Prompy — Quick Start

Prompy turns rough drafts into clear, well-structured prompts — right where you type. It can run on your device with no API key, or on your own provider key — either way, nothing goes through us.

There are two ways to use it: a browser extension (suggests as you type on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and more) and a desktop app (works with any app via the clipboard). You only need one — pick whichever fits how you work.

Step 1 · Pick your engine

The fastest start is Built-in — Prompy runs on your device with Chrome's built-in AI, so there's no key and no setup. Just pick the Built-in provider in the popup and you're ready. (Needs Chrome 138+ on a capable computer; the first use downloads the model once.)

Prefer your own model? Use your own key from one provider instead — pick one and grab a key:

Provider	Get a key
Claude (Anthropic)	console.anthropic.com
GPT (OpenAI)	platform.openai.com/api-keys
Gemini (Google) — has a free tier	aistudio.google.com/app/apikey
Mistral	console.mistral.ai

Your key is stored only on your device and sent straight to that provider. See the Privacy Policy.

Step 2 · Set up the browser extension

1. Install Prompy from the Chrome Web Store.
2. That's it — Prompy is ready. It starts on the Built-in engine, which runs on your device with no API key and no account, so there's nothing to configure.
3. Want to use your own model instead? Click the Prompy icon in your toolbar, pick a provider tab (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Mistral, or Local), paste your API key, and hit Test connection. Every setting saves the moment you change it — there's no Save button.

On the Built-in engine the popup shows an On-device AI panel with its current status. If it says the model is preparing, Chrome is doing a one-time download — hit Re-check once it finishes. If your device can't run it, switch to a provider tab and use your own key.

Step 3 · Improve your prompts

While typing (the main way)

• Start typing a draft on ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini / etc.
• Pause for a moment — a Prompy card appears with a sharper version (it streams in as it's written).
• Click Replace to swap it in, or Copy. Changed your mind? Undo.

More ways

• Styles — pick Detailed, Concise, Professional, or Coding from the card or popup, and re-run instantly.
• Your voice — set a tone preference once in the popup ("warm and direct, no corporate jargon") and every rewrite follows it, so you stop re-adjusting each time.
• Right-click → Improve with Prompy — works on any text field or selected text, even where the live card doesn't appear.
• Manual hotkey — ⌘/Ctrl + Shift + K improves the focused field on demand.
• Conversation context — Prompy reads the visible conversation on the page so follow-ups ("make it shorter and add an example") fit the discussion. On by default; toggle it off in the popup with "Use page conversation as context."
• Per-site control — mute Prompy on specific sites from the popup.

Step 4 · Use the desktop app coming soon

Heads-up: the desktop app isn't shipping yet — builds for macOS, Windows, and Linux are coming in the next release. The instructions below describe how it works so you know what to expect.

The desktop app works with any application (including the ChatGPT/Claude desktop apps) through your clipboard.

1. Launch the app.
2. In Settings, pick your provider, paste your key, and Test connection.
3. Playground — paste a draft, click Improve, then Copy the result.

Improve from anywhere with the hotkey

• Copy your draft (⌘C / Ctrl+C).
• Press ⌘⇧J / Ctrl+Shift+J — Prompy improves it and puts the result back on your clipboard.
• Paste it (⌘V / Ctrl+V).

Add conversation context (desktop)

Sandboxed desktop apps can't be read directly, so the clipboard is the bridge.

• In the ChatGPT/Claude app, select the conversation and copy it (⌘C).
• Press ⌘⇧K / Ctrl+Shift+K to capture it as context.
• Then improve your copied draft with ⌘⇧J — the rewrite now fits the chat.
• Or just paste the conversation into the Context box in the Playground.

Use a local model (Ollama / LM Studio) — free & fully private

Prefer no API key and nothing leaving your machine? Point Prompy at a local model server. It works with anything that exposes the OpenAI-compatible API.

Ollama

1. Install from ollama.com, then pull a model: ollama pull llama3.2
2. Ollama serves automatically at http://localhost:11434.
3. In Prompy, choose provider Local, set the Server URL to http://localhost:11434/v1, click Test connection — it lists your models.
4. Browser extension only: Ollama blocks unknown origins, so allow the extension. Restart Ollama with: OLLAMA_ORIGINS=chrome-extension://* ollama serve (the desktop app needs no such setting).

LM Studio

1. In LM Studio, download a model and start the Local Server (Developer tab).
2. Set Prompy's Server URL to http://localhost:1234/v1 and Test connection. LM Studio enables CORS by default, so the extension works out of the box.

Once connected, everything (typing suggestions, Playground, hotkeys) runs against your local model — no key, no cost, no data leaving your device.

Troubleshooting

• "Invalid API key (401)" — the key doesn't match the selected provider, or has stray spaces. Re-copy it and make sure the provider tab matches the key.
• "Extension context invalidated" — you updated/reloaded the extension while a tab was open. Just refresh that tab (⌘/Ctrl + R).
• Styles seem stuck on one option — reload the extension from chrome://extensions, then refresh the page.
• "Not supported on this device" — the Built-in engine needs Chrome 138+ on a desktop with enough disk and memory. Switch to a provider tab and use your own API key, or point Prompy at a local model server.
• Nothing happens while typing — check the popup: is Prompy enabled, and is this site allowed? Drafts shorter than the minimum character count (30 by default) won't trigger, and Prompy waits for a short pause in typing before it suggests.
• Prompy stopped appearing in one chat — you probably dismissed it there, which mutes it for that conversation only. Press ⌘/Ctrl + Shift + K to bring it back, or right-click a text field and choose Improve with Prompy.

Questions or issues? Email arhaankhan7b@gmail.com or prompy922@gmail.com.