User Guide

Everything you need to get started with CrackingInterview.

Contents

Getting Started
Opening Chrome
Selecting an Input Source
Solving — Text Extraction
Solving — Screenshot
Solving — Audio Recording (Pro)
Reading AI Responses
System Design Mode
Global Hotkeys
Custom Prompts
Settings
Free vs Pro
Using Your Own API Key (Free users)
Troubleshooting
Hide CrackingInterview in Activity Monitor (macOS)
Hide CrackingInterview in Task Manager (Windows)

1. Getting Started

Prerequisites

Google Chrome must be installed on your computer. The app connects to Chrome to read tabs and extract content.

macOS Permissions

On first launch, macOS will ask you to grant permissions. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and enable:

Accessibility — Required for global hotkeys to work system-wide.
Screen & System Audio Recording — Required for screenshot capture, display capture, and audio recording.

Windows Permissions

On Windows, allow the app through Windows Security / SmartScreen when prompted on first launch. No additional system permissions are required.

First Steps

1 Create an account — Open the app and sign up with your email and password.

2 Sign in — Enter your credentials. Check "Remember me" to pre-fill your password next time.

3 Open Chrome — Click "Open Chrome" in the header bar. This launches a Chrome window connected to the app.

4 Navigate to a problem — In the Chrome window, go to a coding problem page.

5 Select your input source — Use the Input Source dropdown to pick the Chrome tab.

6 Hit Solve! — Click the Solve button and wait for the AI response.

Always on Top & Stealth Mode

The app window always stays on top of other windows so your AI assistant is always visible. It also supports stealth mode — hidden from screen-sharing apps (Zoom, Teams), screenshots, Dock (macOS), and Taskbar (Windows). Enable it in Settings → App.

Create Account

2. Opening Chrome

CrackingInterview connects to Google Chrome through a special debugging protocol. Chrome must be installed — just click the "Open Chrome" button in the header.

The app opens a separate Chrome window (it won't interfere with your regular Chrome sessions).
Once connected, the header shows "Chrome Ready" with a green indicator.
Navigate to any website in that Chrome window.

CrackingInterview main screen with Chrome Ready status and LeetCode tab

Main screen — Chrome Ready, LeetCode tab selected

Tip: After Chrome opens and loads a page, click the refresh button next to the Input Source dropdown to update the list of available tabs.

Connect to Your Existing Chrome (Chrome 144+)

If you have Chrome 144 or later, you can connect CrackingInterview to your existing Chrome window instead of opening a new one:

1 In Chrome, go to chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging

2 Check "Allow remote debugging for this browser instance"

3 Click "Open Chrome" in CrackingInterview — it will automatically detect and connect to your running Chrome.

This lets you use your existing tabs, bookmarks, and logged-in sessions directly with CrackingInterview.

Chrome remote debugging settings at chrome://inspect showing Allow remote debugging checkbox

Chrome remote debugging — enable at chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging

3. Selecting an Input Source

The Input Source dropdown shows all available sources:

Chrome Tabs — Any open tab in the connected Chrome window (shows title + live thumbnail)
Displays — Your screen(s) for full-screen capture (Pro only)
Audio (System) — Record system audio and microphone (Pro only)

Select the source you want to analyze, then click Solve.

Input source dropdown showing Chrome tabs and displays with thumbnails

Input source dropdown — Chrome tabs with thumbnails, displays

Tip: If you opened new tabs or navigated to a new page, press the refresh button to update the list.

4. Solving — Text Extraction

This is the default mode. The app extracts the text content from the selected Chrome tab and sends it to AI.

1 Select a Chrome tab from the Input Source dropdown.

2 Make sure "Text Extraction" is selected in Settings → AI Models → Input Mode.

3 Click Solve (or press Cmd+1).

The progress stepper shows: Extract → Asking AI, along with the AI model and prompt being used. Once complete, the explanation and solution appear.

Progress stepper showing Extract → Asking AI with Gemini 3 Flash model

Progress stepper — shows model (Gemini 3 Flash) and prompt (Algorithm - Optimal)

5. Solving — Screenshot

Screenshot mode captures a visual image of the tab or display and sends it to AI. Useful when the problem includes images, diagrams, or complex formatting.

