You can know the patterns and still freeze. Interviews compress too much into one call: a new problem, a new editor, someone watching every pause, and a grading system that often rewards calm recall more than actual engineering judgment. Sotto is not a replacement for preparation. It is backup for the parts of the process that turn good engineers into silent ones.
How it works
Set it up once. Keep it ready for the call that goes sideways.
Install & add your key
Download Sotto and paste in your Claude subscription token or Anthropic API key. Then finish the one-time local setup: BlackHole, a Multi-Output Device, the Whisper model download, and Microphone + Screen Recording permission. Raw audio stays local; selected answer context goes directly to Anthropic only when you ask for help.
It listens & reads locally
Speech-to-text runs on your Mac. Screen reading runs on your Mac. Sotto turns the live mess of the interview into a problem frame you can actually use.
It gives you the next move
The overlay gives you the approach, edge cases, trade-offs, or wording you need next. You still do the interview. Sotto keeps you from losing the thread.
The privacy model is the product.
- No Sotto backend. Audio transcription, screen reading, and the overlay all run locally. There is no interview database for me to secure, monetize, subpoena, or accidentally leak.
- Known outbound traffic. Raw audio and local speech-to-text stay on your Mac. When Sotto asks for help, it sends selected answer context directly to Anthropic under your credential: OCR text, recent interviewer transcript context, prior plan context, answer context, and sometimes a selected screenshot. First launch also downloads the Whisper model from huggingface.co. Verify it with Little Snitch if you want.
- BYOK because trust should be structural. Bring your own credential — your Claude subscription token, or an Anthropic API key if you prefer. Sotto stores it locally on your Mac and uses it only for direct Anthropic calls; Sotto does not proxy or bill the model traffic.
Sotto vs. the cloud copilots
If the architecture is different, the price should be too.
| Sotto | Subscription cloud copilots | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $59 once, yours forever | A subscription — often $50+ / month |
| Where it runs | ✓ On your Mac | ✕ Through their cloud |
| Audio, screen, transcripts | ✓ Do not upload to Sotto | ✕ Flow through their servers |
| AI billing | Your own Anthropic account, billed by Anthropic with no Sotto markup | Bundled & marked up in the subscription |
| A server holding your interview? | ✓ None exists | ✕ Yes — it's how they work |
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Who made this
Built for the exact problem that made me want it.
I built Sotto during my own job search. I was preparing seriously, but the interview loop still felt absurd: different platforms, different languages, different expectations, and a live call where one bad blank can make you look worse than you are.
The point is not to skip the work. The point is to have backup when the work you did gets buried under pressure.
I also did not want that backup to mean streaming interview audio, screenshots, and transcripts through a company server. So Sotto keeps the sensitive parts local and sends only the model request you choose to send, under your own key.
It launched today. No fake user count, no "trusted by" wall, no staged enterprise language. What exists is a signed, notarized Mac app, a privacy model you can inspect, and a one-time price because I am not hosting your interviews.
Use it within the rules of whatever interview or meeting you're in. I am not going to pretend the category is morally invisible. I am going to be clear about what Sotto is: live support for prepared people who want a second brain in the room.
— built solo, shipped quietly
Pricing
Pay once. Keep it on your Mac.
The price follows the architecture.
Sotto for macOS
Goes to $89 after launch.
- The full local copilot: live speech-to-text, screen reading, real-time answer overlay
- Built around live technical interview workflows; behavioral-interview positioning is still being verified
- BYOK: run it on your Claude subscription token, or an Anthropic API key — your billing relationship stays with Anthropic, not me
- No Sotto backend — raw audio and local speech-to-text stay on your Mac, while selected reasoning context goes directly to Anthropic under your credential
- Free updates while I keep building it — delivered by re-download, no auto-updater phoning home — and you email me directly for help
Instant download after checkout — no account with me required.
14-day money-back guarantee. If it is not useful, email me and I refund you. Checkout and refunds are handled by Gumroad.
Requires an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or newer), your Claude subscription or an Anthropic API key, BlackHole + a Multi-Output Device, the local Whisper model download, and Microphone + Screen Recording permission. Signed & notarized by Apple (Developer ID).
Less than one month of a cloud copilot subscription for Sotto's one-time purchase. Anthropic API usage is billed separately by Anthropic based on your use.
FAQ
Fair questions.
Will the interviewer see it on my screen share?
Sotto uses macOS content protection, and it does not just set the flag and hope: on launch — and again whenever your display setup changes — it takes a real screen capture of itself and refuses to run the overlay unless it is absent from that capture. It fails closed. Named video-call and screen-share app verification is still pending, so I am not claiming Zoom, Meet, or Teams-specific outcomes yet. I still will not promise invisibility, because no honest tool can, and you should use it within the rules of any interview or meeting you join.
What's BYOK? Do I need my own key?
BYOK means "bring your own key." Sotto runs on your own Claude subscription token, or an Anthropic API key if you'd rather — your choice, and the billing relationship stays with Anthropic. Raw audio and local speech-to-text stay on your Mac; when Sotto asks for help, it sends selected answer context directly to Anthropic under your credential: OCR text, recent interviewer transcript context, prior plan context, answer context, and sometimes a selected screenshot.
Which credential do I need — subscription or API key?
Either works. The simplest path is your existing Claude subscription: Sotto grabs a token through Anthropic's Claude CLI and you paste it in. No subscription? Open Claude Console, create an API key, and paste that instead. Then finish the local Mac setup — you will still need BlackHole, a Multi-Output Device, the local Whisper model download, and Microphone + Screen Recording permission before a live interview. The app walks you through the credential step; the rest is founder-assisted and documented.
What does it actually cost to run?
After the one-time $59, Anthropic bills your own API usage directly on your account. Sotto has no monthly fee, no usage markup, and no server meter in the middle.
Does my interview data ever leave my computer?
Sotto the vendor does not receive your interview traffic because there is no Sotto server. Raw audio and local speech-to-text stay on your Mac. When Sotto asks for help, it sends selected answer context directly to Anthropic under your credential: OCR text, recent interviewer transcript context, prior plan context, answer context, and sometimes a selected screenshot. Checkout and refunds go through Gumroad, and first launch downloads the Whisper model from huggingface.co.
What if it doesn't work for me?
Email me within 14 days and I refund you, no questions asked. It launched today and has no reviews yet, so the risk should sit with me, not you.
Is this a subscription?
No. $59 once, and Sotto is yours. It runs on your machine, on your credential. The launch price will go up to $89 later.
What do I need to run it?
An Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or newer), your Claude subscription or an Anthropic API key, BlackHole, a Multi-Output Device, the local Whisper model download, and Microphone + Screen Recording permission. There is still no Sotto account or Sotto cloud dependency beyond your own direct call to Anthropic. The download is code-signed with my Apple Developer ID.