{"slug": "show-hn-i-made-a-free-mac-app-to-annotate-screen-for-ai-agents", "title": "Show HN: I made a free Mac app to annotate screen for AI agents", "summary": "A developer released Lasso, a free macOS app for macOS 14 Sonoma or later on Apple silicon and Intel that overlays a transparent drawing canvas on any app or display so users can circle, highlight, point at or number on-screen elements and then press S to capture the annotated screenshot for pasting into Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT. The app starts drawing with the ⌥⇧A shortcut and clears the annotation with the esc key, and its maker positions it as a way to show AI agents exactly which part of a web page, design or document a prompt refers to.", "body_md": "Free · macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon and Intel\n\nInsightsFileEditViewWindowHelp\n\nMon Oct 19 9:41\n\nLaunch Review\n\nWeekMonthQuarter\n\nWeek of Oct 12 – 18 · All platforms\n\nSign-ups\n\n48,210\n\n▲ 38% vs last week\n\nActivation\n\n64.2%\n\n▲ 4.1 pts\n\nChurn\n\n1.8%\n\n▼ 0.3 pts\n\nDaily sign-ups\n\nPeak 12,480 · Thursday\n\nMon\n\nTue\n\nWed\n\nThu\n\nFri\n\nSat\n\nSun\n\nNext steps\n\nFix onboarding email\n\nShip dark mode\n\nUpdate pricing page\n\nRecord demo video\n\nPlan Q1 offsite\n\nInteractive — click to draw\n\nTry drawing on this screen\n\nThe problem\n\nExplaining your screen shouldn’t be this hard.\n\nWhether you’re presenting, teaching or helping a teammate, pointing with a cursor only gets you so far.\n\nShared screen\n\nWhich one?\n\nPeople lose your cursor.\n\nA small arrow is easy to miss on a shared screen, so “this one, here” lands on no one.\n\nScreenshot\n\nMarkup\n\nReady to send. Finally.\n\nCapture. Edit. Export. Paste.\n\nScreenshot tools work backwards.\n\nCapture first, then open an editor, find the pen, export, paste. By the time it’s sent, the conversation has moved on.\n\nYour presentation\n\nThe big idea.\n\nSave your changes?One more thing before you go.\n\nCancelSave\n\nThere goes your flow.\n\nMost tools get in the way.\n\nExtra windows, stolen focus, and ink that stays behind after you’re done.\n\nHow it works\n\nPress a shortcut. Draw. Press esc.\n\nLasso puts a transparent canvas over everything on your Mac — only while you need it.\n\n⌥⇧A\n\nStart drawing\n\nOver any app, on any display.\n\nLaunch review\n\nSign-ups48,210+38% this week\n\nMake your point\n\nCircle, highlight, point or number what matters.\n\nLaunch review\n\nSign-ups48,210+38% this week\n\nesc\n\nDone\n\nYour drawing disappears and your screen is back to normal.\n\nTry it on this page\n\nGreat for\n\nShowing people exactly what you mean. Agents, too.\n\nA circle on the screen says more than a paragraph of directions — whoever, or whatever, is on the other end.\n\nLaunch Review\n\nWeekMonthQuarter\n\nWeek of Oct 12 – 18 · All platforms\n\nSign-ups\n\n48,210\n\n▲ 38% vs last week\n\nActivation\n\n64.2%\n\n▲ 4.1 pts\n\nChurn\n\n1.8%\n\n▼ 0.3 pts\n\nDaily sign-ups\n\nPeak 12,480 · Thursday\n\nMon\n\nTue\n\nWed\n\nThu\n\nFri\n\nSat\n\nSun\n\nNext steps\n\nFix onboarding email\n\nShip dark mode\n\nUpdate pricing page\n\nRecord demo video\n\nPlan Q1 offsite\n\nMake this card match the other two — same padding, same number size.\n\nAgent\n\nWith AI agents\n\nPaste what you mean into the prompt.\n\nCircle the part of a web page, design or doc you’re talking about, press S, and drag the screenshot into Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT. The agent sees exactly what you see.\n\nYou’re sharing your screen\n\nLaunch Review\n\nWeekMonthQuarter\n\nWeek of Oct 12 – 18 · All platforms\n\nSign-ups\n\n48,210\n\n▲ 38% vs last week\n\nActivation\n\n64.2%\n\n▲ 4.1 pts\n\nChurn\n\n1.8%\n\n▼ 0.3 pts\n\nDaily sign-ups\n\nPeak 12,480 · Thursday\n\nMon\n\nTue\n\nWed\n\nThu\n\nFri\n\nSat\n\nSun\n\nNext steps\n\nFix onboarding email\n\nShip dark mode\n\nUpdate pricing page\n\nRecord demo video\n\nPlan Q1 offsite\n\nJLMRAKSO\n\nIn meetings, online or in the room\n\nKeep everyone with you.