Raphael

Help.

Install Raphael, connect your browser, and find answers.

Install Raphael

Get the installer for your computer from Download.

On a Mac

  1. Open the disk image you downloaded, and drag Raphael into Applications.
  2. Open Raphael from Applications. If macOS says it can’t check the app, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and press Open Anyway.
  3. Sign in with your Raphael account. On Essentials or Complete, your phone and other computers sign in with the same account. On Free, Raphael runs on your Mac: add your phone with the connection code or QR your Mac shows.
  4. Setup takes you through the rest, one screen at a time.

On Windows

  1. Run the installer you downloaded. If Windows says it protected your PC, press More info, then Run anyway.
  2. Open Raphael from the Start menu.
  3. Sign in with your Raphael account. On Essentials or Complete, your phone and other computers sign in with the same account. On Free, Raphael runs on your Mac: add your phone with the connection code or QR your Mac shows.

Updates

Raphael updates itself. When a new version is ready, it asks you to restart, and nothing installs until you press Restart. The release notes say what changed.

Connect your browser

During a block, Raphael keeps you on task in your browser too. A small extension tells it which tabs are open. It works on a Mac.

Firefox, Zen, LibreWolf, Floorp and Waterfox

  1. In Raphael, open Settings, then Connectors.
  2. Press Install on your browser’s row. Your browser opens Raphael’s add-on, which Mozilla has signed.
  3. Press Add when your browser asks.

Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi, Opera and Chromium

  1. In Raphael, open Settings, then Connectors, and press Set up on your browser’s row. Finder shows the extension’s folder, and your browser opens its extensions page.
  2. Turn on Developer mode.
  3. Press Load unpacked, and choose the folder Finder showed.

Raphael isn’t in the Chrome Web Store yet, so these browsers load it from that folder. After Raphael updates, press reload on Raphael in the extensions page, or restart the browser.

The extension sees each tab’s title and address, without the part after the question mark. It doesn’t read pages, it skips private windows, and it talks only to Raphael on your Mac, so it needs no sign-in of its own. Safari can’t run it, so Raphael sees Safari as one app.

Questions

What does Raphael see on my computer?

Which app is in front, and, while a block runs, your open windows and your browser’s tabs. It reads window titles only if you give it Screen Recording permission. It doesn’t record what you type. It looks at your screen only when you send it with Control-Option-Space, or when you ask an agent to do something on your Mac. The privacy policy says what is kept, and for how long.

Which AI does Raphael use?

The one you already have. Raphael runs on your own subscription or key for Grok, ChatGPT or Claude, and Settings lets you choose the model for each of its agents. On the Complete plan, usage is included.

Do I need Google Calendar?

Yes. Your plan lives in your Google Calendar: Raphael reads your events, and adds and moves blocks there when you plan with it. The calendar stays yours.

What if my Mac is offline?

Raphael keeps working from its own copy. A block that is running keeps its rules, and Raphael catches up when you are back online.

Does it work on my phone?

Yes, on iPhone. The app signs in with the same account, and during a block it shields the apps you chose with Screen Time.

Is there a Linux version?

Not yet.

How do I delete my data?

Write to zhichlabs@gmail.com, and we delete your account and everything Raphael keeps for it. To stop Raphael using your calendar, disconnect Google in Settings, which deletes Raphael’s sign-in to it.

Contact

Write to zhichlabs@gmail.com. Say what you were doing and what you saw, and we answer by email.

For anything about your personal information, write to the person responsible for privacy, named in the privacy policy.