Automation and AI
On-device AI: summarize, rewrite, extract, explain
Apple's on-device model, four separate switches, all off until you turn them on.
PromacOS 26 or later with Apple Intelligence on
What it does
Four actions over a text clip, all local:
- Summarize to one to three sentences.
- Rewrite or format, fixing grammar, punctuation and structure.
- Extract action items as a bullet list.
- Explain this for code, a regex, a shell command or an error message, in plain language.
What it needs
macOS 26 or later with Apple Intelligence turned on, and Pro. Everything else in ClipBuddy runs on macOS 13 and later, so an older Mac loses these actions and nothing else.
Off by default, on purpose
Each action has its own switch, and the model is loaded only when you run one. A clipboard manager that quietly ran a language model over everything you copied would be a different product.
Tips
- Explain this is the best of the four for a shell command you found online. Read the explanation before you run the command.
- Summarize works on the long email you copied, not on a code file. Ask the right tool the right question.
Summarize or explain a clip
- 1 Check the requirements
AI actions need macOS 26 or later with Apple Intelligence turned on in System Settings, and a Pro licence. The rest of ClipBuddy runs on macOS 13 and later.
- 2 Turn on the action you want
Each action is its own switch and each is off by default. Enable only what you will use.
- 3 Pick a text clip
Open the picker with ⌘⇧V and select a text clip.
- 4 Run the action
Summarize it to one to three sentences, rewrite or reformat it, extract the action items as a bullet list, or explain code, a regex, a shell command or an error in plain language.
Frequently asked questions
Does my text go to a server?
No. The actions run on Apple Foundation Models, the on-device model. Nothing leaves your Mac, and ClipBuddy ships without the outbound network entitlement.
Why is each action a separate switch?
So enabling a summarizer does not silently enable everything else. The model is loaded only when you actually use an action.
Why do I not see these actions?
They need macOS 26 or later with Apple Intelligence enabled, plus Pro. On an older macOS the rest of the app works normally and these actions are hidden.
