CluePadQuestions, answered
How it works
Does it really stay hidden during a screen share?
Yes, and we measured it rather than assuming. CluePad was tested on macOS 26.3 against all three ways macOS can capture a screen — the legacy window API, single screenshots, and the live stream API that Zoom, Teams and OBS use. In every case the note was visible on the presenter’s display and absent from the capture.
What can it not protect against?
Anything that does not go through macOS window capture. A phone or camera pointed at your screen, an HDMI capture box between your Mac and a monitor, AirPlay or display mirroring, or someone remote-controlling your Mac through Screen Sharing. Any tool claiming otherwise is overpromising.
Could a macOS update break it?
Possibly. This relies on behaviour Apple does not formally document. If it ever changes, we would tell you plainly rather than quietly keep selling the claim.
Does it work in Zoom, Teams and Google Meet?
Yes. All three use the same macOS capture APIs CluePad excludes itself from. It also covers QuickTime, the built-in screen recorder, Loom and OBS.
Will my audience see a gap or a black rectangle?
No. The note is simply not in the captured frame — whatever is behind it is.
Buying and licensing
Is there a free trial?
No. CluePad is a single payment, and there is no trial to expire, no subscription, and no account to create.
How many Macs can I use it on?
Three. If you replace a Mac, deactivate the old one from the activation window and use the same key on the new one.
Does activation need the internet?
No. Your licence key is verified on your own Mac against a key built into the app, so activation works with no connection at all.
I lost my licence key.
Email hello@shubhamraut.tech from the address you bought with and we will re-send it.
Will the price go up?
Probably — this is launch pricing. If it does, licences already bought stay valid forever. You will never be asked to pay again.
Can I get a refund?
Fourteen days, no questions asked.
Privacy and requirements
What happens to my notes?
They stay on your Mac, encrypted at rest. CluePad has no servers, no sync and no analytics.
Does CluePad need permission to record my screen?
No. Excluding its own window from capture requires no permission at all.
What do I need to run it?
macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple Silicon.
Is it on the Mac App Store?
Not yet. Buying direct is the only way today.
Still stuck? Get in touch.