Last updated: 10/2/25
Overview
Inspowire is a macOS menu-bar application built with Electron and TypeScript to help you collect and organize visual inspiration locally on your computer. The project creates a per-user data directory (for example,
~/Library/Application Support/Inspowire/projects
) where it stores the assets, metadata, and configuration needed to power Inspo Mode, the floating widget, and the companion Figma plug-in.
Information We Collect
Project content you capture or import
When Inspo Mode is enabled, the screenshot watcher duplicates new desktop screenshots into the active project, adding JSON metadata with the timestamp, project name, originating application, window title, and (when available) the related URL and page title sourced from recent tab activity.
Images you paste, drag in, or download through the floating widget are written into timestamped subfolders together with metadata describing the source (clipboard, web drag-and-drop, etc.), original URL, MIME type, and image dimensions.
If you opt to sync a Pinterest board, the scraper downloads each pin and records metadata such as pin ID, source URLs, title, description, and project name alongside the saved image.
Page metadata and browsing context
The Inspowire browser extension (Chrome Manifest V3) captures Open Graph/Twitter metadata, favicon, scroll position, and any selected text from the active tab when you click the action button, then posts that information to the local Inspowire server at http://localhost:5001/tab-info.
The main process stores the latest tab payload—augmenting it with optional Puppeteer scraping when the page lacks metadata—and exposes it to other components via /get-last-tab-info so screenshots and saved URLs can retain their web context.
The floating widget writes a saved-urls.json file per project that contains the bookmarked URL, collection timestamp, detected content type, preview imagery, and any captured scroll position or selected text, while the watcher monitors that file to keep URL counts synchronized.
A lightweight Express service can also persist the last tab details in the shared Electron configuration store so they remain available between sessions.
Configuration, telemetry, and logs
electron-store retains Inspowire settings such as the active project, auto-start flag, last used project, and per-project Inspo Mode states inside the application’s userData directory.
The floating widget stores its window position and expansion state in widget-config.json, and reads from the shared projects directory to populate its UI.
The Figma plug-in keeps layout state in Figma’s client storage and receives base64-encoded images from the watcher so it can add them to the canvas without uploading them elsewhere.
Operational logs (Inspowire.log) and a screenshot event log (screenshot-events.log) are written locally, recording events such as screenshot captures, duplications, and general application activity.
How Information is Used
Inspo Mode settings drive the screenshot watcher: the main process reconfigures watch targets, restores the original macOS screenshot location when disabled, and synchronizes state with the widget and tray menu.
The floating widget queries local HTTP endpoints and listens to watcher broadcasts to list projects, toggle Inspo Mode, and display live image/URL counts.
Captured images are streamed over a localhost WebSocket to connected clients (such as the Figma plug-in), which decode the base64 payload and render it into the user’s document.
When metadata is missing, Inspowire can launch a headless Puppeteer session to scrape richer previews before saving URLs or tab context, reducing the manual effort needed to curate inspirations.
Optional Pinterest synchronization uses Puppeteer and HTTP downloads to refresh local collections on demand.
Network Activity and Third-Party Services
Inspowire only communicates over the local machine by default: the floating widget coordinates with the main app through http://localhost:5001/widget-command and WebSocket messages, and notifies the main process when it needs to toggle Inspo Mode or update counts.
When you request richer metadata, the app may fetch the target website through Puppeteer, respecting options such as blocking images for faster scraping.
Downloading images or pins pulls data directly from the remote source you specify (e.g., a public image URL or Pinterest board) using Axios and Puppeteer, and the scraper can optionally route requests through user-supplied proxies.
Opening the “How it works” or feedback links from the menu loads an external workspace at https://inspowire.com inside an Electron window.
User Controls
You can toggle Inspo Mode per project from the widget, disable all projects before quitting, or create and rename projects through local commands that immediately update the watcher and tray state.
The widget and tray provide deletion options for screenshots, imported images, saved URLs, and entire project folders; these operations also notify the watcher so counts remain accurate.
Logs and tracker files can be cleared via the exposed helper methods if you want to prune operational history.
Security
Inspowire stores all content in the user’s home directory or Electron userData path and communicates only over loopback interfaces, minimizing exposure to external networks. Standard macOS filesystem permissions therefore protect your projects; if you share your machine or backup these directories, ensure those copies remain secure.
Changes to This Policy
Functionality may evolve as the project is updated. Material changes to data handling will be reflected in future revisions of this document and in the project’s release notes.
Contact
For privacy questions or requests, please reach out through the same channel where you obtained Inspowire (for example, the project’s issue tracker or distribution support channel).