Guide
Getting Started
From install to first capture: what to expect, how to hide the app, and where answers show up.
What you need
- A supported desktop environment — Linux is the primary ship today (macOS & Windows coming).
- Your own API keys for Gemini, ChatGPT, or Claude (stored encrypted in your OS keychain).
- Optional: email or Telegram configured if you want answers delivered off this machine.
Install and open the app
- Purchase and download Aspera from the marketing site when you are ready.
- Install the desktop app for your platform and launch it.
- Complete first-run setup: choose a model provider and add your API key.
- Confirm capture works in a private window before any real interview — pick a region, run a sample analysis, and check the response path you plan to use.
Hide before you share
Stealth mode is the default interview posture: hide the overlay completely so nothing Aspera shows up in screen shares or presentations. Turn stealth on before you join the call or start sharing — then work with global hotkeys, not on-screen UI.
First capture
- Focus the coding or question surface you care about.
- Use the capture hotkey to grab a region or screen area (defaults live under Settings).
- Aspera runs OCR and sends content to your chosen model — Coding mode for algorithms, General mode for broader logic or visual puzzles.
Where answers appear
You can keep a private chat on the Aspera side when the UI is allowed, or route results off-device via email or Telegram so solutions never need to sit on the shared display. For interviews, prefer off-device delivery while stealth is on. Details: Off-device answers.
Next steps
- How Aspera works — the full product loop and use cases.
- Built for Linux — why Aspera ships the niche others skip.
- Hotkeys & stealth mode — defaults and settings.