The rules of the road.

What is Tellie?

Tellie is a Mac teleprompter application that scrolls a script in time with your voice. Voice recognition runs on your Mac using Apple's on-device Speech framework. The app lives in the menu bar and is invisible to screen recorders by design.

Tellie is built and operated by Steve Chazin, under the skytech.io umbrella ("we," "us," "Tellie"). By downloading, installing, or using Tellie, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use the app.

Who can use Tellie?

Anyone with a Mac running macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later can download and use Tellie. You must be at least 13 years old to use the app. If you are under 18, you should have a parent or guardian review these terms with you.

There is no account, no signup, and no email required to use Tellie. You are not creating a relationship with us by downloading; you are simply running software on your Mac.

What are the system requirements?

Tellie requires macOS 14 or later, on either Apple Silicon or Intel Macs. On-device speech recognition runs faster and lower-latency on Apple Silicon, but it works on both. About 100 MB of free disk space and a microphone (built-in or external) are needed for voice-follow mode.

What does my download include?

When you download Tellie, you receive a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to install and use the app on Macs you own or control. Use it to read scripts for your videos, presentations, podcasts, livestreams, sermons, lectures, audition tapes, anything you want. Personal use, professional use, and commercial use are all fine.

What can't I do with Tellie?

A short list:

• Redistribute, sell, rent, lease, or sublicense the app to anyone else. Tell people to download it from tellie.skytech.io instead.
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble the binary, except to the extent that applicable law expressly permits it.
• Remove or alter the Tellie name, branding, copyright notices, or version information.
• Repackage Tellie as your own product or as part of a bundled product.
• Use the Tellie name, logo, or brand assets to imply endorsement of your business or work without written permission.

Can I include Tellie in screen recordings or tutorials of my own setup?

Tellie is designed to be invisible to screen recorders. That is the default. If you want to record Tellie on purpose (for a demo, a tutorial, or a social post), open Settings → Privacy and turn on Make Tellie visible in recordings (this session). The setting resets every time you quit, so you cannot accidentally leave it on. If you want to write about Tellie without recording it yourself, the press kit at tellie.skytech.io/press has screenshots, videos, and bios you are welcome to use with attribution.

Is Tellie free?

Yes. Tellie is free to download and use. Pro is an optional one-time purchase. Anyone whose first launch was before June 7, 2026 keeps every current Pro feature free forever, even if a future paid tier is introduced.

Will Tellie ever charge for new features?

Possibly. If a future feature is genuinely heavy to build or run (for example, cloud sync, multi-device script sharing, or AI-assisted script editing), that feature might be offered as a paid add-on. The core teleprompter (voice-follow scrolling, on-device recognition, screen-recorder invisibility) stays free.

Any paid feature will be clearly priced in the app before you buy it. We will never enable a charge silently or convert a free feature into a paid one without notice.

If I do buy a paid feature, how is the payment handled?

All paid features are processed through Lemon Squeezy, a third-party payment processor that also acts as merchant of record. Your card number, expiration, and security code are entered into a Lemon Squeezy form and never touch our servers. Lemon Squeezy handles VAT and sales tax for international transactions.

By making a purchase, you authorize Lemon Squeezy to charge your payment method and you agree to their terms and privacy policy in addition to ours.

What's your refund policy?

If you purchase a paid feature and it does not work as described, email steve@skytech.io within 14 days and we will issue a refund through Lemon Squeezy. After 14 days, refunds are at our discretion. We honor all refund rights required by applicable consumer law (in the EU and UK, that includes a 14-day right of withdrawal for digital purchases).

Are prices in US dollars?

Prices will be listed in US dollars unless local law requires otherwise. Lemon Squeezy may display the equivalent in your local currency at checkout. We may change prices for future purchases, but any feature you have already paid for keeps the price you paid.

Who owns the scripts I read in Tellie?

You do. Tellie reads the file you open and discards it from memory when you close the app. We do not claim any ownership, license, or other right over your scripts.

For details on how scripts are processed (on your Mac, never on a server), see the Privacy Policy.

What if I read someone else's script in Tellie?

You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to read aloud whatever script you load into Tellie. That can be your own writing, licensed content, public domain material, or content you have permission to perform. We do not police what users read; that responsibility is on you.

Is there a list of things I can't use Tellie for?

Use Tellie for anything you would normally use a teleprompter for. The short list of things we ask you not to do:

• Use Tellie to record or perform content that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, or that infringes on someone else's rights
• Use Tellie as part of a tool, service, or product that automates voice-driven content generation for malicious or deceptive purposes (deepfakes, voice cloning fraud, automated scam scripts)
• Use Tellie to circumvent another platform's policies (for example, reading a script to defeat a captcha or voice biometric system)
• Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Tellie auto-update endpoint, or attempt to deliver fake updates to other users

Normal teleprompter use is fine. We are not interested in policing your scripts; we are only flagging the unusual edge cases.

How does auto-update work?

Tellie uses Sparkle, the open-source Mac auto-update framework. Once a day, the app checks tellie.skytech.io/appcast.xml for a new version. If one is available, you see a dialog with the release notes and an Install button. Click it and Tellie downloads, installs, and relaunches with the new version.

The check sends no personal information. See the Privacy Policy for details.

What if I keep using an old version?

Old versions keep working as long as macOS and Apple's Speech framework continue to support the APIs they depend on. We do not push end-of-life expiration into older builds. That said, we recommend keeping up to date for bug fixes and security updates.

What does Tellie guarantee?

Tellie is provided "as is" and "as available." We work hard to keep the app reliable, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted operation, error-free performance, or that the app will be suitable for any particular purpose. Voice recognition accuracy depends on Apple's on-device Speech framework, your microphone, and ambient conditions; we cannot guarantee a specific accuracy rate.

If Tellie crashes or misbehaves at a critical moment (a live stream, a recording session), we will be sorry, but we cannot be liable for the missed shot.

What are the limits of liability?

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Tellie and its operator shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the software. Our total liability for any claim related to Tellie is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim. For users on the free tier, that amount is zero.

This limitation applies regardless of the legal theory (contract, tort, strict liability, or otherwise) and even if we have been advised that such damages were possible.

What about indemnification?

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Tellie and its operator from any claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the app, the scripts you read with it, or your violation of these terms.

Can Tellie change these terms?

Yes. We may update these terms from time to time. When we do, we update the "Last updated" date at the bottom of this page. For material changes, we announce them on the AI for the Rest of Us newsletter at stevechazin.com and in the in-app release notes. Continued use of Tellie after notice means you accept the updated terms.

Can Tellie revoke my access?

We can refuse service to anyone who violates these terms, particularly the acceptable-use clause above. For the free download, that means we may release a future version with safeguards that block known abusive setups. We will not reach into your existing install and disable it.

If you want to stop using Tellie, drag the app to the Trash. There is no account to close.

What law governs these terms?

These terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Virginia, and you agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

If you are a consumer in the EU, UK, or another jurisdiction with mandatory consumer-protection laws, nothing in these terms removes the rights you have under your local law.

What if part of these terms is unenforceable?

If any provision of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions stay in full effect. The invalid provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable while preserving its original intent.

How do I contact Tellie?

Email steve@skytech.io. A real person answers, usually within a day. For privacy-specific questions, the privacy page has its own contact section but it routes to the same inbox.