Poisely documentation

What Poisely is

Poisely is a real-time interview assistant. It listens to your interviewer, transcribes the question, and instantly shows you a sharp, spoken-ready answer in your own voice, on your screen, kept out of the screen-share. It works for research and behavioral interviews, AI-training and data-annotation screens, and live coding rounds.

It runs on your computer, in the browser or as an invisible desktop app (Windows and Mac) for the strongest screen-share protection.

Get started

1. Sign in. Enter your email on the homepage and we email you a secure sign-in link, no password to remember.
2. Set your profile. Open Setup and paste your résumé or a short description of who you are. Poisely answers as you. See Profiles.
3. Add this interview's context. In the This interview box, drop the study, role, or company notes for the session.
4. Start an interview and pick how Poisely should listen. See below.

Sign in & your account

How signing in works

There's no password. You enter your email and we email you a 6-digit code (and a one-tap link). Type the code, and you're in. The code is single-use and expires in 15 minutes.

One account, every device

You use the same account on the web app, the desktop app, and your phone. You sign in once on each device (each keeps you logged in afterwards). Everything important is stored on the account, so it follows you:

• Your profiles (résumé / personas)
• Your plan and billing
• Your interview count for the day

So set up your profile once on the web, and it's already there when you open the desktop app.

Managing your account

Open the account menu (top-right of the app) to see your plan, Manage subscription (change card, cancel), upgrade, log out, or delete your account. Cancelling keeps your access until the end of the period you already paid for.

Which setup should I use?

Poisely runs on a computer, the same one you take the call on, because it listens to the call's own audio. A phone can't be on the call and capture its audio at the same time, so your phone's only role is the optional second screen explained below.

Staying hidden while you share your screen

If the call asks you to share your screen, here is what stays out of view:

• Sharing a single tab or window: the web app's Float window is automatically left out of the share. Works on any plan.
• Sharing your entire screen: the browser would be visible, so use one of the two ways below.

Other things you can do

• Answer in another language: set the language before you start.
• Answer as a specific persona: switch the active profile.
• Hear answers in your earbud: turn on Speak (a natural Premium voice on Max).
• Live coding round: use Coding mode and Read screen (Max).

Running an interview

An interview is an explicit session you start and end. It keeps your usage tidy and is the unit your plan counts.

1. Tap Start interview. The context you entered is attached to that session.
2. Tap Share call audio and pick the call's tab (or use the desktop app). See Capture.
3. When the interviewer finishes a question, the answer appears. Glance, say it in your words. Use Answer now to force one, or Regenerate / Shorter / Rephrase to adjust.
4. Tap End interview when you're done.

How Poisely listens

Poisely listens to the call's own audio on your computer, so it hears the interviewer cleanly, no room noise. It runs on a computer (browser or the desktop app).

Share call audio recommended

Click Share call audio, then share the call's browser tab with “Share tab audio” ticked, or Entire screen with system audio for a desktop call app like Zoom or Teams. This captures the call's audio straight from your computer. Nothing is shown to the other side.

Desktop app

The desktop app captures the same call audio and is hidden from screen-share at the system level, even when you share your entire screen. Best for screens that force a full-screen share.

On a phone

Phones can't tap into a call's audio (the OS blocks it), so Poisely listens on your computer. The best use of a phone is the paired viewer (Max): your computer captures the audio and your phone simply shows the answers.

Desktop app (install & use)

The desktop app is the strongest option: its window is removed from screen capture by the operating system, so it's invisible even when you share your entire screen. Get it from the download page.

Install on Windows

1. Download Poisely-Setup.exe and run it.
2. It isn't code-signed yet, so Windows may say “Windows protected your PC.” Click More info → Run anyway. (This is normal for a new app.)
3. It installs and opens. If the installer's “run” step shows a small error, just open Poisely from the Start menu.

Install on macOS

1. Download the right .dmg, Apple Silicon (M-series) or Intel.
2. Open it and drag Poisely to Applications.
3. First launch only: right-click the app → Open → Open (Gatekeeper blocks unsigned apps from a normal double-click).
4. Grant Screen Recording when macOS asks (System Settings → Privacy & Security). That's what lets it capture the call's audio.

Using it

• Sign in with your email + code (same account as the web).
• Start an interview and choose system audio, on the desktop app there's no “share your screen” picker; it grabs the call audio directly.

Showing and hiding the app

For stealth, the desktop app doesn't appear in your taskbar or dock (a taskbar button would give it away when you share your whole screen). So you show and hide it with a keyboard shortcut instead of clicking a taskbar icon:

• Show / hide on screen: press Ctrl + E (Windows) or Cmd + E (Mac) any time. Use it to tuck the window away and bring it right back, even though there's no taskbar button.
• Quit completely: Cmd + Shift + Q on Mac. On Windows, hide it with Ctrl + E and it stays out of the way (or end it from Task Manager if you want it fully closed).

Answer modes

Two separate things shape every answer, and it helps to keep them apart:

Research persona all plans

The default, built for paid user-research and screening interviews. It answers as the person in your profile, in their voice, and matches the question's scope: a literal or yes/no question (“do you use X?”, “how often?”) gets a plain sentence or two, while an open one (“tell me about…”, “why”) gets a grounded answer with a real example pulled from your profile. No textbook filler, no both-sides mush, it takes a position like a real person would.

Job (behavioral) all plans

For job and behavioral interviews. Here your profile is treated as your résumé and Poisely answers as the candidate. For “tell me about a time” questions it uses the STAR shape (Situation, Task, Action, Result) spoken naturally, without announcing the parts, and always lands a concrete result, with a metric when your profile supports one. For “why us” / strengths questions it ties the answer to specifics in your profile and the role in your This interview box.

Coding Max

For technical interviews. It first decides what the question actually is:

• Conceptual (“what's the difference between…”, “have you used…”, “explain…”) → a spoken, opinionated answer with concrete examples. No code block, no complexity line, it won't turn a chat question into an exercise.
• Write / implement / fix / solve → a short line on the approach, then a complete, correct solution in a fenced code block (your preferred language, else Python), then one line on time/space complexity and edge cases. It never truncates code or writes // rest of code.

Coding-vision (Read screen) Max

Not a mode on the bar, it's the Read screen button, and it works regardless of which mode is selected. It grabs one frame of your screen, reads the problem and any existing code off it, and solves it using the coding logic above. Needs a desktop Chromium browser or the desktop app, and an interview started. It's a one-shot capture that does not share anything into your call.

What every mode shares

All three modes draw on the same things, so you control them once:

• Your profile (who you are) and the This interview box (the study/role/company), woven in naturally.
• Length (Short / Medium / Detailed) for Research and Behavioral. It is ignored in Coding so a solution is never cut off.
• Language, answers come back entirely in the language you pick.
• Earbud speaking, rewrites the answer into short, shadow-able sentences (off for Coding).
• Conversation memory, the last few exchanges are kept so follow-ups stay consistent.
• No profile loaded? Poisely answers on the question's merits and will not invent a fake employer, title, or metrics.

Profiles & study material

Your profile is who Poisely answers as, your background, tools, and a few honest opinions. It's stored on your account and follows you across devices.

• Upload résumé (PDF, DOCX, or text) and Poisely turns it into a tight first-person profile.
• Keep multiple profiles (e.g. different personas or roles) and switch the active one before an interview.
• The This interview box is separate, per-session notes about the specific study, role, or company.

Upload study material precise answers

If the interview is about a specific case study, course, or topic, tap 📎 Upload study material under the This interview box and add the document (PDF, DOCX, or text). Poisely reads it and, when a question relates to it, answers straight from that material instead of from general knowledge. Great for case-study interviews, technical screens on a given codebase or paper, or any role built around specific material.

Float window

The Float button pops your question and answer into a small always-on-top window. When you share a single tab or window, that floating window is a different surface, so it isn't in the shared view. Chromium desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave) only.

