Full disclosure first. I built Brivi, so read this knowing that. Everything I say about ChatGPT below comes from OpenAI's own documentation, linked at the end, and I've been just as specific about where Brivi falls short.
What is ChatGPT Computer History?
Computer History is a feature in the ChatGPT app for Mac that OpenAI launched on 13 August 2026. It replaced Chronicle, an earlier research preview that worked off screenshots (9to5Mac). Once you switch it on, it watches what you do across apps and websites and turns that into memories and a timeline that ChatGPT and Codex can use.
Here's what it actually does, straight from OpenAI's docs:
- What it records: interaction events from the apps and websites you allow, things like clicks, typing and app switches, read through macOS accessibility. It does not take screenshots and does not record your mic or system audio. Private browsing is never included.
- Where it gets processed: the event files sit on your Mac for up to 48 hours, and "OpenAI processes temporary event files on its servers to generate memories." OpenAI says it doesn't keep those files after processing unless the law requires it, and doesn't train on them.
- Where the memories live: as plain-text Markdown files on your Mac, under
~/.codex/memories/extensions/skysight/. - Who gets it: it's off by default, and only available to ChatGPT Pro, Business and Enterprise users. On Business and Enterprise an admin has to allow it first.
OpenAI is also pretty upfront about the risks. Their own docs say the memory files "are not encrypted by Computer History" and that other programs running as your Mac user may be able to read them. They also warn that it increases the risk of prompt injection from content in the apps and sites you use.
Honestly, it's a good feature. Asking "what was I working on before lunch?" and getting a real answer is genuinely useful. My problem is with the price, where the processing happens, and the fact that it only works inside OpenAI's apps.
How much does ChatGPT Computer History cost?
You can't buy Computer History on its own. For an individual, the cheapest way to get it is ChatGPT Pro, which starts at $100 a month. Pro now comes in three tiers, $100, $200 and $500 a month (OpenAI Help Center). It isn't included in Plus ($20) or Go ($8). Business plans get it too, at $25 per seat a month (or $20 billed annually) with a two-seat minimum, and the admin has to turn it on (ChatGPT pricing).
So the entry price is $1,200 a year.
To be fair, Pro gets you a lot more than Computer History. If you're already paying for it because you live in Codex or need the top models, the feature is basically free for you and you should just use it. But if you're on Plus, or your main AI is Claude, paying $1,200 a year to get a memory of your own Mac is maths that doesn't work.
Why people look for an alternative
From what I've seen, it comes down to four things:
- Price. $100 a month minimum, as above.
- Your activity is processed in the cloud. Your clicks and typing are stored locally, then sent to OpenAI's servers to be turned into memories. OpenAI says it deletes them after, and I've no reason to doubt that, but they still leave your Mac.
- It only works with ChatGPT and Codex. If your daily driver is Claude (mine is) or Cursor, your computer history doesn't come along.
- Plain-text files on disk. Anything running as your user can read them, by OpenAI's own admission.
Brivi: a local-first alternative
Brivi does the same core job, a memory of what you did on your Mac that you can search and ask questions of, but it's built the other way around: everything gets processed on the Mac, and the memory is yours to plug into whichever AI you use.
How Brivi captures your day
When capture is on, Brivi checks the front window every few seconds. Where it can, it uses readable page text from your browser. Otherwise it takes a screenshot of that one window and Apple's on-device Foundation Models turn it into a short text summary with tags. Then the screenshot is thrown away. Brivi never saves screenshots, only the text.
A few things it skips on purpose: password managers, secure input fields, system security windows and private browser windows. You can exclude any app you want and pause capture from the menu bar at any time.
So yes, Brivi reads more of your screen than Computer History does, because it looks at what's on screen and not only at your clicks. The difference is that the reading happens on your Mac. If Apple's on-device model isn't available, Brivi just stops. It never falls back to a cloud model.
Where your data lives
Your library is a single database on your Mac, encrypted with SQLCipher (AES-256). The key sits in your login Keychain and is never synced to iCloud Keychain.
Brivi talks to the internet for exactly three things: checking your licence key, checking for updates, and a one-time download of its speech and search models. None of these carry your memories. Sync between your own Macs through your iCloud account is in the works, but it isn't live yet.
Brivi also does on-device dictation and notes, so your dictations and voice notes end up in the same searchable library if you want them there.
