It starts watching the chat list at once, and drafts of its replies appear under Drafts in the menu. When it needs to open another chat, it waits for 60 seconds without keyboard or mouse input before bringing WeChat forward.

After the dry run

Read the drafts for a few days. If they look right, buy a license, activate it, then click Dry run at the bottom of the menu so it reads Sending (it asks you to confirm). The switch at the top of the menu starts and stops it. The tabs in Settings (bottom of the menu):

GeneralThe app's language, launch at login, how long you're away before it brings WeChat forward, the WeChat compatibility check (Check Now)
YouYour name, your other accounts' WeChat IDs, Answer me in File Transfer, the contacts scan
RepliesThe signature, check interval, delay before sending, hourly limits
GroupsFollowed groups, whether to look at other groups when @-mentioned, your name in groups, how much group context to send
AssistantProvider and model, the API key (Save, Test the Key), web search, one-to-one memory, and this month's requests and estimated cost
FilesPublic folder, private folder, who's trusted with the private folder
MailWhat to alert you about, which chat to send alerts to, pairing the extension
LicenseActivate, status, deactivate this Mac, buy or renew

Keeping it running

  • Settings → General → Launch at login starts it with the Mac.
  • In macOS System Settings, keep the display on and the screen from locking. With the screen locked or the display asleep it can't see WeChat. Only do this on a Mac dedicated to it.
  • WeChat allows one desktop login per account: logging in on another computer logs this one out.

Updating

The app doesn't update itself. New versions appear on the download page and in the changelog:

  1. Stop and quit Meow from the menu bar.
  2. Replace the old app in Applications with the new one.
  3. Open it again. Settings, keys, license and permissions carry over.

Messages that arrive during an update aren't answered later, so pick a quiet moment. If a permission turns red after an update, grant it again.

Uninstalling

  1. First click Deactivate This Mac in Settings → License to free the slot (or do it later on the license page).
  2. Quit Meow and delete it from Applications.
  3. For a clean slate, also delete ~/Library/Application Support/meow, ~/Library/Logs/meow, your files folder ~/meow, and the items named meow in Keychain Access.
  4. In System Settings → Privacy & Security, remove its Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions.