Download NovaHUD for Apple silicon
A direct DMG download. Three days free, no credit card, nothing to cancel.
NovaHUD is distributed as a direct DMG download from this site. It requires macOS 14 or later on an Apple silicon Mac. There is no Intel build, and it is not on the Mac App Store yet.
Important first-run note: the app is signed with a Developer ID certificate but is not notarised yet. macOS Gatekeeper will therefore block it if you double-click it. The first time you launch it, right-click (or Control-click) NovaHUD in your Applications folder and choose Open, then confirm. After that first launch you can open it normally.
Gatekeeper will block the first launch — here is why, and what to do
NovaHUD is code-signed with an Apple Developer ID certificate, but the build has not been through Apple's notarisation service yet. Notarisation is a separate step where Apple scans the app and issues a ticket; without that ticket, macOS refuses to open a downloaded app on a double-click and shows a message saying it cannot be verified.
The workaround is built into macOS and takes one extra click: right-click (or Control-click) NovaHUD in your Applications folder, choose Open from the menu, and confirm in the dialog that appears. macOS remembers your decision, so every launch after the first is a normal double-click.
This is stated plainly here rather than buried, because being asked to bypass Gatekeeper is a reasonable thing to be suspicious about. Notarisation is planned; until it is done, this page will keep saying so.
First-run instructions
From download to talking to your first session.
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Download the DMG and open it
Download
NovaHUD.dmgusing the button above and double-click it to mount the disk image. -
Drag NovaHUD into your Applications folder
Drag
NovaHUD.appout of the mounted disk image and into/Applications, then eject the disk image. -
Right-click NovaHUD and choose Open — the first time only
Because the build is not notarised yet, a double-click will be blocked. Right-click (or Control-click) NovaHUD in Applications, choose Open, and confirm the dialog. From then on it opens normally.
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Allow microphone access
macOS asks for microphone permission on first launch. NovaHUD needs it in order to hear you. Everything it hears is transcribed on your Mac by whisper.cpp and is never uploaded.
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Open your Claude Code sessions and start talking
Each running session gets its own floating card, its own voice and its own orb colour. Address one by name, nickname, session title or orb colour — "blue orb, are you there?" — or say "everyone" to reach all of them.
Your 3-day free trial starts at first launch. No credit card, nothing to cancel.
Requirements
NovaHUD relies on Apple silicon to run its models locally, so the requirements are firm rather than recommendations.
It also needs Claude Code, since that is what it controls, and Ollama, which hosts the local Llama 3.2 3B model used for routing and summaries.
NovaHUD is an independent third-party app. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anthropic.
Download questions
Why does macOS say NovaHUD cannot be verified?
Because the build is signed with a Developer ID certificate but has not been notarised by Apple yet. Right-click (or Control-click) the app in Applications and choose Open to launch it the first time. Notarisation is planned; this page will be updated when it is done.
Is there an Intel Mac version?
No. NovaHUD requires an Apple silicon Mac, because the local speech, voice and language models depend on it — the voices in particular run on the Apple Neural Engine.
Is NovaHUD on the Mac App Store?
Not yet. Right now it is a direct DMG download from this site. An App Store release is planned.
Do I need an account to try it?
The 3-day free trial needs no credit card. The app does check your trial and licence status against api.novahud.app. The privacy page explains exactly what those requests contain.
Which version of macOS do I need?
macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, on an Apple silicon Mac.
Three days, every feature, no card
Requires macOS 14 or later on an Apple silicon Mac.