Frequently asked questions
Real answers to the questions people ask before trying Ghosthread. If your question isn't here, ask us directly.
Getting started
Is Ghosthread available today? +
The public release isn't open yet. The pre-release build is available to early testers, and full release ships when all ten build phases are complete. Every capability described on this site is part of that release. Join the waitlist and we'll let you know the moment the installer is ready.
What is Ghosthread, in one sentence? +
A desktop agent that operates your Windows machine the way a second set of hands would — reading your screen, working inside your apps, and never once moving your cursor.
What makes it different from every other AI assistant? +
Three things. It operates real software, not toy demos — working inside the apps you already use. It shows you its work before it acts — Ghost Phantom previews every action. And it stays on your machine by design — no cloud holding your files, no server-side processing.
Ghost Phantom
What is Ghost Phantom? +
Ghost Phantom is the flagship feature of the beta release. It's a mode where Ghosthread shows you every action it's about to take — in a small translucent overlay — before it takes them. You can see what's happening, pause at any step, or cancel entirely. Even in this visible mode, your cursor never moves and your keyboard never loses focus. Read the full breakdown on the Ghost Phantom page.
What's True Phantom — and is it autonomous? +
True Phantom is the next iteration of Phantom. Ghosthread stops waiting to be asked, watches what you're doing, and speaks up with suggestions when it notices something worth flagging — a missing semicolon, an error that will waste your time, a task that finished. Critically: True Phantom only suggests. It never executes anything on your behalf. The AI can point out a problem, but fixing it requires your explicit go-ahead. This is a permanent architectural decision, not a temporary limitation.
Will the Ghost Phantom overlay show up in my screen shares or recordings? +
No. Ghost Phantom is built on a Windows feature that lets apps exclude themselves from capture. It's visible to you on your monitor, but it's invisible to every screen recording tool, screenshot utility, and meeting share — including Zoom, Teams, Meet, OBS, and the built-in Snipping Tool.
How it works
How does Ghosthread work without moving my mouse? +
Traditional automation moves your physical cursor to a button and clicks it — which is why your screen freezes and your typing breaks. Ghosthread sends the command directly to the app instead, as if the app itself decided to click that button. Your cursor never moves, your active window never loses focus, and your clipboard stays exactly as you left it. The app doesn't even need to be visible — it can be behind other windows or minimized.
What are the system requirements? +
Windows 11 on a 64-bit system. 4GB of RAM or more. Any modern multi-core processor. An internet connection is required for complex reasoning tasks — but with Air-Gap mode enabled, Ghosthread runs fully offline on local rules. The app itself is light: most of the work happens on your machine, not on remote servers.
Which apps does it work with? +
Almost every Windows application — modern, legacy, Electron-based, WinUI 3, or classic Win32. VS Code, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Slack, Discord, Notion, Obsidian, File Explorer, Windows Terminal, PowerShell, and thousands more. There are a handful of apps with anti-cheat protection (most online games) that Ghosthread explicitly refuses to touch for safety and legal reasons. Everything else is fair game.
Safety & privacy
Where does my data go? +
Everything important stays on your machine. Your memory, preferences, task history, and contacts are stored in an encrypted local database on your own drive. When complex reasoning is needed, Ghosthread scrubs file paths, API keys, and personal information out of the request before sending anything — the cloud brain receives intent and context, never raw data. Air-Gap mode cuts off all internet entirely for tasks you want to run fully offline.
Can it delete my important files? +
No. Ghosthread is hard-blocked from ever modifying system folders like C:\Windows, System32, or Program Files. This isn't a policy the AI agrees to follow — it's a physical barrier the AI runs against. And any file Ghosthread does remove goes through the Windows Recycle Bin, where you can restore it with a single right-click. Read the security page for the full model.
How does the messaging automation prevent wrong sends? +
Four guards run before any autonomous reply: (1) Ghosthread visually verifies the conversation header matches the intended recipient before typing. (2) Group chats are automatically skipped. (3) Messages involving money, banking, one-time passwords, or urgent distress halt and wait for you. (4) You can mark any contact as Read-Only or Silent Skip in advance. Every send is also visually verified after — the app reads back what it typed to confirm delivery.
Will it work with my games? +
No — and this is intentional. Ghosthread refuses to operate in games or alongside anti-cheat software. This protects you from account bans, protects us from legal liability, and keeps the engine focused on real productivity use cases. When a game is detected, Ghosthread pauses itself and stays out of the way until you're done playing.
Beta & access
Is the pre-release free? +
Yes. Early waitlist cohorts receive free access keys during the pre-release period. You join the waitlist with just an email address, and keys go out in waves. Use the Get Beta Access button at the top or bottom of any page to join.
Will it stay free after beta? +
Pre-release access is free. When the full release opens, Ghosthread will move to a paid model — the specifics aren't finalized yet, but anyone who tested during the pre-release period will get favorable terms. If pricing matters to your decision, join now while it's free.
Will there be macOS or Linux versions? +
macOS is on the exploratory roadmap, but not committed to a version yet. Linux support depends on community interest. For now, Ghosthread is Windows 11 only — because that's where the deep operating-system APIs live that make the background execution possible in the first place.
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