Local Route Launcher: app-specific launch settings for macOS

A macOS utility called Local Route Launcher was created to simplify launching a compatible ChatGPT installation using a local HTTP proxy without altering the system's proxy and DNS settings. The free, MIT-licensed application, written in SwiftUI and AppKit, stores the proxy host and port, then transmits that configuration to the desired application upon startup.

Local Route Launcher does not provide its own proxy service; it simply utilizes an existing one. Its primary functions are saving local HTTP proxy settings, launching ChatGPT or requesting a graceful shutdown, and verifying proxy connectivity, launch arguments, and TCP connections. The launcher offers menu bar controls, light and dark appearance options, and instant English/Simplified Chinese switching, with both language choices remembered by the user.

Compatibility is limited to Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 13 or later, with detectable Electron-based ChatGPT installations; older native builds and Intel Macs are not supported. The application does not guarantee that every request uses the proxy, as voice, WebRTC, UDP, and certain child-process traffic are not covered by the routing assurances.

Updates to the application may impact compatibility, and macOS-owned menus and dialogs may reflect the system's language settings. Release builds are ad-hoc signed and not notarized by Apple. The source code and release checksums are available for scrutiny on the GitHub repository. Oliver encourages feedback, compatibility reports, code reviews, and interface suggestions for the independent project, which is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI.

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