Troubleshooting

Hit a snag? Here are fixes for the most common ones.

The chat panel is disabled or the agent won't respond

The agent needs a valid API key. Open File ▸ Settings… (⌘,), go to Agent, and confirm a provider is selected and a key is entered. If you just added credits to your provider account, re-enter the key to refresh the model list.

• Double-check the key belongs to the selected provider — an Anthropic key won't work with OpenAI selected, and vice-versa.
• Make sure your provider account has billing / credits set up, or requests will be rejected.

Step-by-step setup, including where to get a key: Setting up the AI agent.

The agent responds but nothing changes on the waveform

Check your selection. Tools act on the selected region, or the whole file if nothing is selected — if you have a tiny or empty selection, an edit may be a no-op. Deselect (or select the intended region) and ask again. Remember every agent request is a single ⌘Z undo if you want to back it out and retry.

Recording is silent or the mic prompt never appeared

JAW AI needs microphone permission to record. Open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security ▸ Microphone and make sure JAW AI is enabled, then try recording again. Also confirm the correct input device is selected and its level isn't muted.

Export sounds distorted or clipped

If the exported file clips, your effect chain is likely too hot. Watch the clip meter while editing, trim Gain or add a Limiter, and set a true-peak ceiling of about −1 dBTP before exporting — see Loudness & mastering. Use the export dialog's A/B preview to catch problems before you save.

The app won't open on macOS

On first launch macOS shows a one-time confirmation for apps downloaded from the web — click Open. See Installing & launching for the full first-open flow.