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TouchAI is a minimalist desktop AI assistant that lives in your system tray and appears instantly with a global shortcut. This guide takes you from zero to your first AI response.
1

Download TouchAI

Download the latest release for your platform from the TouchAI GitHub releases page.
PlatformFile
macOS.dmg installer
Windows.msi or .exe installer
Linux.AppImage or .deb package
TouchAI requires no runtime dependencies — the Tauri-based binary includes everything needed.
2

Install and launch

Run the installer for your platform and open TouchAI. On first launch, the app starts minimized and places an icon in your system tray.
TouchAI launches silently by design — look for the tray icon rather than a visible window.
3

Set up an AI provider

Before sending queries, you need to connect an AI provider.
  1. Right-click the system tray icon and open Settings.
  2. Navigate to the AI Providers section.
  3. Add your provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, or an OpenAI-compatible endpoint) and paste in your API key.
  4. Save your settings.
TouchAI supports OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, and any OpenAI-compatible API endpoint — including locally hosted models.
4

Open the overlay

Press Alt+Space anywhere on your desktop to summon the TouchAI search overlay.A compact, transparent floating window appears in the center of your screen — ready for input.
You can change the global shortcut at any time in Settings → General → Global shortcut.
5

Type your first query and get a response

Type your question in the search bar and press Enter to submit.TouchAI streams the AI response directly in the overlay with full Markdown rendering, code highlighting, and math support.Press Esc to dismiss the window and return to whatever you were doing.

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What’s next

Installation

Detailed setup for all platforms, including building from source.

AI providers

Connect OpenAI, Claude, or a local model.

Keyboard shortcuts

Customize the global shortcut and other key bindings.

AI search

Learn how the search overlay and conversation flow work.

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