FAQ
Permissions that stopped working, models that won't download, and other common problems.
Permissions
A permission I granted stopped working.
macOS ties a permission to the app’s code signature. Releases are all signed with the same certificate, so updating shouldn’t reset anything. If it happened anyway (for example after you moved from a development build, or the entry in System Settings looks granted but doesn’t work), reset it and grant it again:
tccutil reset ScreenCapture top.jaze.deskmate
tccutil reset Accessibility top.jaze.deskmate
tccutil reset Microphone top.jaze.deskmate Then reopen DeskMate and turn the feature on again. After granting Screen Recording or Accessibility, macOS may ask you to quit and reopen the app.
macOS says DeskMate “can’t be opened”.
See Opening an app macOS doesn’t recognize.
Local models
The model download is stuck or failed.
On the Models page, Local Models shows each model’s state. Downloads follow your system proxy, resume where they stopped, and are checked against a hash before they are used.
- Open Download From and pick another source. DeskMate tries Hugging Face, HF Mirror and ModelScope; with your Mac set to Chinese it starts with ModelScope. When one fails it tries the next, so a stuck download usually means all three were unreachable. Check your network or proxy and press Download.
- If a file is reported as damaged, press Download Again to replace it.
Voice input or memory search doesn’t work yet.
They need their local models. While the models download, the status reads waiting and the features switch on by themselves when the files are ready. You can type to your character in the meantime.
How much space do the models take?
About 250 MB for speech recognition, plus the memory search model you choose: BGE-M3 (default, about 590 MB, multilingual, the most accurate), Multilingual E5 Small (about 135 MB) or BGE Base Chinese (about 100 MB, Chinese only). Switching models re-embeds all memories in the background; searches keep working with the old model until it finishes.
Characters and voices
My character only shows subtitles.
It has no voice. Add a voice service on the Models page (see Quick start), then pick a voice for the character on the Characters page. This also happens after importing a character pack whose voice you can’t use: a cloned voice only works in the account that cloned it, and the pack doesn’t carry any service or key.
Can I use a Live2D avatar?
Yes, but DeskMate doesn’t ship any Live2D files. Download the Cubism SDK for Web from Live2D’s website and a model you are allowed to use, agree to Live2D’s terms yourself, and drop both into the onboarding step or the Characters page. DeskMate accepts Cubism 5.x. The built-in avatar and any .vrm model work without this.
Everything else
Where is my data?
In ~/Library/Application Support/DeskMate. See Privacy.
Does DeskMate collect any data about me?
No telemetry and no crash reports. See Privacy for every network address it talks to.
Something else is wrong.
Search the issue tracker or open a new issue.
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