macOS
Universal · Apple Silicon + Intel · macOS 13+
Drag KE Pen to Applications, then right-click → Open on the first launch.
Download macOSCompletely free · open source · macOS · Windows · LinuxPoint at the bug.
Point at the bug.
Your AI gets the point.
Draw around anything on screen. KE Pen shares only the marked crop with your configured MCP-capable AI and keeps the red ink visible until the AI explicitly says it understood.
Version 0.4.6 · MIT licensed · no account · no telemetry · no listening port
Version 0.4.6
Download the build for your computer.
Each installer is built and boot-checked on its matching operating system before the GitHub release is published.
Windows
x64 · Windows 10 or 11
Run the installer. Windows may ask you to confirm the unsigned app once.
Download WindowsLinux
x64 AppImage · X11 or XWayland
Make the AppImage executable. DEB and tar.gz builds are on GitHub.
Download LinuxOne honest first-launch boundary: these community builds are not commercially code-signed or notarized yet. macOS may require right-click → Open, Windows may show SmartScreen, and Linux may require
chmod +x. The public source, automated build workflow, and checksums are provided for inspection.From download to first mark.
The app now carries its own MCP server. The normal setup no longer needs a separate Node.js or npm installation.
01
Install and open once
Allow the operating system's screen-capture permission. KE Pen needs it only to crop the area you deliberately mark.
02
Choose Copy AI setup
Open the KE Pen tray/menu-bar menu. Copy AI setup gives you a ready-made MCP configuration using the server embedded in the app.
03
Paste, restart, point
Paste the JSON into your MCP-capable AI host, restart that host, circle something harmless, and ask it to look at the pen.
Quick test
Press ⌃⌥⌘P on macOS orCtrl+Alt+P on Windows/Linux, then draw around something harmless.
Ask your AI: “Look at the pen.” The ink stays visible until the host reads it and completes the handshake.
Local-first by default.
- • No KE Pen account, analytics, ads, telemetry, or listening network port.
- • A fresh install has no upload host or token and makes no background request.
- • The overlay stores the marked crop and lifecycle record locally.
- • Clear local Pen history is always available from the tray menu.
What crosses the boundary.
KE Pen itself does not upload the marked crop. Your configured AI host may send the MCP result to its model provider when you ask it to read the Pen, so that provider's privacy and retention terms still apply. KE Shot upload is separate, optional, and off until you supply both your own endpoint and token.
Circle it. Ask. Keep moving.
KE Pen is free and open source, built by William Keenan at K&E Studios.