Use your memory with any AI, through MCP
This is the part I care about most. Brivi runs a local MCP (Model Context Protocol) server on your Mac, so any AI app that supports local MCP servers can ask it questions. There's no Brivi server in the middle. Right now that covers:
- Claude desktop app (local MCP support)
- Claude Code
- Cursor
- Codex and the ChatGPT app for Mac, which share the same MCP settings and can run local servers (OpenAI docs)
- VS Code
You stay in control of what each app sees:
- AI access is off by default, and every app has to be approved by you.
- Per app, you choose the categories (say, Coding and Research but not Finance), how far back it can look (7, 30 or 90 days, or everything), and whether it gets only summaries or the captured text too.
- Anything Brivi marks as Sensitive is never shared, whatever you allow.
- Before anything leaves Brivi, it masks API keys, tokens, card numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, one-time codes, Aadhaar, PAN and SSN numbers.
- Every request from every app is logged, so you can see exactly what was asked and what was handed over.
What actually leaves your Mac when Claude or ChatGPT asks
I want to be precise here because it's easy to oversell. Claude and ChatGPT don't run on your Mac. When you ask Claude "what did I decide about the pricing page yesterday?", Claude asks Brivi. Brivi searches your library locally, picks the few snippets that match, and hands only those to Claude. Those snippets then go to Anthropic's servers as part of your chat, just like anything you paste into it, and they're handled under Anthropic's data rules. Same with ChatGPT and OpenAI.
So the honest version is: your library stays on your Mac, and only the snippets a question needs are shared with the AI you're talking to. The rest never moves.
One limitation: ChatGPT on the web and on your phone can only reach remote MCP servers over the internet, and Brivi deliberately doesn't run one. So it works with the ChatGPT Mac app, and not with chatgpt.com.
ChatGPT Computer History vs Brivi
| ChatGPT Computer History | Brivi | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Included in ChatGPT Pro, from $100/month ($1,200/year) | $29.99/year, or $89 once for Lifetime |
| What it captures | Clicks, typing, app switches (via accessibility). No screenshots | Text from the front window, read by Apple's on-device model. Screenshots are deleted right after |
| Where processing happens | OpenAI's servers | Your Mac |
| Where memories are stored | Plain-text Markdown files on your Mac | Encrypted database (SQLCipher, AES-256) on your Mac |
| Which AI can use it | ChatGPT and Codex | Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, ChatGPT for Mac, VS Code, any local MCP app |
| Per-app access control | No (it's one company's app) | Yes: categories, time range, detail level, per app |
| Sensitive data | Exclude apps yourself, OpenAI suggests pausing it | Sensitive memories are never shared, identifiers are masked |
| Platforms | ChatGPT app for macOS | macOS 27+ on Apple silicon |
| Audio | No | No (dictation is separate and on-device) |
Other alternatives worth knowing
- Screenpipe. Source-available and local by default, it records your screen and audio, runs on Mac, Windows and Linux, and has its own MCP server. Paid plans start at $25 a month (screenpipe). If you're on Windows or Linux, or you want meeting audio captured, this is the one to look at.
- Rewind. If you're searching for this, it's gone. Meta bought Limitless, Rewind's parent company, and the Mac app stopped all screen and audio capture on 19 December 2025 (9to5Mac).
So which one should you pick?
- Stay with ChatGPT Computer History if you're already paying for ChatGPT Pro and you live inside ChatGPT and Codex. It's included and it works.
- Pick Brivi if you use Claude, or more than one AI, if you don't want your activity processed on someone else's servers, or if you don't want to spend $1,200 a year for it.
- Pick Screenpipe if you need Windows or Linux, or audio capture.
Brivi pricing and requirements
- Needs: an Apple silicon Mac on macOS 27 or later with Apple Intelligence turned on. Intel Macs can't run it, because Brivi uses Apple's on-device models.
- Trial: 14 days of everything, no card and no account.
- Brivi Pro: $29.99 a year.
- Lifetime: $89, one payment.
- Founder offer: Lifetime for $24.99, only for the first 100 buyers.
- Refunds: 14-day money-back guarantee.
- Launch: 24 November 2026, at brivi.app.
Sources
- OpenAI, Computer History documentation
- OpenAI, About ChatGPT Pro tiers
- OpenAI, ChatGPT and Codex pricing
- OpenAI, MCP in the ChatGPT desktop app and Codex
- 9to5Mac, ChatGPT for Mac adds opt-in Computer History feature, replacing Chronicle (13 August 2026)
- The New Stack, ChatGPT can now remember what you did on your Mac
- Anthropic, Getting started with local MCP servers on Claude Desktop
- screenpipe, About screenpipe
- 9to5Mac, Rewind shuts down after Meta acquires Limitless (5 December 2025)