Hear answers in your earbud

The most natural way to use Poisely: instead of reading the answer, have it spoken into your earbud. You listen, then say it in your own words with your eyes on the camera, no looking down, no reading tone. It runs entirely on your device (nothing is sent anywhere) and starts the moment the answer streams.

1. In the answer area, tap 🎧 Speak: Off to turn it On.
2. Pick a voice and speed (a little faster keeps it ahead of you).
3. Wear a wireless earbud so only you hear it.

Premium voice Max

Free and Pro use your device's built-in voice. Poisely Max adds a Premium voice toggle, a natural, human-sounding voice in your earbud that's much less robotic. Flip it on under the Speak settings.

Pair your phone Max

The cleanest way to read on your phone, and a great option if you'd rather not install the desktop app: just use the web app on your computer and pair your phone. Your computer captures the interviewer and mirrors the question and answer to your phone, so the answers are never on your computer screen at all (nothing to hide on a screen-share).

1. On the computer (web app is fine), start an interview and tap Share call audio.
2. Tap Pair phone, it shows a 6-character code and a link.
3. On your phone, open that link (or go to /pair and enter the code).
4. Answers now appear on your phone in real time. Read there, glance up, and speak.

Languages & tuning

• Language: transcribe and answer in any of 50+ languages, or auto-detect the interviewer's language. For best accuracy, pick your language rather than leaving it on Auto, which only covers the major languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi and similar). For others, such as Urdu, Filipino or Vietnamese, select it directly, otherwise it can be misread as a nearby language (Urdu as Hindi, for example).
• Answer length: short, medium, or detailed.
• Wait before answering: how long a pause counts as “done talking” before Poisely answers. Lower it for snappier answers, raise it (up to 9s) for slow speakers or long questions so it doesn't cut in early.

Watch the level bar while the interviewer talks to calibrate. Your settings are remembered.

Staying undetected

What's hidden depends on how you capture and what you share:

For full-screen shares (common in proctored tech screens), use the desktop app or the two-device method. On a phone there's no capture-exclusion API, so the phone is hidden only because it's a separate device.

Sounding natural

Modern interviews increasingly watch behavior, not just your screen, long pauses, eyes tracking text, a flat read. Poisely can't be heard, but you can still give yourself away. Tips:

• Don't read it word-for-word. Glance, then say it in your own words.
• Use Shorter for a glanceable version on simple questions.
• Keep your eyes mostly on the camera; look down briefly, like you're thinking.
• Start talking before you've read the whole thing, natural speech has false starts.

Plans & billing

What a credit is. One credit opens a resumable interview pass: valid for 24 hours with up to 90 minutes of live listening. Stopping or disconnecting never burns it, only the 24-hour window or the 90-minute total closes it, so a single credit comfortably covers a real interview.

Using a credit vs the free trial. The trial is short (5 minutes), so for a real interview you can spend a credit instead: on the start bar you'll see “Use a credit · full interview” whenever you have credits in reserve. Choosing a credit leaves your trial time untouched; plain “Start interview” uses the free trial.

Plan + credits together. Your plan is always used first and credits sit in reserve (shown in your account menu). If you're on Pro and reach your 3-a-day limit, Poisely automatically spends one reserve credit so you can keep going, and that interview gets full Max features.

Yearly billing. Pay yearly to save ($199/yr Pro, $399/yr Max). Pick Monthly or Annual at checkout.

Payment: card or crypto. Card subscriptions renew monthly and cancel anytime from your account menu. Crypto is prepaid for the period, you simply pay again to continue. After paying, access activates automatically, card in seconds, crypto once it confirms on-chain.

Refer friends & partners

Refer a friend. Open your account menu and tap Invite friends · earn credits to get your personal link. When someone signs up through it and buys their first plan or credit pack, you both receive a free interview credit. Rewards are earned on a real purchase, not a free trial, and credits land automatically.

