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 as an invisible desktop app (Windows and Mac), hidden from screen capture at the system level.

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 website, 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

The desktop app is excluded from screen capture at the operating system level, so it stays invisible on any screen share, including a full-screen share, and against screenshots. It's hidden on any plan.

Other things you can do

• Answer in another language: set the language before you start.
• Answer as a specific persona: switch the active profile.
• Live coding round: use Coding mode and Read screen (Max).
• Aptitude or assessment test: start an interview, open the test, and tap Read screen (Max, or any pay-as-you-go credit).

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, and the app captures the call's audio directly. See Capture.
2. When the interviewer finishes a question, the answer appears. Take it in, say it in your words. Use Answer now to force one, or Regenerate / Shorter / Rephrase to adjust.
3. Tap End interview when you're done.

Meetings Pro & Max

Meeting mode turns any call on your computer into a live transcript, an AI summary, and clear action items. It never joins the call. It listens to your computer's own audio, so it works on any platform and nothing shows up in the participant list.

Start a meeting

1. Open Meetings.
2. Tap Start meeting. Poisely captures your computer's call audio and your own microphone, so both sides of the call are transcribed. No share picker needed.
3. Watch the live transcript build as people talk, with each speaker's turns laid out.
4. Tap End & save. Poisely writes a summary and action items and saves the meeting so you can find it later.

Your saved meetings

Every saved meeting keeps its transcript, summary, and action items. Open one to read it, delete it, or, on Max, ask it questions (for example, "what did we agree on the budget?") and get the answer pulled straight from the transcript.

Plans

Pro includes up to 2 meetings a day with transcript, summary, and action items. Max includes up to 5 meetings a day and adds ask-the-call across all your saved meetings. Meetings are not available on the free trial.

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 as a desktop app on your computer.

How capture works

Tap Start interview and Poisely captures the call's audio straight from your computer, no share picker needed. 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 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. Just double-click to open.
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 + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (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 + P 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, the whole round rather than the code parts alone. A technical interviewer still asks about your background and why you want the job, so Coding covers all three kinds of question and you can leave it on throughout. It first decides which one you were asked:

• Behavioral or motivational (“tell me about a time…”, “walk me through a project”, “why do you want to work here?”) → the same STAR-shaped spoken answer Behavioral mode gives, landing a concrete result with a metric. No code block.
• 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.

Code you have to type

Coding exams are usually typed, not pasted, so a code answer is built to be transcribed. Lines are numbered, indentation is drawn with guides so you can't drop a nesting level, and long lines wrap instead of running off the edge. Copy puts the original source on your clipboard, without the numbers or guides. Bare hides comments and docstrings so there is less to type, and restores them when tapped again.

Read screen Max

Not a mode on the bar, it's the Read screen button, and it works in every mode. It grabs one frame of your screen, reads the question or problem off it, and answers in the voice of the mode you're currently in: a coding problem gets a full solution, a question on a slide in a job interview gets a spoken candidate answer. If there's no readable question on the captured window it tells you so rather than inventing one. Needs an interview started. It's a one-shot capture that does not share anything into your call.

Aptitude and assessment tests run through the same button. Start an interview, open the test, tap Read screen, and Poisely answers every question it can see, several at a time when the page shows more than one. Objective tests come back as a compact list rather than prose, one line per question with the option first and the working in a few words, so you can take it in at a glance under time pressure. If a question or an option is cut off in the capture it says RESHOOT for that question instead of guessing, so capture again with the whole question visible. It covers numerical and verbal reasoning, number sequences, analogies, logical reasoning and general knowledge. Nothing to switch on, and it's on Max or any pay-as-you-go credit.

Each capture uses 40 seconds of your trial time or of your pay-as-you-go pass. A capture involves no speech, so it would otherwise cost nothing at all. That puts the 5-minute free trial at about 7 captures and a 90-minute credit pass at about 135. Listening time is metered separately, and only while someone is actually speaking.

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. In Coding it applies to the spoken lines only, so a solution is never cut off. Every answer also has an upper limit, so none of them run away.
• Language, answers come back entirely in the language you pick. Pick it explicitly: Auto-detect covers ten languages, and anything outside them (Chinese, Urdu, Tagalog, Arabic and more) is transcribed wrongly rather than not at all.
• 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.

Keeping it beside your call

The app opens as a small always-on-top window, 460 by 660 by default rather than full screen, and you can drag it down to 340 by 320. Your size and position are remembered, so it comes back where you left it. Park it beside your call and every control stays in reach. It's excluded from screen capture the whole time, including a full-screen share.

Staying off the screen share

This is the part that matters most, and it needs nothing switched on. The desktop app is excluded from screen capture at the operating system level, so the window renders on your screen and is stripped out of every capture path: Zoom, Teams, Meet, OBS, and screenshots. It holds on a full-screen share, not just a single window or tab, and it holds even while the window is plainly visible to you.

Some sites show a preview thumbnail while you pick what to share. Poisely can appear in that preview, because it is drawn on your own machine before sharing begins. It is not in what you share. If you would rather it did not appear there either, press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on a Mac) to hide the window, start the share, then press it again. Bringing it back is safe, the stream already excludes it.

You can check it yourself in a minute. Start a call with a second device, share your entire screen, and look at the other device. Poisely will not be there.

Pair your phone Max

Prefer to read on a second device? Open the Poisely desktop app on your computer and pair your phone. Your computer captures the interviewer and mirrors the question and answer to your phone, so you can read along there while your computer keeps listening.

1. On the computer, open the Poisely app, 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 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

The desktop app is excluded from screen capture at the OS level, so Poisely stays hidden no matter what you share:

You can also pair your phone (Max) and read answers on a second device if you prefer.

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. Take in the gist, 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 2-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 the call's audio is actually playing on this computer and Poisely has permission to capture system audio (grant it when the app asks). The app captures the call 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

Only the audio is used and the video is dropped, so nothing from your screen is captured. The app grabs the call audio directly.

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? No. The desktop app is excluded from screen capture at the OS level, so it stays invisible on any screen share, including a full-screen share, even when the window is visible on your own screen. 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 on every platform. Interviews and meetings run in the app.

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, Read screen (solves a coding problem or answers an aptitude test off your screen) and phone pairing.

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

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 the call's audio is playing on this computer and system-audio permission is granted. See Troubleshooting.

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

Best tip? Don't read it word-for-word, take in the gist, 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.