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Aarush Prakash
Aarush Prakash

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I Built MindHalo — a Local AI Study Tool for macOS

#ai #swift

I Built MindHalo — a Local AI Study Tool for macOS

Hi everyone! I’ve been working on a macOS study tool called MindHalo, and I wanted to share it here since a lot of developers and students might find this interesting.

MindHalo is a lightweight AI-powered study assistant designed to help students turn their notes into clean study guides, generate flashcards, and ask questions through an interactive on-device tutor. Everything runs locally on Apple Silicon using Apple’s Foundation Models API — no cloud, no accounts, no stored data.

Why I Built It

Most study tools today are:

  • Cloud-based
  • Slow
  • Require accounts
  • Send data to external servers

I wanted something that:

  • Works offline
  • Respects privacy
  • Runs fast on M-series chips
  • Helps students understand tough topics quickly

So I built MindHalo as a native macOS app using SwiftUI and Foundation Models.

Key Features

Convert Notes into Study Guides

Paste or import your notes, and MindHalo generates a structured, easy-to-review study guide with:

  • Key points
  • Summaries
  • Explanations
  • Terms and definitions
  • Suggested areas to focus on

It uses on-device models, so your text never leaves your Mac.

Study Guide Creation

Flashcard Generator

MindHalo automatically detects important concepts and converts them into flashcards you can save and review later.

Flashcards

Interactive AI Tutor

Ask follow-up questions, get explanations, or break down complex topics.

Because everything runs locally:

  • Responses are instant
  • Your data stays private
  • There's no rate limiting

Perfect for studying or clarifying homework problems.

Interactive AI Tutor

Built with SwiftUI + Apple Foundation Models

MindHalo is written in SwiftUI with a clean, native macOS interface.

It uses Apple’s Foundation Models API to run all intelligence on-device, keeping the experience fast and private.

The activation system is hardware-bound (to prevent abuse), but during the beta, the entire app is fully free.

Free Lifetime License (Beta Only)

While MindHalo is in beta, anyone can generate a free lifetime license key, even if the app becomes paid later.

You can get the license key on the same page where you download the app:

Download & Get Your Free License:

https://mindhalo.techfixpro.net/

This offer only applies during the beta period, so feel free to grab one now.

Version Highlights

  • v1.0.3 — Added support for generating study guides from notes
  • v1.0.2 — Bug fixes and stability improvements
  • v1.0.1 — Added saving for flashcards, study guides, and conversations
  • v1.0.0 — Initial release

Why I’m Sharing This

I’m actively improving MindHalo and would love feedback from other developers, students, or anyone interested in local AI on macOS.

Thanks for reading — happy to answer questions or chat about the implementation!

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