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Permissions and privacy, line by line

Every permission PinSet can ask for, and everything it sends over the internet. Checked against PinSet 1.0.0 (build 3), 8 October 2026.

Does PinSet need any permission to work?

No. You can type a question and get an answer with no permissions at all: press ⌃ ⌥ Space, or click the PinSet pin in the menu bar and choose Open PinSet. Each permission below turns on one extra feature. You can say no to any of them, and allow it later in Settings.

"Input Monitoring is a keylogger"

PinSet uses Input Monitoring only for the double-tap shortcut (tap Control twice). It asks during setup, and only when you click Allow. It looks at the Control, Option and Command keys, and only notices that another key was pressed in between, never which one. It never reads or records what you type, and it can't change or block a key press. Skip it and ⌃ ⌥ Space opens PinSet instead.

"Accessibility lets it control my Mac"

Accessibility (on macOS 27: Device Control and Data Access) lets Show me find one switch in System Settings and draw a ring around it. It does not click anything for you. Turn it off and the Open setting button still takes you to the right page.

Microphone

Only if you want to say your problem out loud. Speech is turned into text on your Mac and never leaves it.

Two switches that ask macOS first

"Where do my questions go?"

Nowhere. What you type or say is matched on your Mac and is never sent to us or anyone else. The only exception is feedback you choose to send (below). Try it: turn off Wi-Fi and ask a question.

"What does it send home?"

PinSet goes online for three things, and every connection goes to getpinset.com:

Check it yourself with Little Snitch or LuLu.

"What is in the licence check?"

When you enter your key: the key, and a label for this Mac made of its model code and a random code, like Mac16,7 · 3fa91c. Never your Mac's name. After that, the weekly check sends the key and the ID our server gave this Mac. Nothing about what you asked.

With no internet, a bought PinSet keeps working for 30 days after its last check. After that it asks to connect once before fixes work again. Searching and seeing what's wrong stay free.

"It changes my settings"

PinSet changes a setting only when you flip a switch in PinSet. These switches cover a small set of common settings, on macOS 27 for now. PinSet reads the setting first, so Undo puts back what you had. History keeps your last 30 actions, on this Mac only. PinSet never changes privacy or security settings: for those it opens the page and you make the change.

"It runs Terminal commands"

Never. Some answers include a Terminal command for people who want it. PinSet shows the full command and a Copy button. There is no Run button. Commands that need an admin password are marked, so you know to paste them yourself.

"An AI is making up my fix"

No. Every answer comes from a fixed list of 1,216 answers that ships inside the app. When your question is vague, Apple's on-device model (on Macs with Apple Intelligence) only helps pick which of those answers fits. It never writes the fix.

"Is it really checked by Apple?"

PinSet is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarised by Apple, which means Apple scanned it for malware. It is sold directly, not through the Mac App Store.

"What does feedback send?"

Only when you press Send: the question (you can edit it), what happened (wrong answer, no answer or something else), the better answer if you wrote one, your email if you gave one, which answer card it was about, and the version numbers of PinSet and macOS.

"Will it be abandoned?"

Updates for macOS 26 and 27 are included. When Apple moves a setting, PinSet is updated. Every update is listed in the changelog.

"Who are you?"

PinSet is made by one independent developer. Write to hello@getpinset.com and you'll get a reply from the person who built it, usually within a day.

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