Click Connect ToolPiper on the page that needs it. The web app talks to
ToolPiper on your own machine over 127.0.0.1:9998, so the two have to be paired
once per browser before the site can reach it. Nothing about the pairing leaves
your Mac.
The connect gesture
ToolPiper must be running first. Then click one of these:
- Connect ToolPiper in the search box at the top of any page.
- Connect ToolPiper here on a page whose feature needs it.
- Connect ToolPiper to listen on an article, to have it read aloud.
All three run the same pairing. Once it succeeds the browser holds the pairing and the rest of the site works without asking again.
Why the site never asks on its own
Auth only ever opens from a click. A site that popped a credential prompt because a request failed would put that prompt on marketing pages, in screenshots and in search results, for visitors who never asked for it. So a failed request goes quiet and waits for you.
That is also why the box says ToolPiper is not connected rather than trying to fix it: the next move is yours.
It says ToolPiper is not connected, but it is running
- Check the app is actually up. ToolPiper shows a window and a menu bar icon. If neither is there, the app is not running and nothing local is listening.
- Re-run the pairing. A pairing is per browser and per profile. A new browser, a new profile, or cleared site data means pairing again.
- Try the developer token link. The Use a developer token instead link beside the connect button is the fallback when the popup flow is blocked, which happens with some popup blockers and in some Safari configurations.
If you have no Mac app installed
The page search still works: it runs entirely in your browser and searches the site. What needs ToolPiper is answering questions with a model, because the model is the one running on your machine.