macOS App

Why Tonero needs
Accessibility access

macOS requires the Accessibility permission for any app that reads from or writes to text fields in other apps. Here's exactly what Tonero does — and doesn't — do with it.

How Tonero uses Accessibility

When you press the global shortcut (⌥Space by default), Tonero reads the text you have selected in whatever app is in focus — Slack, Mail, Notes, or anywhere else. After you choose a tone, it types the rewritten text back into the same field.

Reading selected text and pasting a replacement back are both Accessibility APIs. macOS gates them behind a one-time permission prompt — the same prompt every clipboard manager, text expander, and window manager asks for.

What Tonero does

  • ✓ Reads the text you have actively selected when you invoke the shortcut
  • ✓ Inserts the rewritten text into the same field, replacing your selection
  • ✓ Detects which app is in the foreground (just the app name, to label your session)

What Tonero never does

  • ✕ Reads your screen, keystrokes, or any text you haven't selected
  • ✕ Runs in the background monitoring your activity
  • ✕ Sends the content of other apps to our servers
  • ✕ Stores your text locally beyond the duration of a single rewrite request
Only your selected text leaves your device. It is sent over HTTPS to our API solely to perform the rewrite you requested, and it is not logged or stored after the response is returned.

How to grant the permission

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and toggle Tonero on. macOS will remember this choice — you only need to do it once.

If you change your mind, you can revoke it at any time from the same panel.

Questions?

Read our Privacy Policy or reach out to [email protected].