1 Select your input source (Chrome tab or Display).

2 Select "Screenshot Capture" in Settings → AI Models → Input Mode — or press Cmd+2.

3 Click Solve (or press Cmd+2).

AI Models settings showing Input Mode — Text Extraction and Screenshot Capture toggle

Settings → AI Models — Input Mode toggle

Tip: If your input source is a Display, the app always uses screenshot mode automatically, even if Text Extraction is selected.

6. Solving — Audio Recording (Pro)

Audio mode records system audio (e.g., from a Zoom or Teams call) and sends the recording to AI for analysis. Designed for verbal interview practice. Supports 20+ languages with auto-detection.

1 Select "Audio (System)" from the Input Source dropdown.

2 The app automatically selects the "Verbal Interview" prompt.

3 Choose your interview language (or leave on Auto-detect).

4 Click Record (or press Cmd+3) to start recording.

5 The timer shows recording duration. Speak or let the audio play.

6 Click Stop (or press Cmd+3 again) to stop and send to AI.

Animated demo of audio recording — system audio capture, transcription, and AI response

Audio recording flow — record, transcribe, and get AI response

Audio language selection dropdown with 20+ languages including auto-detect

Interview language selection — 20+ languages supported

Note: Audio recording has a 3-minute maximum per session. The recording automatically stops and sends to AI after 3 minutes. Audio is a Pro-only feature with up to 10 hours per month.

7. Reading AI Responses

After the AI processes your request, you'll see two sections:

Explanation — A concise walkthrough of the approach, algorithm, and complexity analysis. Click the header to collapse/expand.
Solution — The complete code solution with syntax highlighting. Click "Copy Code" to copy it to your clipboard.

Both sections can be closed with the ✕ button. They automatically reappear when you run a new Solve.

AI explanation with approach, complexity analysis, and syntax-highlighted code solution

Explanation + Solution with syntax-highlighted code and Copy Code button

8. System Design Mode

The System Design prompt generates comprehensive designs with rendered diagrams — not just text. Select "System Design" in Settings → Prompts, then Solve using a screenshot of the design problem.

The AI returns:

Explanation — Functional & non-functional requirements, key trade-offs
Design — Rendered architecture diagrams, ER data models, sequence flows, and a scaling strategy

Animated demo of system design — architecture diagrams, ER models, and sequence flows rendered in real time

System design flow — architecture, ER model, sequence diagram, and scaling strategy

9. Global Hotkeys

Hotkeys work even when the app is in the background, so you can trigger actions without switching windows.

Default Shortcut	Action
Cmd+1	Extract text → Solve
Cmd+2	Screenshot → Solve
Cmd+3	Start/Stop audio recording → Solve
Cmd+Up / Down	Scroll explanation up/down
Cmd+Shift+Arrow	Move the app window
Cmd+Shift+H	Show/Hide the app window
Cmd+Shift+Q	Quit the app

All hotkeys are customizable in Settings → HotKeys. On Windows, Cmd is replaced with Alt.

HotKeys settings — Solve, Navigation, and App sections with customizable shortcuts

Settings → HotKeys

Tip: Use Cmd+Shift+H to quickly hide/show the app while working in Chrome. Hotkeys work globally — no need to switch windows.

10. Custom Prompts

Prompts control how the AI analyzes your problem. The app comes with 6 built-in prompts:

Algorithm - Optimal — Finds the most efficient solution
Algorithm - Beginner — Explains in simpler terms
System Design — Generates architecture diagrams, data models, and scaling plans
Code Review — Reviews and improves existing code
Explain Concept — Explains algorithms and concepts
Verbal Interview — For audio-based interview practice

Editing a Prompt

Go to Settings → Prompts and click "Edit" on any prompt. You can customize the system instructions and user template. Use {CONTENT} as a placeholder for the extracted text and {LANGUAGE} for the programming language.

Creating a Custom Prompt

Click "New Prompt" to create your own. You can have up to 3 custom prompts.

Document Placeholders

Upload your documents (resume, cover letter, etc.) and use them as context in any prompt. Click "Upload Docs" in Settings → Prompts to open the Document Manager.

1 Click "Upload Docs" in the Prompts settings tab.

2 Upload up to 3 files (PDF, DOCX, DOC, or TXT) and assign a name to each.

3 The app extracts the text and creates a {PLACEHOLDER} for each document.

4 Use the placeholder (e.g. {MY_RESUME}) in any prompt template — the extracted text is automatically injected when you Solve.