\n\nCircle, highlight and point while you talk — on a call, in a demo, in front of a class. No one has to hunt for your cursor.\n\nA\n\nAna 9:41\n\nthis one — can it go out Thursday?\n\nLaunch Review\n\nWeekMonthQuarter\n\nWeek of Oct 12 – 18 · All platforms\n\nSign-ups\n\n48,210\n\n▲ 38% vs last week\n\nActivation\n\n64.2%\n\n▲ 4.1 pts\n\nChurn\n\n1.8%\n\n▼ 0.3 pts\n\nDaily sign-ups\n\nPeak 12,480 · Thursday\n\nMon\n\nTue\n\nWed\n\nThu\n\nFri\n\nSat\n\nSun\n\nNext steps\n\nFix onboarding email\n\nShip dark mode\n\nUpdate pricing page\n\nRecord demo video\n\nPlan Q1 offsite\n\nJ\n\nJo 9:42\n\nOn it.\n\nWith a colleague or friend\n\nSend the shot, not the essay.\n\nMark the exact spot, press S, and drop it in Slack or Messages. “The second one in the list, the one that says…” becomes a circle.\n\nScreenshots\n\nDraw first. Then screenshot.\n\nMark up your live screen and press S. The shot waits in the corner with every circle, arrow and highlight: drag it into a chat, copy it, or save it where you want.\n\nOther tools\n\n5 steps\n\nScreenshot\n\nOpen an editor\n\nFind the pen\n\nExport\n\nPaste\n\nLasso\n\n3 steps\n\nDraw on your screen\n\nPress S\n\nDrag it anywhere\n\nNo editor. No export.\n\nInsightsFileEditViewWindowHelp\n\nMon Oct 19 9:41\n\nLaunch Review\n\nWeekMonthQuarter\n\nWeek of Oct 12 – 18 · All platforms\n\nSign-ups\n\n48,210\n\n▲ 38% vs last week\n\nActivation\n\n64.2%\n\n▲ 4.1 pts\n\nChurn\n\n1.8%\n\n▼ 0.3 pts\n\nDaily sign-ups\n\nPeak 12,480 · Thursday\n\nMon\n\nTue\n\nWed\n\nThu\n\nFri\n\nSat\n\nSun\n\nNext steps\n\nFix onboarding email\n\nShip dark mode\n\nUpdate pricing page\n\nRecord demo video\n\nPlan Q1 offsite\n\nWant to trim it? Click the shot to crop it or add more. The toolbar never shows up in the shot — just your screen and your drawing.\n\nDrawing tools\n\nPoint at exactly what you mean.\n\nLaunch Review\n\nWeekMonthQuarter\n\nWeek of Oct 12 – 18 · All platforms\n\nSign-ups\n\n48,210\n\n▲ 38% vs last week\n\nActivation\n\n64.2%\n\n▲ 4.1 pts\n\nChurn\n\n1.8%\n\n▼ 0.3 pts\n\nDaily sign-ups\n\nPeak 12,480 · Thursday\n\nMon\n\nTue\n\nWed\n\nThu\n\nFri\n\nSat\n\nSun\n\nNext steps\n\nFix onboarding email\n\nShip dark mode\n\nUpdate pricing page\n\nRecord demo video\n\nPlan Q1 offsite\n\nCircle it\n\nDraw freehand around anything — your strokes come out smooth.\n\nLaunch Review\n\nWeekMonthQuarter\n\nWeek of Oct 12 – 18 · All platforms\n\nSign-ups\n\n48,210\n\n▲ 38% vs last week\n\nActivation\n\n64.2%\n\n▲ 4.1 pts\n\nChurn\n\n1.8%\n\n▼ 0.3 pts\n\nDaily sign-ups\n\nPeak 12,480 · Thursday\n\nMon\n\nTue\n\nWed\n\nThu\n\nFri\n\nSat\n\nSun\n\nNext steps\n\nFix onboarding email\n\nShip dark mode\n\nUpdate pricing page\n\nRecord demo video\n\nPlan Q1 offsite\n\nHighlight it\n\nMark a line without covering it up.\n\nLaunch Review\n\nWeekMonthQuarter\n\nWeek of Oct 12 – 18 · All platforms\n\nSign-ups\n\n48,210\n\n▲ 38% vs last week\n\nActivation\n\n64.2%\n\n▲ 4.1 pts\n\nChurn\n\n1.8%\n\n▼ 0.3 pts\n\nDaily sign-ups\n\nPeak 12,480 · Thursday\n\nMon\n\nTue\n\nWed\n\nThu\n\nFri\n\nSat\n\nSun\n\nNext steps\n\nFix onboarding email\n\nShip dark mode\n\nUpdate pricing page\n\nRecord demo video\n\nPlan Q1 offsite\n\nPoint to it\n\nArrows and lines that land exactly where you aim.\n\nLaunch Review\n\nWeekMonthQuarter\n\nWeek of Oct 12 – 18 · All platforms\n\nSign-ups\n\n48,210\n\n▲ 38% vs last week\n\nActivation\n\n64.2%\n\n▲ 4.1 pts\n\nChurn\n\n1.8%\n\n▼ 0.3 pts\n\nDaily sign-ups\n\nPeak 12,480 · Thursday\n\nMon\n\nTue\n\nWed\n\nThu\n\nFri\n\nSat\n\nSun\n\nNext steps\n\nFix onboarding email\n\nShip dark mode\n\nUpdate pricing page\n\nRecord demo video\n\nPlan Q1 offsite\n\nWalk through it\n\nNumbered steps that count up as you click.