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A project introduced on Hacker News as “Show HN” offers bigarrow, a macOS command-line tool and agent skill for drawing temporary pointers and labels over app windows. Its creator says the tool does not click, type or capture the screen; it is intended to show people where to act when an agent reaches a step requiring human input.
A developer has presented bigarrow, a macOS command-line tool and companion skill for Claude Code and Codex that lets AI agents draw arrows, boxes and text over open windows. The utility is designed to direct a person to a control—such as an operating-system permission button—without the agent clicking it or taking a screenshot, according to the project’s GitHub documentation.
The tool can point to an interface element by its label and app name, or to a specified screen coordinate. Its overlays can include explanatory text, with options for different shapes, colors and positions. The documentation says the overlay sits above windows across displays and macOS Spaces, while mouse clicks pass through and keyboard focus remains where it was. Arrows can disappear automatically after a set duration, when the drawing process ends, or when a user runs a stop command.
The project documents examples including directing someone to a button in System Settings, identifying a browser tab, and guiding a user through steps in Keynote. It also describes a text feature that formats a supplied value as a copy button, letting a person click it and paste the value elsewhere. These are examples provided by the project, not independent evaluations of reliability across apps.
According to its creator, bigarrow is a Swift binary for macOS 14 or later, distributed under the MIT license. The documentation gives Homebrew as an installation route and says the skill installer adds instructions for Claude Code and Codex. The developer says the utility has no daemon, account, telemetry or built-in AI. The project characterizes it as a pointer rather than a screen annotator, screenshot tool or click bot.
A Human Step in Agent Workflows
AI agents can encounter tasks where a person must make the final decision: approving a permission, completing a sign-in check, entering a passkey, or authorizing a payment. A terminal message can be easy to miss while someone is looking at another window. A visible marker could make the handoff more direct by identifying the relevant control and explaining what the agent needs.
The tool’s stated boundary is also relevant: it points but does not act. That design leaves the user responsible for sensitive or consequential interactions rather than giving the agent a mechanism to click through them. It may also help people learn unfamiliar software or assist another person during a screen-sharing session. Those are intended uses described by the project; the source does not provide user research or evidence of measured improvements in task completion.
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How the Screen Handoff Works
Agent workflows often combine automated actions with steps that depend on a human, including approvals and identity checks. Bigarrow addresses that handoff by drawing an overlay in the relevant application instead of asking the user to find a control from a text instruction alone. Commands can target an element by name, a window or a coordinate; the project also documents a dry-run option that reports where a pointer would appear.
The developer says drawing requires no macOS permission and that the tool does not capture the screen. The supplied documentation describes demonstrations on a Mac and says a screen-recording guide was made using arrows drawn by the tool. Those materials show the creator’s examples, but do not establish performance across every macOS version, application or interface layout.
“It can point.”
— Bigarrow’s project documentation
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Compatibility and Adoption Remain Open
The supplied material does not establish how reliably the tool identifies named controls across different apps, interface languages, or changes to an app’s layout. It also does not provide an independent security review, user testing, adoption figures or a comparison with other screen-guidance tools. The claims about transparent overlays, permission requirements and process cleanup come from the project documentation.
It is not clear how the tool behaves in every protected or full-screen interface, or whether users will find its visual cues useful in day-to-day agent workflows. The source also gives no dated release history or information on planned support beyond the stated macOS requirements.
screen guidance software for macOS
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Installation and Project Testing
Readers can review the project’s GitHub documentation, install the binary through the listed Homebrew tap, or build it from source with Swift. The documentation also describes installing its agent skill for Claude Code and Codex. The project page supplies commands for showing, stopping and testing pointers, including a dry-run mode.
Further evidence will depend on use beyond the creator’s demonstrations: how the tool performs with different applications and agent setups, whether the integrations remain maintained, and whether users adopt it for sensitive handoffs or guidance. The supplied source does not announce a release schedule or a specific next milestone.
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Key Questions
What is bigarrow?
Bigarrow is a macOS command-line utility that lets an AI agent draw an arrow and label over a window or screen location. Its documentation also describes a skill for Claude Code and Codex.
Does it click buttons for the user?
No. The project says the utility does not click or type; the user performs the action. Its documentation says clicks pass through the overlay.
Does bigarrow take screenshots?
The developer says the tool does not capture the screen and that drawing itself requires no macOS permission. These are claims in the project documentation, not results of an independent audit.
Which systems and agents does it support?
The project lists macOS 14 or later and provides skill-installation instructions for Claude Code and Codex. The source does not establish compatibility with every application or setup.
How do users remove an arrow?
The documentation says arrows can expire after a duration, end with the process that drew them, or be removed with a stop command. It also describes a command for stopping all overlays.
Source: hn
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