Grant microphone and Accessibility permissions on Mac

On Mac, Contextli needs Microphone access to hear you and Accessibility access to paste text into other apps. Turn both on for Contextli in System Settings > Privacy & Security.

Microphone

Contextli asks for the microphone during setup. If you clicked Don’t Allow, or dictation records nothing:

1. In Contextli, click Open System Settings on the setup screen, or open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone yourself.
2. Turn on the switch next to Contextli.
3. Go back to Contextli and click Retry.

Accessibility (for Auto-Paste)

Accessibility lets Contextli paste your text where your cursor is. When it is missing, Contextli shows an Enable Auto-Paste window.

1. In the Enable Auto-Paste window, click Open Settings. This opens System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility.
2. Turn on the switch next to Contextli. If it is not in the list, click + and add Contextli from your Applications folder.
3. Return to Contextli and click Check Again. You will see Permissions granted.

Until Accessibility is on, your text is still copied to the clipboard and saved in Notes, so you can paste it with Cmd+V.

Already on but paste still fails

This happens sometimes after an update.

1. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility.
2. Turn the Contextli switch off, then on again.
3. Quit Contextli from the menu bar icon and open it again.

Other permissions you may see

• Screen Recording: macOS asks for this the first time you use a context with screenshot capture. See Give the AI screen context with screenshot capture.
• Login Items: to start Contextli when your Mac starts, approve it in System Settings > General > Login Items.
• Siri Dictation: macOS asks once to allow access to app data when you use the Shortcuts action.

Related articles

• Install Contextli on your Mac
• Text is not pasted where my cursor is
• “No sound from your microphone” or empty notes