signalapp
macOS Writing Tools not available, options appear blank and are unusable
Using a supported version?
- [X] I have searched searched open and closed issues for duplicates.
- [X] I am using Signal-Desktop as provided by the Signal team, not a 3rd-party package.
Overall summary
Apple recently introduced Apple Intelligence on Mac, featuring on-device Writing Tools designed to enhance writing. These tools can proofread text, rewrite it in different tones or styles, summarize content, and even generate new text.
In Signal Desktop, Writing Tools appear under the Edit menu in the menu bar, however, all options are currently blank and unusable.
I also suspect that this might be an Electron issue and not under Signal's control, so I apologize in advance if that is the case.
Steps to reproduce
- Go to any chat
- Write anything
- Select all text
- Click on Edit in menu bar
- Select Writing Tools
Expected result
Writing Tools should be available for users to rewrite their messages easily, or to summarize content privately on device.
Actual result
Writing Tools appear as blank and cannot be selected.
Screenshots
Signal version
Signal Desktop 7.43.0 production (Apple silicon)
Operating system
macOS Sequoia 15.3.1
Version of Signal on your phone
7.47 (625)
Link to debug log
No response
Thank you for the report! Does this also reproduce when selecting text in the Search field?
(Asking because the compose area and that field are implemented differently)
Thank you for the report! Does this also reproduce when selecting text in the Search field?
Yes, the issue is reproducible in the Search area.
Hm... I see. Do you have any other Electron apps (Slack, Discord) or Chrome/Chromium installed by any chance? Is "Writing Tools" enabled there?
Hm... I see. Do you have any other Electron apps (Slack, Discord) or Chrome/Chromium installed by any chance? Is "Writing Tools" enabled there?
Yes, I have FreeTube, which is Electron-based, and it works fine. However, when I tried it in Discord and VSCodium, it didn’t work there either, as the same issue that appeared on Signal occurred.
Not sure if it helps, but I found this (still open) issue on the Electron repo.
Interesting! FreeTube is practically on the same Electron version as we are, and yet other Electron apps also don't allow using it. I also found this Chromium ticket which might indicate that this issue is not yet completely resolved upstream: https://issues.chromium.org/issues/385170286
To be honest with you, this is most likely an upstream issue. I suggest filing this with Electron to see if they have any ideas.
Hmm, I see.
I’m not quite sure what to do next. Should I open a new issue on the Electron repo, or add a comment to the existing one? Or will Signal take it from here when it comes to communicating with the Electron team?
Also, thank you for your time and effort, and for everything you do! I really appreciate it!
Sorry for confusion. It looks like this open Pull Request for Electron should land first https://github.com/electron/electron/pull/45138
@indutny-signal Just a heads up in case you haven’t seen it yet, if I'm not wrong, the pull request for Electron has been merged and should be included in Electron 36. Thought this might be useful for you Signal developers. https://github.com/electron/electron/pull/46350
Thank you! We'll wait for 36 to stabilize and pick it up once it is available!
@indutny-signal Did Signal implement Electron 36, or did Electron merge the patch earlier? I updated to Signal Desktop 7.50, and Writing Tools are now available and working perfectly. I believe we can close this issue as resolved 🚀