Note: Reserved names like {CONTENT}, {LANGUAGE}, and {INTERVIEW_LANGUAGE} cannot be used as document placeholder names.

Document Placeholders dialog — upload documents and assign placeholder names for use in prompts

Upload Docs — upload documents and assign {PLACEHOLDER} names

Programming Language

Select your preferred language in Settings → Prompts. Available: Java, Python, JavaScript, C++, Swift, Go, PHP, Ruby, SQL.

Settings → Prompts

Prompt editor with system prompt and user prompt fields

Editing a prompt — System & User Prompt

11. Settings

Click the gear icon in the header to open Settings. Tabs include:

Account — Subscription status, AI call and audio usage quotas, manage billing, sign out
AI Models — Choose which AI model to use (Gemini 3 Flash, GPT-5, Claude Sonnet, Grok). Switch between Text Extraction and Screenshot Capture input modes. Free users can enter their own API key
Prompts — Select, edit, create, and manage prompts. Choose your programming language
HotKeys — Customize all keyboard shortcuts
App — Adjust window transparency, switch between Light/Dark theme, and toggle Stealth Mode

AI Models

Account

App Settings

12. Free vs Pro

Feature	Free	Pro ($15/mo)
AI calls	3 calls (or unlimited with your own API key)	150 calls per month
AI models	1 model (or your own via API key)	All 4 premium models
Audio recording	✗	10 hours per month
Input sources	Chrome tabs only	Chrome tabs, Display, Audio
Websites	Coding practice sites only	Any website
Text Extraction	✓	✓
Screenshot Capture	✓ (Chrome tabs)	✓ (Chrome tabs + Display)
System Design Diagrams	✓	✓
Custom Prompts	✓	✓
Document Placeholders	✓	✓
Global Hotkeys	✓	✓
Always on Top	✓	✓
Stealth Mode	✓	✓
Light / Dark Theme	✓	✓
Window Transparency	✓	✓

To upgrade, go to Settings → Account and click "Manage Subscription". See how we compare to other AI interview tools.

13. Using Your Own API Key (Free Users)

Free users can bring their own API key to get unlimited AI calls:

1 Go to Settings → AI Models.

2 Enter your API key in the provided field.

3 Click Save. The app will use your key for all AI requests.

Note: Your API key is stored locally on your device only. We never send it to our servers. You are responsible for any charges from the API provider.

14. Troubleshooting

"Open Chrome" button doesn't connect

Make sure Google Chrome is installed on your computer.
Make sure no other application is using debugging port 9222.
Try closing all Chrome windows and clicking "Open Chrome" again.

Screenshot or audio capture not working (macOS)

Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording and enable CrackingInterview.
You may need to restart the app after granting this permission.
If it still doesn't work, try toggling the permission off and back on.

Input Source dropdown is empty

Click the refresh button next to the dropdown.
Make sure Chrome is connected (header shows "Chrome Ready").
Open at least one tab in the Chrome window.

AI response is slow or fails

Check your internet connection.
If using your own API key, verify it's valid and has available quota.
Try selecting a different AI model in Settings → AI Models.
Complex problems (especially System Design with screenshots) may take longer — the app has a 50-second timeout.

"Domain not allowed" error (Free users)

Free tier is limited to supported coding practice websites.
Navigate to a supported site in the Chrome window.
Upgrade to Pro for access to any website.

Audio recording doesn't work

Audio is a Pro-only feature. Make sure you have an active Pro subscription.
On macOS, grant Screen & System Audio Recording permission in System Settings.
Make sure system audio is playing (the app records what your computer outputs).
If audio worked once but stopped, try toggling the Screen Recording permission off and back on in System Settings.

Hotkeys don't work

On macOS, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and enable CrackingInterview.
You may need to restart the app after granting this permission.
Check for conflicts with other apps using the same shortcuts.

15. Hide CrackingInterview in Activity Monitor (macOS)

If you'd like CrackingInterview to appear under a different name and icon in Activity Monitor, you can customize the app bundle. Activity Monitor reads the process name from the app's internal CFBundleName key and its binary executable.

Important: Always create a backup of CrackingInterview.app before making any changes. If an update is released, you may need to repeat these steps on the new version.

Step 1 — Create a Backup

1 Open Finder and navigate to the Applications folder.

2 Right-click CrackingInterview.app and choose Duplicate (or press Cmd+D). Move the copy to a safe location as your backup.

