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How hidden AI interview helpers stay invisible, in their own words

They ask the computer to leave their window out of screen capture. The candidate sees the answers; your screen share shows what is behind them. Here is how it works, in the vendors' own words, and what works instead.

By Bhanu Kowshik, Founder

Updated 4 min read

What the candidate sees

Illustration: a laptop as the candidate sees it: a video call and notes, with a floating AI answer panel beside them.

AI answers float on their screen.

What you see on screen share

Illustration: the same moment on your screen share. The call and notes are there, and the answer panel is gone.

Same moment. The answers are not there.

An illustration, not a test result.
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On this page
  1. Introduction
  2. How they hide
  3. In their own words
  4. What it means for your interviews
  5. What we found in our own testing
  6. Frequently asked questions
  7. Sources

How they hide

Illustration: the same laptop as seen on a screen share. The call and notes are there, and the floating answer panel is gone.Illustration: a laptop as the candidate sees it: a video call and notes, with a floating answer panel beside them.
Try it: drag the line left and watch the answers drop out of the screen share. Arrow keys work too.
Illustration: the helper window asks the computer to leave it out of screen capture. The screen-share stream to the interviewer skips it, while the candidate still sees it on their own screen.
  1. The helper asks to be left out. Windows and macOS both let an app mark its window as hidden from capture.
  2. The share skips it. Screen sharing, recording and screenshots get what is behind the window.
  3. The candidate still sees it. On their own screen, the answers sit right where they read.

On Windows this is the display affinity setting (exclude from capture); on a Mac, the window sharing setting. Apps built with Electron switch it on with one call, content protection. Pluely's docs put it plainly: Screen-capture protection covers Pluely's window.

In their own words

Short lines from each vendor's own docs or help pages, read on November 10, 2026. Each links to its source.

  • Share one window

    when sharing one window, not full screen share

    On when it stays invisible in Microsoft Teams.

    CluelyLive Insights docs

  • Share one window

    Share a specific window or tab instead of entire screen

    Its first fix when the helper shows up.

    Verve AIStealth mode docs

  • Change one Zoom setting

    In Zoom, turn on Advanced capture with window filtering so Zoom honors it

    ShadeCoder's help center and Leetcode Wizard's help page name the same Zoom setting.

    Parakeet AIPrivacy page

  • Use a second device

    We strongly recommend using the web view on a secondary device

    The answers move off the shared computer entirely.

    Leetcode WizardDetection help page

  • Use a second device

    use Interview Solver AI Copilot from your phone or tablet

    Its companion mode, paired to the desktop app.

    Interview SolverCompanion mode docs

  • Use a second screen

    Place Verve AI on second monitor, share primary screen only

    Another of its fixes for a share that shows the helper.

    Verve AIStealth mode docs

  • Check the shared view

    Join from a second device or inspect the actual shared view

    Its advice for testing that the helper is hidden.

    Final Round AIFAQ

  • Still on the computer

    Cluely will still be visible in Task Bar and in Activity Monitor

    Hidden from the share, but still running on the machine.

    CluelyLive Insights docs

What it means for your interviews

  • Illustration: a screen share picker with one window selected, while the helper panel sits outside what gets shared.

    Sharing one window is what hides them best

    Cluely, Verve AI and LockedIn AI all point users to a single window or tab, not the whole screen.

  • Illustration: an interviewer's call grid that looks ordinary, with a closed eye and a quiet bell: no sign of the helper and no warning.

    Your screen share looks normal

    Parakeet AI's page says a share of the whole screen shows what is behind the hidden window instead.

  • Illustration: a laptop on a video call, with a phone on a stand beside it showing answers the screen share never sees.

    Some move the answers to a phone

    Leetcode Wizard and Interview Solver offer a second device mode, away from the shared computer.

  • Illustration: the candidate's own laptop with a green shield and tick, where a check can see the hidden helper panel.

    What works: checking the candidate's own computer

    With consent, a check on the candidate's own computer can find AI tools hidden from screen sharing.

What we found in our own testing

30 of 30
tries found each of 4 hidden AI tools (October 4, 2026)
0 of 30
false alarms with no AI tool open (October 4, 2026)
0 of 30
false alarms with everyday apps open (October 4, 2026)

Hidden AI tool found: 30 of 30 tries, for each of 4 tools (Interview Coder, OpenCluely, Pluely and Cheating Daddy). Our own testing, October 4, 2026. For the wider picture, see interview integrity statistics.

See how we tested

Frequently asked questions

Can Zoom see Cluely?

Usually not in what is shared. Cluely's own docs say it stays invisible on Zoom on most computers, and several helper vendors tell users to set Zoom's screen capture mode to "Advanced capture with window filtering". The helper window is left out of what Zoom sends, so the interviewer sees no sign of it in the share.

Can Google Meet detect hidden AI tools?

Not on its own. Meet shows the interviewer what the candidate shares, and these helpers ask the computer to leave their window out of that picture. Vendors such as Verve AI tell users to share one window or tab rather than the entire screen. A check on the candidate's own computer can find AI tools hidden from screen sharing.

Can Microsoft Teams see Interview Coder?

Usually not in the shared screen. Interview Coder, like the other helpers, asks the computer to leave its window out of screen capture, so a Teams share shows what is behind the window instead. Cluely's own docs say it stays invisible in Teams when the candidate shares one window, not the full screen.

Sources

  1. CluelyLive Insights (docs, section 7: Invisibility)Read November 10, 2026
  2. Parakeet AIHow ParakeetAI keeps your interview privateRead November 10, 2026
  3. ShadeCoderHow to ensure ShadeCoder is invisible in Zoom (help center)Read November 10, 2026
  4. Leetcode WizardDetection (help page)Read November 10, 2026
  5. Verve AIStealth mode (docs)Read November 10, 2026
  6. Interview SolverCompanion mode (docs)Read November 10, 2026
  7. LockedIn AIMac audio and screen share (docs)Read November 10, 2026
  8. Final Round AIFrequently asked questionsRead November 10, 2026
  9. PluelyStealth and privacy (docs)Read November 10, 2026
  10. Microsoft LearnSetWindowDisplayAffinity function (WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE)Read November 10, 2026
  11. Apple DeveloperNSWindow sharingTypeRead November 10, 2026
  12. ElectronBrowserWindow: setContentProtectionRead November 10, 2026
  13. Verified Call researchHidden AI tools: each of 4 tools, 30 tries, false alarmsTested October 4, 2026

See it on a real call

Book a short demo and we will show the check on a live call, including how hidden AI tools appear to the host.

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