Wren

Guide

Set up Wren, step by step

About fifteen minutes from download to your first reminder, email alert and ChatGPT question. Each step says what to do and what you should see.

1. Download and open Wren

  1. On the download page, sign in with Google and download the DMG. You can watch the one-minute demo first.
  2. Open the DMG and drag Wren into Applications.
  3. Open Wren. macOS says “Wren” Not Opened, because this preview isn't notarized by Apple yet. Click Done (not Move to Bin).
  4. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Wren and click Open Anyway. macOS asks once per version.

You should see: Wren's window, and a small bird in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Closing the window keeps Wren running there.

2. Allow notifications

  1. Open Settings (⌘ ,) and find Notifications.
  2. Click Send test notification. The first time, macOS asks to allow Wren's notifications: allow them.
  3. Within 10 seconds a notification appears, and Settings says Delivered.

Delivered but no banner? Do Not Disturb or a Focus is on. macOS still delivers Wren's notifications but puts them straight into Notification Center without a banner or sound. Turn Do Not Disturb off, or add Wren in System Settings › Focus. Also check that Wren's alert style isn't None in System Settings › Notifications › Wren.

3. Your first reminder, typed

  1. In any app, press ⌥ ⇧ Space. Wren's capture panel opens.
  2. Type remind me to stretch in 2 minutes and press Return.
  3. Wren answers Reminder created, with the time. Two minutes later the notification arrives, even if you quit Wren.
  4. In the notification, choose Done, or Remind me in 1 hour.

4. Talk to Wren

  1. Press and hold ⌥ Space. The first time, macOS asks for Microphone and Speech Recognition: allow both, then hold the keys again.
  2. While holding, say remind me to call Sam tomorrow at 10 AM, then let go.
  3. Wren transcribes on your Mac, shows the sentence, and runs it: Reminder created: Call Sam.

Wren only listens while you hold the keys (or after you click Voice). Nothing listens in the background. If speech isn't available, turn on Dictation once in System Settings › Keyboard.

5. Tasks and deadlines

6. Morning briefing and evening check-in

At 11:00 Wren sends a short briefing: what's overdue, due today and tomorrow, and anything important. At 19:00 it asks what you finished. Change both times in Settings › Daily rhythm, which also shows what happened to today's. Wren has to be running for these (step 10).

7. Connect Gmail and Calendar

  1. Open Connectors (⌘ 7) › Gmail › Connect Google.
  2. Sign in on Google's page and tick Gmail (read-only) and Calendar if you want them.
  3. Back in Wren, Gmail shows Connected with your address. Wren then checks your inbox once and sends an Inbox review: the unread mail from the last 14 days that looks like it needs you.
  4. While Wren runs, it checks every 5 minutes. Important new mail, such as a failed payment, a payment deadline, a security alert or a direct question, gets one notification. Click it to open that email in Gmail.

“Access blocked” from Google? While Wren's Google sign-in is in testing, only accounts on its test list can connect. Ask the developer to add your Gmail address. Google also asks testers to reconnect every 7 days.

Email is sorted on your Mac with rules. Its content is never sent to ChatGPT or any other AI service.

8. Ask ChatGPT

There are two ways, chosen in Connectors › ChatGPT under “Ask GPT …” goes to:

Several Chrome profiles (school, work, personal)? Each profile has its own ChatGPT sign-in, and a link opens in whichever profile was last in front. In Connectors › ChatGPT › Open ChatGPT in, choose your personal profile: asking ChatGPT, opening a linked conversation and Continue with ChatGPT then always use that account. Works with Chrome, Brave, Edge, Chromium and Vivaldi.

Can't connect?

9. Local AI (optional)

Questions that don't name ChatGPT, such as what is a vector database?, can be answered on your Mac. Install Ollama, then open Local AI (⌘ 8) and click Set up and test. Without it, Wren asks who should answer.

10. Keep Wren running

Reminders arrive even after you quit Wren, because macOS holds them. The briefing, check-in and email alerts need Wren running. Turn on Settings › Open Wren when I log in and keep it in the menu bar. ⌘ Q quits completely.

If something doesn't work