MacPaw has launched Eney, a local-first AI assistant for Mac and iPhone that monitors workflow context, prepares actions across apps and waits for user approval before making changes.
MacPaw is moving beyond its well-known cleanup utilities and into a more ambitious part of the Apple software stack: an AI assistant that tries to anticipate work rather than merely answer prompts. The company has launched Eney for Mac and iPhone, presenting it as a proactive tool that watches for tasks across calendars, files, emails and open applications, then prepares the next step and asks for approval before anything is sent or changed.
The idea is to reduce the constant switching and manual follow-through that slows knowledge work. In MacPaw’s telling, Eney is meant to sit inside the user’s workflow, rather than demand that the user stop and type a request. If a meeting is due to start, it can surface a reminder and offer transcription. If storage is running low, it can flag the problem and suggest a fix. The company says the aim is not to replace judgement, but to make the right action easier to reach.
That positioning reflects a wider problem in consumer and professional AI use: people experiment with these tools, but many do not build them into daily routines. MacPaw says a survey of US Mac users carried out between July and August 2026 found that 81 per cent had tried an AI tool in the previous three months, while only 39 per cent said AI had become part of their regular workflow. Eney is intended to narrow that gap by acting on context before a user has fully articulated the request.
The assistant is also built with explicit limits. By default, it pauses for confirmation before sending messages, changing calendar events or moving files. That caution is important in professional environments, where the appeal of automation is often matched by concerns over mistakes, data exposure and unintended actions. Rather than granting broad autonomy, MacPaw has designed Eney to behave more like a guided operator, with the user still in control of final approval.
A central part of the system is Mnemos, MacPaw’s memory layer. The company says this creates a local knowledge graph linking people, projects, preferences and events, allowing the assistant to retain context across sessions and update its understanding when users correct it. For professionals juggling long-running client work or complex internal projects, that kind of persistence may matter as much as raw model quality.
Technically, Eney uses a hybrid setup that mixes on-device and cloud processing. MacPaw says simple tasks run locally for speed and privacy, while more demanding work can be handled by cloud models. The company has also said it partnered with Liquid AI on custom models tuned for Apple silicon. Earlier work on the local-first approach was built around the ELIX engine, which keeps reasoning, context search and history on the machine when possible. 9to5Mac reported that the assistant can also understand what is on screen, letting users point at content and issue commands without copying material between apps.
The product’s practical features are aimed at everyday office routines. Eney Spell handles spelling, grammar and wording directly inside apps such as Mail, Slack and Notes, as well as browsers. It also offers prebuilt workflows such as Morning Brief, Plan My Day and Weekly Review, which can run on demand or on a schedule. For meetings, it can generate transcripts, notes, action items and follow-up drafts, with all outputs presented for review rather than dispatched automatically.
Integration is broad, at least by launch standards. MacPaw says Eney works with Apple Mail, Calendar and Reminders, alongside Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, Notion, Jira and Linear. Screen awareness is another notable feature: Eney Wand, triggered with Option-W, lets a user invoke the assistant against whatever appears on screen without having to describe it in text. That may be particularly useful for users who are tired of prompt-writing or who simply want fewer steps between seeing a task and acting on it.
MacPaw’s official materials say the Mac version requires macOS 15 or later and Apple silicon, while an iPhone app is available through the App Store. Pricing uses a credit model, with 14 days and 10,000 credits offered free to new users, and subscriptions starting at $14.99 a month. Users can sign in with Setapp credentials even without a full Setapp subscription.
The launch also reflects a longer internal development cycle. MacPaw says work on Eney began in 2019, with early versions distributed through Setapp for feedback. The company later shifted from a fully cloud-based system towards a local-first architecture, a change it says was driven by user feedback and the need for better speed, privacy and offline capability. MacPaw has also described an SDK and an “Expert Zone” that can generate new skills when the assistant understands a request but lacks a ready-made function.
For MacPaw, the strategic bet is clear. The company has spent years making Macs easier to maintain. Eney extends that idea into the management of invisible work: the reminders, follow-ups, document handling and context-switching that often decide whether AI feels useful or merely impressive. Whether it wins trust will depend less on novelty than on consistency, restraint and the quality of its suggestions.
Disclaimer: This content is intended for informational purposes only. Readers are advised to exercise their own judgement, conduct due diligence, or consult a qualified expert before acting on any information provided.
