If you want to ask AI a question and watch the conversation go up in virtual flames when you're done, there's a new Mac app for that. Howler is an open-source app from a Chinese developer going by Aries Zhou, and it takes incognito mode AI questions to a new level by making them graphically interesting and easy to access right from the desktop of a macOS device.
Anyone familiar with the Harry Potter series is likely to know where the name comes from - Howlers are letters that scream in recipients’ faces and then burst into flames, destroying themselves, which is the exact same thing the prompts ostensibly do once a user taps the Escape key. The Howler app displays a parchment-esque letter on the screen whenever the user presses Option+H, complete with a little wax seal that shows a letter representing their chosen model.
Responses to queries are written out “at a hand’s pace,” per Howler’s website, first in glowing gold that settles to a sepia-toned print. “Besides needing translation at any time, I often want to look up a concept or learn about an event on the fly, without wanting to switch to a browser or open a separate session in Chat,” Zhou wrote in a comment on his Hacker News post showing off the applet.
“So I made Howler, dedicated to Harry Potter fans, always there when you call, burning after reading.” The biggest catch to using Howler is that setting it up involves either using an AI service that can run commands, like Claude Code or another coding agent, or running the configuration commands manually. The recommended method involves pasting a setup prompt into the agent's input field.
Once set up, Howler can connect to supported AI models using an API key, or to compatible models running locally. Howler’s website states that the API key never enters the chat and is stored in the macOS Keychain for safety. In addition to the API key for the chosen model staying local and not being printed, Howler is described on its website as only storing messages in memory with no history, sending requests straight to the chosen AI service and never through a relay, keeping no logs, and only connecting to an outside service to check for updates - and even that feature can be disabled.
It’s a handy tool for those who want to ask AI questions without leaving a chat history on their Mac – like trying to remember the name of that damn function you’re supposed to have down by now, or whether Memorial Day or Labor Day is the one in the fall. Just don’t assume the AI provider won’t retain a record of the exchange. “Unlike regular conversations, it doesn't take up your conversation list, and you don't have to think about cleaning it up or archiving it afterward,” Zhou explained.
“It's only for handling your sudden flashes of inspiration or a moment of confusion.” And it does it with panache - sure, it’s just an interface for an AI model one could find elsewhere, but it’s easily conjured, dismissed with a snap, and is open source, to boot. You can find Howler on GitHub, or download it from its website, both linked above.
Originally published at theregister.com
