Tacklebx beta
Tacklebx is a study tool that runs on your own Mac. This is a beta, which means it is unfinished and you are helping us find what is broken.
Before you download
You need an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or newer). There is no version for Intel Macs.
You need Claude Code (Anthropic's Terminal app) installed on your Mac and signed in with a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, or Team).
To check: open the Terminal app (search Spotlight for Terminal), type claude --version, and press Return. A version number means it is installed, not that you are signed in. Next type claude and press Return, and sign in if asked. If you see command not found, install Claude Code from Anthropic first, then repeat this check.
The download is about 846 MB, so allow time for it to finish and use a reliable internet connection.
Get the download
Enter your UVA email address in the download box on this page. The download link will appear there, not in an email.
Have an access code instead? Enter it at tacklebx.com/invite.
Your data
Files, notes, and recordings Tacklebx makes stay on your Mac. The only data that leaves is what you send to Claude through your own signed-in Claude account, the same as if you had typed it into Claude yourself.
Tacklebx does not send us usage data, crash reports, or recordings. We receive the email address you type into the download box on this page and the feedback you send us yourself by email or through the evaluation form.
Three things to try first
You need Claude Code installed and signed in with a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, or Team) for Work through a reading and Class coach. Open the Learning tray and try these three, in this order. None of them needs anything from an instructor.
Work through a reading. Choose “It's a one-off — keep it on its own”, then “Choose a file…” to pick a reading on your Mac. Work through it in two passes, starting with what it argues in your own words. You need Claude Code installed and signed in.
Record a lecture. If you record audio, macOS will ask for microphone permission the first time. Only record where you are allowed to. Recordings stay on your Mac.
Class coach. Pick a course and one class session, and a coach questions you on that session’s material one point at a time. It works from whatever you have for the session, such as your readings; if there is nothing to work from yet, it tells you what to add first. You need Claude Code installed and signed in.
How to report a problem
If something breaks, tell us. That is the whole point of a beta.
Email tacklebxai@gmail.com to report a problem. Tell us what you were trying to do, what happened instead, and the version shown in About Tacklebx. Use the evaluation form on this page to tell us about your overall experience.
Screenshots help. Please crop out anything personal before you send one.
Evaluation form: Tell us how it went (about five minutes)
Beta terms
This beta is free and unfinished. It may break, and an update could lose what you stored on the app. To protect your work, make a backup before you install an update: in the About area, open Backup and export and click Make a backup. It saves everything you keep in Tacklebx as one zip file in your Documents folder, inside a folder called Tacklebx Backups. You can stop using it and delete it at any time.
Known issues
In Teaching, the "Also build the NotebookLM study aids" checkbox currently does not create the study aids.