\n\nAlso included: text, rectangles and ellipses, a laser pointer, an eraser, and eight colors.\n\nPages & whiteboards\n\nNeed a clean slate? Swipe.\n\nStart a fresh page — or a whiteboard — without losing what you drew. Swipe back and it’s all still there.\n\nInsightsFileEditViewWindowHelp\n\nMon Oct 19 9:41\n\nLaunch Review\n\nWeekMonthQuarter\n\nWeek of Oct 12 – 18 · All platforms\n\nSign-ups\n\n48,210\n\n▲ 38% vs last week\n\nActivation\n\n64.2%\n\n▲ 4.1 pts\n\nChurn\n\n1.8%\n\n▼ 0.3 pts\n\nDaily sign-ups\n\nPeak 12,480 · Thursday\n\nMon\n\nTue\n\nWed\n\nThu\n\nFri\n\nSat\n\nSun\n\nNext steps\n\nFix onboarding email\n\nShip dark mode\n\nUpdate pricing page\n\nRecord demo video\n\nPlan Q1 offsite\n\nInsightsFileEditViewWindowHelp\n\nMon Oct 19 9:41\n\nLaunch Review\n\nWeekMonthQuarter\n\nWeek of Oct 12 – 18 · All platforms\n\nSign-ups\n\n48,210\n\n▲ 38% vs last week\n\nActivation\n\n64.2%\n\n▲ 4.1 pts\n\nChurn\n\n1.8%\n\n▼ 0.3 pts\n\nDaily sign-ups\n\nPeak 12,480 · Thursday\n\nMon\n\nTue\n\nWed\n\nThu\n\nFri\n\nSat\n\nSun\n\nNext steps\n\nFix onboarding email\n\nShip dark mode\n\nUpdate pricing page\n\nRecord demo video\n\nPlan Q1 offsite\n\nDrag the page or click a tab.\n\nThoughtful details\n\nStays out of your way.\n\nWorks over any app\n\nSlides, code, video calls and full-screen apps.\n\nLives in your menu bar\n\nNo Dock icon and no windows to manage.\n\nNothing to clean up\n\nPress esc and your screen is exactly as it was.\n\nScreenshot when you’re done\n\nPress S after drawing. It waits in the corner to copy, save or edit.\n\nPin your notes\n\nLeave a drawing up while you keep working.\n\nMade for Mac\n\nA native app that feels at home on macOS.\n\nGet Lasso for Mac.\n\nFree. Opens from your menu bar and stays out of the way until you need it.\n\nVersion 1.2.1 · macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon and Intel · 4 MB\n\nNotarized by Apple\n\nNo account, no in-app tracking\n\nDrag to Applications and go\n\nIs it really free?\n\nYes. Download it, drag it to Applications, done. No account, no trial, no card.\n\nWill it run on my Mac?\n\nAny Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel. The Liquid Glass toolbar needs macOS 26; everything else is the same on macOS 14 and 15.\n\nIs it safe to install?\n\nLasso is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens like any other Mac app — no warnings, no workarounds.\n\nDoes it need any permissions?\n\nDrawing needs none. Screenshots read the pixels on your screen, so the first one asks for Screen Recording. You can skip it and keep drawing.\n\nWhere do my screenshots go?\n\nNowhere until you say so. Each one waits in a small stack in the corner: copy it, drag it into another app, or save it to the folder you pick.\n\nHow do I uninstall it?\n\nQuit Lasso from the menu bar, then drag it from Applications to the Trash. That’s all of it.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-i-made-a-free-mac-app-to-annotate-screen-for-ai-agents", "canonical_source": "https://www.trylasso.online", "published_at": "2026-10-21 20:07:52+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-10-21 20:12:54.178324+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-agents", "ai-tools", "ai-products"], "entities": ["Lasso", "macOS 14 Sonoma", "Apple silicon", "Intel", "Claude", "Cursor", "ChatGPT"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-i-made-a-free-mac-app-to-annotate-screen-for-ai-agents", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-i-made-a-free-mac-app-to-annotate-screen-for-ai-agents.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-i-made-a-free-mac-app-to-annotate-screen-for-ai-agents.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-i-made-a-free-mac-app-to-annotate-screen-for-ai-agents.jsonld"}}