OpenAI's ChatGPT for Mac Now Works With Xcode

The ChatGPT app for Mac is now able to integrate with coding apps like Xcode, VS Code, TextEdit, and Terminal, simplifying workflows where developers copy and paste their code from a coding app into ChatGPT.

open ai logo
When ChatGPT is given permission to interact with an app like Xcode through a new Work with Apps feature, a selection of code can be sent directly to ChatGPT alongside a prompt. TechCrunch had a demo of the feature, and described how it works:

In a demo with TechCrunch, an OpenAI employee opened the ChatGPT app and an Xcode environment containing a simple project modeling the solar system - although it was missing the Earth. The employee selected an Xcode tab within ChatGPT, which tells the AI chatbot to look at the app, and prompted the chatbot to "add the missing planets." The chatbot was able to complete the task, writing a line of code to represent the Earth that matched the rest of the project's format.

Back in October, GitHub brought Copilot integration to Xcode, with Copilot providing coding assistance right in the app. ChatGPT's integration is not that deep, and it is not able to write code in Xcode. ChatGPT is instead using the macOS Accessibility API for screen readers that allows apps to read text, which also means that it cannot interpret images or videos.

The new ChatGPT for Mac feature is available for ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Teams users starting today, with Enterprise and Edu support coming in the near future. Going forward, OpenAI plans to bring this integration to other apps.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
Tim Cook WWDC 2018

Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO 'as Soon as Next Year'

Saturday November 15, 2025 2:40 pm PST by
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times. The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said. While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's 2026 Mac Plans

Friday November 14, 2025 3:23 pm PST by
Most of Apple's Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there's a possibility we'll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio. MacBook Air (Early 2026) The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Here's When Tesla is Expected to Add Support for Apple CarPlay

Sunday November 16, 2025 6:49 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that Tesla plans to add Apple CarPlay support to its vehicles "in the coming months." This is easily the biggest news for the regular version of CarPlay in years, should Tesla actually follow through with offering the system in its vehicles. As noted by Gurman, this would be a stunning reversal for Tesla and its CEO Elon ...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...

Top Rated Comments

NightFox Avatar
13 months ago
The day that AI acquired the concept of the solar system without the Earth :oops:
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Seoras Avatar
13 months ago
Oh happy day! I've spent the last year cutting and pasting between them.
Android Studio too. I find OpenAI's models better than Gemini.
There is a 3rd party studio plugin for other models like ChatGPT but there's a significant markup in query cost for using it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PsykX Avatar
13 months ago
...so this is live before Swift Assist ? ?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johnsawyercjs Avatar
13 months ago
To activate the settings to get this to work, if you're using the ChatGPT app (I don't see any settings related to this new feature when accessing ChatGPT using a web browser), install the latest version of the app, then go to its Settings > Work with Apps, enable the option, then also select here "Manage Apps". Selecting an app from the list that will appear will open macOS's System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility pane. Make sure ChatGPT is listed here, then slide its slider to the right. Then back in macOS System Settings > Privacy & Security, open Screen & System Audio Recording, make sure ChatGPT is listed, and slide its slider to the right.

Unfortunately when I followed these steps, including relaunching the ChatGPT app, GPT 4o said it was unable to read what I'd typed into a TextEdit window (just a simple "Hi there!") since it said it didn't have that capability. I switched to GPT o1 preview to see if that would help, then I pointed out that it was supposed to have this capability as of today, and told it to try again, and this time after a web search it acknowledged this new capability, and it tried to read the contents of the TextEdit window but failed:


Certainly! Since you’ve enabled the Work with Apps feature, I’ll attempt to access the content of your open TextEdit window.

[Attempting to retrieve content…]

It appears I couldn’t retrieve the content from TextEdit. Please ensure that all necessary permissions are granted and that the application is properly configured. If you’d like, you can also paste the text here, and I’ll be happy to assist you with it.
ChatGPT then refused to acknowledge that this new app-reading feature exists, even though it had acknowledged it just a few minutes earlier, this time offering its old excuse that it knows nothing beyond its last knowledge cutoff date, currently Oct 2023.

Edit: got it to work. The remaining step, not really explained in the article and not explained by ChatGPT at all, is to look down at the bottom of the ChatGPT window where the row of buttons appears, find the new button that looks like a cursor arrow pointing to the middle of a dashed square, click on it, then in the popup that appears which lists the apps this works with, click the + to the right of the name of the app(s) you want to work with. Then ask ChatGPT to read the open window in the app, giving it the name of the app you want it to look at.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TechnoMonk Avatar
13 months ago
Apple and open AI just Sherlocked third party plugins and API wrappers that did this on Mac.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
13 months ago
Ok I like chatGPT more than most people around here seem to, but there’s no shot I’m giving it direct terminal access!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)