I built a hidden AI overlay that's invisible during screen sharing — here's how and why

Source: Dev.to

The Problem Nobody Talks About

There’s a moment every IT professional, sysadmin, and help‑desk engineer knows all too well: you’re screen sharing, ten people are watching, and every AI tool assumes you have a separate window or tab open. Nobody built a solution for when you’re actually in the middle of a live screen‑share.

Solution: GhostPilot

GhostPilot is a Windows desktop overlay that sits on top of your screen. You can see it, but no one else on the call can. It’s toggled with a single hotkey, provides a full AI chat window, and lets you paste text directly into the overlay without minimizing or alt‑tabbing away.

Technical Details

• Language: C#
• UI Framework: WPF (.NET 8)
• AI: Third‑party AI API with full conversation context
• Security: Windows DPAPI for local credential encryption
• Build Tool: Visual Studio 2022

I chose C# + WPF deliberately to validate the core technical assumption first, before designing any UI or adding extra features.

Design Principles

1. Validate the core technical assumption first – ensure the overlay works reliably during screen sharing.
2. Scope ruthlessly – the first version includes only what’s essential.
3. The niche is the moat – GhostPilot isn’t for everyone; it’s targeted at IT pros who need discreet AI assistance.
4. Ship before it’s perfect – launch with rough edges and iterate based on real‑world feedback.

Features (v1)

• ✅ Windows 11 support
• ✅ Works across Teams, Zoom, and Webex
• ✅ 7‑day free trial
• ✅ AI chat with full conversation context
• ✅ Hotkey toggle

Roadmap (v2+)

• 🔄 Screen awareness (detect when you’re sharing)
• 🔄 Runbook/KB integration
• 🔄 Team licensing

Who Is It For?

If you’re in IT, DevOps, sysadmin, or help‑desk roles and need an invisible AI assistant during screen sharing, GhostPilot is built for you.

Get Started

👉 https://www.ghostpilot.in/

Built solo, shipped real, and still iterating.