TL;DR:
A screen-aware assistant can see everything visible when you ask, so tidy first.
Close or hide banking, messages, email and anything with personal details.
Two seconds of tidying is a better habit than hoping nothing private shows.
When you ask a screen-aware assistant a question, it looks at what is on your screen at that moment. That is what makes it useful, and it is also why a tidy screen matters. A bank balance, a message from a friend, or a notification that pops up at the wrong time can all end up in the picture.
The fix is a habit, not a worry. Here is what it looks like in practice.
Anything visible can be seen
The rule is simple: if you can see it on your screen when you ask, it can be part of what the assistant looks at. That includes background windows that show through, a second monitor if it is included, a tab bar listing page titles, and the corner of the screen where notifications appear.
A well-designed assistant looks only when you ask, and only for that answer. But even so, you decide what is on screen at that moment.
Walk-through: a screen with a bank tab and a homework tab
You are working on a maths worksheet in one browser window. In the tab bar there is also a tab from your bank, and a chat app is open on the right.
Look before you ask: You glance at the whole screen. The worksheet is the part you want help with. The bank tab title shows the bank's name, and the chat shows the last message preview.
Close the private tab: You close the bank tab, or move it to another window. You sign out of the bank site if you will not be back for a while.
Hide the chat: You minimise the chat app, or put it on a different desktop. Preview text disappears from view.
Quiet notifications: You switch on your system's do-not-disturb or focus mode so a banner does not pop up mid-question.
Ask: You press the key and ask about question 5. The screen shows only the worksheet.
The whole tidy took about ten seconds. After a week of doing it, it becomes automatic, like checking your pockets before leaving the house.
The quick checklist
Banking, payment and shopping tabs with account details.
Email and chat windows, including their notification previews.
Documents with personal information: ID, medical, school records.
Password managers and settings pages that show keys or codes.
Other people's names and messages, which are theirs to share, not yours.
Anything you are not allowed to share, such as confidential work files.
Make it easy on yourself
Use a separate browser window or profile for private things, so you can leave it behind.
Turn on do-not-disturb or focus mode while you study or work.
Close tabs you are done with. A tidy tab bar is a tidy habit.
Keep private apps on a different desktop or space.
Tip: If you forget and realise something private was visible, it is fine. Just close it, and next time do the glance first. The habit matters more than perfection.
Window titles and tab names give things away
Even if the content of a private page is not what you are asking about, its title may be visible in the tab bar or the window switcher. A tab named after a bank, a clinic or a private group says something about you. Closing the tab, or keeping private things in a different window, removes that clue along with the content. Browsers also offer private windows, but they make no difference to what is visible, so close them or move them aside.
Do the same for your desktop. A folder of files with personal names on the desktop is visible when other windows are small, so a quick tidy of icons helps if you often share your screen.
Tidying for a call is the same
The same ten-second glance serves any time your screen is seen by someone else: a video call, a classroom projector, a recording. If you build the habit once, it covers all of them.
What tidying does and does not do
Closing private windows lowers what is on screen. It does not change what the assistant does with what it sees, which is a question for the product's privacy information. It also cannot help if you share your screen with a person on a call. The same glance applies there.
Privacy and control
DuckyHelper looks and listens only while the pill is open and for that answer, with no watching when idle. Tidying first is the other half. See the safety page for how it treats your data.
Try it yourself
Open your usual workspace and pretend someone is looking over your shoulder. What would you hide? Do that for the next week before you ask for help. By the end of the week you will not need to think about it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to close everything?
No. Close or hide what is private. Leave the rest.
What about my second monitor?
Check whether it can be seen. If so, tidy it too, or move private windows away.
Is do-not-disturb enough on its own?
It stops notification banners, but open windows are still visible. Close those separately.
Get started
