User Guide

Getting Started with Krackloop

Krackloop is a privacy-first AI interview copilot. It runs as an always-on-top overlay, listens to your interview audio, and streams AI-generated answers — using only your own API keys.

Installation

Download the latest release for your platform from the Downloads page.

  • macOS: Download the .dmg file, open it, and drag Krackloop to your Applications folder.
  • Windows: Download the .exe installer and run it. Windows may show a SmartScreen warning since the app is unsigned — click "More info → Run anyway".
macOS Gatekeeper: On first launch, right-click the app and choose Open to bypass the "unidentified developer" prompt. After that, normal double-click works.

First Launch

On first run, the onboarding wizard guides you through:

1
API Keys — enter at least one answer model key and one transcription key.
2
Screen Recording — grant permission so the app can capture system audio from your call.
3
Ready — the overlay appears and you can start recording.

You can reopen the wizard anytime via Settings → Run setup guide.

OpenAI

OpenAI powers both answer generation (GPT-5.4 mini / GPT-4o / GPT-4o mini) and live transcription (gpt-4o-transcribe). An OpenAI key is recommended as the primary setup.

Get your key

1
Go to platform.openai.com/api-keys and sign in.
2
Click Create new secret key. Give it a name (e.g., "krackloop").
3
Copy the key — it starts with sk-…. You won't see it again.
4
In Krackloop: open Settings → API keys → OpenAI, paste the key and click Save.
Make sure your OpenAI account has a billing method and sufficient credits. Realtime transcription uses the gpt-4o-transcribe model which is billed per minute of audio.

Anthropic (Claude)

Use Anthropic for answer generation with Claude Sonnet. Does not support transcription.

Get your key

1
Go to console.anthropic.com/settings/keys.
2
Click Create Key. The key starts with sk-ant-….
3
In Krackloop: Settings → API keys → Anthropic, paste and save.
4
In Settings → Models, select Anthropic as your answer model provider.

Google Gemini

Google Gemini 2.0 Flash is available as an answer provider. Fast and capable for most interview types.

Get your key

1
Visit aistudio.google.com/app/apikey.
2
Click Create API key. Select or create a Google Cloud project.
3
Copy the key (starts with AIza…).
4
In Krackloop: Settings → API keys → Google Gemini, paste and save. Then in Settings → Models, select Gemini as your answer model.

xAI Grok

xAI's Grok 3 Mini uses an OpenAI-compatible API. Good for fast, concise answers.

Get your key

1
Go to console.x.ai and sign in with your X (Twitter) account.
2
Navigate to API Keys → Create API key. The key starts with xai-….
3
In Krackloop: Settings → API keys → xAI Grok, paste and save. Then in Settings → Models, select Grok as your answer model.

AssemblyAI (Transcription)

AssemblyAI is an alternative transcription provider to OpenAI. Uses the Universal-3 Pro streaming model.

Get your key

1
Go to assemblyai.com/dashboard and sign up or log in.
2
Your API key is shown on the dashboard home. Copy it.
3
In Krackloop: Settings → API keys → AssemblyAI, paste and save. Then in Settings → Models, switch the transcription provider to AssemblyAI.
AssemblyAI has a generous free tier. OpenAI Realtime is generally lower-latency; try both and pick what works best for your accent and audio setup.

Screen Recording Permission (macOS)

Screen Recording is the most critical permission. Krackloop uses it to capture system audio from your call — not to record your screen visually.

This permission is required for transcription. Without it, Krackloop can only transcribe your microphone (the interviewer's voice won't be captured).

Grant the permission

1
Launch Krackloop. The onboarding wizard will prompt you to open Screen Recording settings.
2
In System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording, find Krackloop and toggle it on.
3
Quit and relaunch Krackloop. The grant only takes effect after a fresh start.
If Krackloop doesn't appear in the Screen Recording list, click the + button and navigate to your Applications folder to add it manually.

Microphone Permission (macOS)

Microphone access lets the app capture your voice, so the AI can transcribe both sides of the conversation.

Grant the permission

1
On first recording attempt, macOS will show a system prompt asking for microphone access. Click Allow.
2
If you accidentally denied it: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, find Krackloop, toggle on.

Accessibility Permission (macOS)

Accessibility access is needed for global keyboard shortcuts (e.g., ⌘ Shift S to start recording while in another app).

Grant the permission

1
Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
2
Click the lock icon, authenticate, then toggle Krackloop on.
3
You may need to quit and relaunch for shortcuts to activate.
Without Accessibility access, global shortcuts will not work. You'll need to click the overlay controls manually during the interview.

Keyboard Shortcuts

All shortcuts work system-wide — you don't need to click the overlay first. Use Ctrl instead of ⌘ on Windows.

Action Mac Windows
Start / stop recording ⌘ Shift S Ctrl Shift S
Answer latest question ⌘ A Ctrl A
Screen Solve (screenshot) ⌘ ↵ Ctrl ↵
Show / hide answer feed ⌘ B Ctrl B
Mute microphone ⌘ M Ctrl M
Move overlay ⌘ ←↑↓→ Ctrl ←↑↓→

LAN Helper Mode

LAN Helper lets a trusted friend on the same Wi-Fi network view your Q&A feed in real-time and trigger answer generation on your machine — using a one-time room code. Both machines need Krackloop installed.

Host setup (your machine)

1
In the overlay, click the network icon to open the LAN panel.
2
On the Share my session tab, click Generate room code. A 12-character code appears (e.g., ABCD-EFGH-1234).
3
Share the code with your helper (message, voice, etc.).

Helper setup (their machine)

1
Your helper opens Krackloop on their machine and clicks the network icon.
2
They switch to the Help a friend tab, type in your room code, and click Connect.
3
They can now see your Q&A feed live and trigger Answer or Solve on your machine without touching your keyboard.
LAN Helper uses a local WebSocket — no data leaves your network. Both machines must be on the same Wi-Fi or LAN segment.
Only share your room code with someone you trust. They have full view of your Q&A feed and can trigger actions on your machine while the session is active. Click Stop sharing to end the session.