Partners & affiliates. Creators, communities, coaches, and newsletters can get a custom code that gives their audience a discount and earns a commission on referred sales. Apply at poisely.co/partners.

Full terms are in the Affiliate & Referral Policy.

Privacy & data

• Your interview answers are streamed live and never stored on our servers.
• Your profile is saved to your account so it follows you across devices; you can edit or delete it anytime.
• You can delete your account and data yourself from the account menu.

See the Privacy Policy and Terms.

Troubleshooting

It's not hearing the interviewer

Make sure you actually shared the call's tab audio (the “Share tab audio” tick) or used Entire screen with system audio, or use the desktop app, which grabs the audio directly.

It cuts the interviewer off / answers too early

Raise the Wait before answering slider so a natural mid-question pause doesn't trigger an answer.

It types something when no one's talking

That's the speech model guessing from a moment of near-silence. It's rare on clean system audio, and Poisely already filters common phantom phrases.

“Share your screen” picker keeps appearing

That's the browser's way of granting system audio; only the audio is used and the video is dropped. The desktop app skips the picker entirely.

The answer looks generic

Set a profile so Poisely answers as you. With no profile it stays general and won't invent a fake background.

FAQ

Getting started & account

Is it free to try? Yes, every account gets one free 5-minute trial interview (live listening time), then you pick a plan.

I didn't get my sign-in code. Check spam, wait a minute, and request again. Make sure the email is typed correctly. Each new code replaces the last.

Do I sign in separately on the app and the web? Yes, once per device, but it's the same account, and your profile, plan, and history carry across automatically.

Can I have more than one persona? Yes, keep multiple profiles and switch the active one before an interview.

Being seen / privacy

Will the interviewer see it on a screen-share? On a normal call: the desktop app is invisible even on a full-screen share; the Float window is hidden when you share a single tab or window; the paired-phone view isn't on your computer at all. On your own machine you still see everything.

Does it work on every call platform? Yes, the desktop app's invisibility is at the OS level, so it works the same everywhere. The web app captures the call's tab/system audio.

Are my answers stored? No, answers are streamed live and never saved on our servers. Your profile is stored on your account so it follows you; you can delete it any time.

Will it work on a proctored test (lockdown browser, webcam, AI proctor)? No, and don't rely on it there. Those watch your camera and your machine, which no screen-hiding tool changes. Poisely is for open, conversational, screen-share interviews. See Where it's safe vs not.

Plans & limits

How many interviews can I do? Poisely Pro: up to 2 interviews per day. Poisely Max: unlimited.

What's an “interview”? A session you start with the Start interview button. It carries that session's context and counts once toward your daily limit. Stopping and restarting capture within it doesn't count again.

What does Max add over Pro? Unlimited interviews, Coding mode, Coding-vision (read a problem off your screen), phone pairing, and a premium natural earbud voice.

How do I pay? Card or crypto. Card subscriptions renew monthly and cancel anytime. Crypto is prepaid for the period, you just pay again to continue.

How do I cancel? Account menu → Manage subscription. You keep access until the end of the period you've paid for.

Desktop app

Why does it say “unknown publisher”? It isn't code-signed yet. It's safe, on Windows click More info → Run anyway; on macOS right-click → Open the first time.

Is there a Mac version? Yes, Apple Silicon and Intel builds on the download page.

The installer showed an error on “finish.” Harmless, just open Poisely from the Start menu. The app installed fine.

Phone or tablet app? No native phone app, phones can't hide a window from screen capture. Use your phone as the paired viewer instead.

Using it well

It cuts the interviewer off / answers too early. Raise the Wait before answering slider. It's not hearing them? Make sure you shared the call's tab audio. See Troubleshooting.

Answers sound generic. Set a profile so it answers as you.

Best tip? Don't read it word-for-word, glance, then say it in your own words. See Sounding natural.

Support

Still stuck? Email support@poisely.co from your account email and we'll help. For refunds see the Refund Policy.