Step 2 — Change the App Icon

1 Prepare a replacement icon image (PNG or ICNS).

2 Select CrackingInterview.app in Finder and press Cmd+I to open the Get Info panel.

3 Drag and drop your new image onto the small icon in the top-left corner of the Get Info window. You may be prompted for your administrator password.

Tip: To revert to the original icon, open Get Info, click the icon in the top-left corner, and press Delete.

Step 3 — Change the Process Name in Activity Monitor

To change the name that appears in Activity Monitor and the menu bar, you need to edit the app's internal configuration:

1 Right-click the app in Finder and select Show Package Contents.

2 Navigate to Contents folder.

3 Open Info.plist with a text editor (e.g., TextEdit or VS Code).

4 Find the key <key>CFBundleName</key> and change the <string> value below it to your preferred name.

5 Also update CFBundleDisplayName if present, to the same name.

6 Save the file and close the editor.

Step 4 — Rename the Internal Binary (Optional)

Some versions of Activity Monitor display the binary executable name rather than CFBundleName. To cover this case:

1 Inside the app package, navigate to Contents → MacOS.

2 Rename the executable file (e.g., from cracking-interview to your preferred name).

3 Go back to Contents → Info.plist and update the CFBundleExecutable key to match the new binary name.

4 Save and close.

Step 5 — Rename the App in Finder (Optional)

This only changes how the app appears in Finder — it does not affect the name shown in Activity Monitor. Useful if you also want the app icon in your Applications folder to blend in.

1 Select CrackingInterview.app in Finder.

2 Press Return to highlight the name.

3 Type your preferred name (e.g., "Utilities Helper") and press Return to save.

Note: After these changes, you may need to re-grant Accessibility and Screen & System Audio Recording permissions in System Settings → Privacy & Security, since macOS identifies apps by their bundle information.

16. Hide CrackingInterview in Task Manager (Windows)

On Windows, you can change how CrackingInterview appears in Task Manager by modifying the executable's metadata and icon using Resource Hacker, a free utility for editing Windows executables.

Important: Always create a backup of the original executable before making changes. If CrackingInterview is updated, you will need to repeat this process on the new version.

What You'll Need

Resource Hacker — Free download from angusj.com/resourcehacker
A 128×128 .ico icon file (optional — use any online PNG-to-ICO converter to create one)
Administrator privileges on your Windows system

Step 1 — Backup the Original Executable

1 Navigate to the CrackingInterview installation directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\CrackingInterview).

2 Copy the CrackingInterview.exe file and paste it in a safe location as a backup.

Step 2 — Open the Executable in Resource Hacker

1 Launch Resource Hacker.

2 Click File → Open and select the CrackingInterview.exe file.

You'll see the app's internal resources organized into folders on the left panel (Icon, Icon Group, Version Info, etc.).

Step 3 — Change the Process Name & Description

This changes what Task Manager displays in the Name and Description columns:

1 In the left panel, expand the Version Info folder and click the first item.

2 In the right panel, locate and modify these fields to a generic name:

FileDescription — e.g., "System Service"
ProductName — e.g., "Windows Runtime"
InternalName — e.g., "svchost"
OriginalFilename — e.g., "runtime.exe"

3 Click Compile Script at the top of the editor to apply the changes.

Step 4 — Replace the Icon (Optional)

1 Expand both the Icon and Icon Group folders in the left panel.

2 Right-click each icon entry and choose Replace Resource.

3 Click "Open file with new icon…" and select your custom .ico file.

4 Click Replace. Repeat for all icon entries to ensure consistency.

Step 5 — Save the Modified Executable

1 Click File → Save As and save with a new name (e.g., CrackingInterview_masked.exe).

2 Replace the original executable in the installation directory with the modified version.

Step 6 — Clear the Windows Icon Cache

Windows caches icons, so the old icon may persist. To force a refresh, open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

ie4uinit.exe -show
taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
DEL /A /F /Q "%localappdata%\IconCache.db"
DEL /A /F /Q "%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*"
start explorer.exe

Alternatively, navigate to C:\Users\<YourUserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer, delete all files starting with iconcache_, and restart your PC.

Step 7 — Verify

1 Launch the modified executable.

2 Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and check that the Name, Description, and Icon columns display your custom values.

Tip: Use names that look natural among system processes. Avoid names that could trigger antivirus software. Do not alter digital signature fields, as this may prevent the app from launching.

Still need help? Contact us at [email protected]