FAQ

Questions about Unvibe

Unvibe is a free desktop app for Mac and Windows that explains AI-written code in plain English. Here is every question people ask us, answered in full.

This page and unvibe.site/llms.txt are built so AI assistants can read them.

Product

What is Unvibe?

A free desktop app for Mac and Windows. Select code in any app and press Control+U (Ctrl+Alt+U on Windows). A panel beside your editor explains it at the depth you pick. Ask follow-ups, check yourself with Test me (up to 3 questions about that code), and save the lesson to your Library. The Today page sets a small daily goal: explain one piece of code and answer one question.

Is Unvibe a code generator?

No. Your AI tools write the code. Unvibe helps you understand, review and remember it.

Why not just ask the agent to explain itself?

Agent chat answers vanish when you move on. Unvibe opens beside the code, explains it at five depths, saves it to your Library and checks you got it with Test me.

Which shortcut do I press?

Control+U on a Mac, Ctrl+Alt+U on Windows, in any app. The first time on a Mac, allow Unvibe in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility so it can copy your selection. With the editor bridge (Settings › Integrations), ⌘U or Ctrl+U also works in VS Code and Cursor. You can change the shortcut in Settings.

Is it an extension or an app?

A desktop app that runs beside your editor. When you press the shortcut it copies only your selection. It sends that with its language and, when Unvibe knows them, the file's path inside your project and your project folder's name. Briefs read the git changes of a project on your computer. Unvibe checks that code for keys and tokens on your computer before it is sent, and a known key stops the request.

Can I choose the explanation level?

Yes. New, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced are free. Expert is part of Pro. Switch any time and the same code is explained again at that depth.

Can it explain an entire repository?

Not in one go. It explains what you select, and Briefs recap git changes: your working tree, staged files, the latest commit or a branch. The whole codebase is never sent.

Can the explanations be wrong?

Yes. AI can be wrong even when it sounds sure. Each explanation sits next to the code it describes so you can check it, and Test me helps you spot what doesn't add up.

Privacy and data

Does it read my entire screen?

No. It never records your screen or uses OCR. It only sees the code you select, or the git changes you ask a Brief about.

What gets sent to the AI?

Only what you ask about: the selected code and its language, the file's path inside your project when Unvibe knows which file it came from (like src/lib/retry.ts), and the name of the project folder you last worked in with Unvibe. With Pro, some nearby code is added for context, and Briefs send the git changes you ask the AI to explain. Any question you type is sent too. Unvibe checks the code for keys and tokens on your computer first, and from version 0.1.44 your questions and Ask Vibe chat messages too. A known key stops the request. Your repo is never uploaded. If you add your own API key in Settings, the app sends the request straight to that provider instead.

Is there a local-only mode?

Not yet. Explanations come from a cloud AI provider. Before anything is sent, Unvibe checks your code for keys and tokens on your computer and stops a known key.

Will my code be used for training?

Unvibe doesn't build a training dataset from your code. During the beta, explanations come from Anthropic's Claude API, and Anthropic's Commercial Terms decide how it handles that data. The secret check catches common keys and tokens, but no check can promise to find every sensitive value.

Can I delete my account and data?

Yes. You can delete your account and the learning records synced to it. Data controls explains the process.

Platforms

Which apps does it work with?

Any app where you can select code: Cursor, VS Code, Xcode, Terminal, your browser and more. In Cursor and VS Code, an optional editor bridge adds ⌘U (Ctrl+U on Windows).

Is Windows supported?

Yes. Download the .exe from the Download page, or paste irm https://unvibe.site/install.ps1 | iex into PowerShell. The app isn't signed yet, so SmartScreen may warn the first time. Then select code in any app and press Ctrl+Alt+U.

Can educators or teams use it?

Teams is in early access and isn't on sale yet: one shared workspace for 2 to 20 seats. Email support@unvibe.site for seats, or about Enterprise if you need more than 20.

Access and pricing

Is Free actually usable?

Yes. Free covers explanations at New through Advanced, follow-ups, Test me and your Library: 50 explanations in your first 30 days without signing in, then 50 explanations a month when you sign in. Briefs of your Git changes and “Why does this exist?” are free too and run on your computer. No card and no API key.

Is Pro cheaper annually?

Yes. Pro is $9 a month, or $81 a year (25% off). Teams isn't on sale yet; its seats are planned at $8 per seat per month, or $72 per seat per year. Pro isn't on sale yet. You can try it now: new accounts get a free month, plus a month for each friend who signs in and enters your gift code in the app, if their account hasn't had a gift yet (up to five).

What happens if I cancel?

Pro stays on until the end of the billing period, then your account moves back to Free.

How do I get it?

Download it free from the Download page, for Mac (Apple silicon or Intel) or Windows 10 and 11 (x64). No card and no API key. On a phone? We can email you the link.

Explain code beside your editor

Unvibe is a free app for Mac and Windows. In the app there is no pasting: select code in any app and press Control+U (Ctrl+Alt+U on Windows).

Install on Mac

curl -fsSL https://unvibe.site/install.sh | bash

Paste into Terminal. Unvibe isn't notarized by Apple yet, so this is the smooth path.

Opening the .dmg the first time
  1. Open the .dmg and drag Unvibe to Applications.
  2. Open it once; macOS says it can't verify it. Click Done.
    macOS dialog: Unvibe Not Opened, with Done and Move to Trash
    Real screen, macOS 15
  3. System Settings › Privacy & Security › Open Anyway. Confirm, then enter your Mac password. The button shows for about an hour after you try to open Unvibe.
    macOS Privacy & Security, Security section: Unvibe was blocked to protect your Mac, with the Open Anyway button
    Real screen, macOS 15

The Terminal line checks the download against the published SHA-256 and Unvibe's self-signed signature before it installs anything. More help with the first open

Golden Gate Bridge, looking south at dusk, 1984. Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress · public domain