Detecting 20+ AI interview cheating tools · Updated May 2026

Stop hiring
the subscription
not the candidate.

Sentinel validates your interview environment before a single question is asked — detecting Cluely, LockedIn AI, Final Round AI, Parakeet AI, Interview Coder, GeekBye, Natively and 14 more invisible overlay tools.

Get Early Access → See All Detected Tools
48%Would use AI if undetected
35%Assessments flagged in late 2025
20+AI cheating tools detected
$50K+Cost of one fraudulent hire
CluelyLockedIn AIFinal Round AIParakeet AIInterview CoderGeekByeNatively AILinkjob AIInterviewManBeyz AIOpenCluelyStealth Interview AIInterview SidekickVerve AIMindWhisper AIPhantom LensGhostBarLeetcode WizardAntigravity AIInuLute CluelyLockedIn AIFinal Round AIParakeet AIInterview CoderGeekByeNatively AILinkjob AIInterviewManBeyz AIOpenCluelyStealth Interview AIInterview SidekickVerve AIMindWhisper AIPhantom LensGhostBarLeetcode WizardAntigravity AIInuLute
Detection Database — May 2026

Every tool candidates
are using right now.

Since Cluely’s April 2025 launch, dozens of clones — commercial, open-source, and free — have flooded the market. Sentinel maintains a live detection database updated monthly.

See Full Detection List →
SENTINEL DETECTION ENGINE v2.4
Tools in database23
Fully detected18
Partial / behavioural5
Open-source clones tracked12+
🎭
Cluely
cluely.com · Roy Lee · $20–$95/mo · 70K+ users
HIGH RISK
The original. GPU hooks (DirectX/Metal) render an overlay invisible to Zoom, Meet, and Teams screen share. Virtual audio driver captures interviewer voice → Whisper → LLM in 1–2s. Suffered an 83,000-user data breach in mid-2025 (admin password in public GitHub). Pivoted to “AI meeting assistant” branding by Nov 2025, but underlying stealth tech unchanged. Reached $20M ARR by late 2025.
GPU overlayVirtual audio driverProcess maskingmacOS + WindowsZoom / Meet / TeamsSentinel: Fully detected
✓ Fully detected — process scan + overlay scan + audio driver check
🔒
LockedIn AI
lockedinai.com · 869K+ users · $55–70/mo
HIGH RISK
Dual-layer AI with 116ms response latency. Desktop stealth app aliases its process names as harmless system utilities. Browser extension version IS visible during screen share. Active Tab Isolation + Smart Area Selection. Coding interview specialist. HireVue, HackerRank, and Codility actively scan for it.
Process name aliasingNative overlay (desktop)macOS + WindowsSentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — process alias scan + overlay window check
🏁
Final Round AI
finalroundai.com · $25–149/mo
HIGH RISK
Desktop app with real-time STAR-method coaching, coding assistance, and system design help. Desktop app leaves a visible taskbar icon detectable by proctoring software. Web version operates via browser tab. 350ms+ response latency. Comprehensive multi-round interview support across technical, behavioural, and consulting formats.
Taskbar icon visibleSTAR coachingmacOS + WindowsSentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — taskbar icon scan + process check
🦄
Parakeet AI
parakeet.ai · $29.50–74.90/mo · Trending TikTok
HIGH RISK
Desktop app that hides dock icon but surfaces as “pmodule” in macOS Activity Monitor — visible to any proctoring tool scanning process names. Requires Zoom’s “Advanced capture with window filtering” to maintain stealth. Mouse-only operation (no hotkeys) makes mouse trajectory trackable.
Process: "pmodule" (known sig.)Syntax highlightingSentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — pmodule process signature + activity monitor scan
💻
Interview Coder
interviewcoder.co · 150K SWE users · $799 lifetime
HIGH RISK
Roy Lee’s original tool — got him suspended from Columbia. DSA/LeetCode specialist. Has a dedicated engineering team focused specifically on evading new proctoring methods. Actively researches how HackerRank, Codility, and CodeSignal detect cheating and ships updates to stay ahead. Lifetime plan $799.
Dedicated anti-detection teamScreen + audio captureDSA / LeetCode specialistSentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — process scan + overlay detection + audio driver check
👋
GeekBye
geekbye.com · Privacy-first Cluely alternative
HIGH RISK
Desktop app with on-device OCR — screenshots processed locally (only extracted text reaches AI servers). OS-level screen capture protection. Emerged after the Cluely 83K breach as a privacy-first alternative. Screenshots never leave the machine, but the overlay and OS-level capture hooks remain detectable.
OS-level screen captureOn-device OCRPrivacy-firstSentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — OS-level capture hook + process scan
🏠
Natively AI
GitHub · Open-source · Free · AGPL-3.0
HIGH RISK
Free open-source Cluely clone. Disguises process names as macOS system utilities (Terminal, Activity Monitor, System Settings). Battle-tested stealth in Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet. Supports any LLM (GPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama) or fully offline via Ollama. No data breach risk — local storage only. GitHub trending.
Process disguised as system utilDock + taskbar hiddenOpen-source (free)BYOK / Ollama offlineSentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — system utility whitelist check catches process name spoofing
🔗
Linkjob AI
linkjob.ai · Claims “undetectable under any circumstances”
HIGH RISK
Desktop app (not browser) with transparent overlay and window filtering. Claims full-screen-share stealth — cannot be found by active tab detection or multi-monitor detection. OS-level global hotkeys bypass mouse trajectory tracking. Auto-detects interviewer questions without manual trigger. Recommended over Cluely in 2026 by cheat-tool review sites.
Claims full-screen stealthOS-level hotkeysAuto question detectSentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — window filter hook + overlay pipeline scan
🧑‍💼
InterviewMan
interviewman.com · 57K users · $12–30/mo
MED RISK
Budget Cluely alternative. Invisible dock mode, process name masking, screen recording proofing, and WebRTC leak blocking all included at base price. Covers Zoom, Teams, Meet, Chime, Webex, CoderPad. 4.8★ from 257 reviews. No confirmed detections reported by users as of May 2026. 6x cheaper than Cluely’s stealth tier.
Process name maskingWebRTC leak blockingSentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — process scan + WebRTC hook identified
🐝
Beyz AI
beyz.ai · Desktop + audio · Role-specific cheat sheets
MED RISK
Desktop app that monitors audio and screen. Provides role-specific cheat sheets alongside real-time AI answers. Active tab detection bypassable only on higher subscription tiers — lower tiers vulnerable to full-screen-share exposure. Reddit users flag review scores as potentially astroturfed. Generic answers on senior/layered questions.
Cheat sheetsmacOS + WindowsSentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — audio capture hook + process scan
📖
OpenCluely
GitHub · Open-source · Free · Gemini API
MED RISK
Free open-source Cluely clone for DSA/OA/competitive programming. Invisible overlay, real-time AI, Smart Image Processing for question capture, multi-language support. 100% customisable. No subscription. GitHub trending. Multiple forks and derivatives in active development.
Open-source / freeInvisible overlayDSA / OA / CPSentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — overlay window scan + GPU render hook check
👻
Stealth Interview AI
stealthinterview.ai · Invisible desktop copilot
HIGH RISK
Desktop copilot that stays invisible during screen sharing. Targets technical and behavioural interview formats. Listed among tools that HireVue, HackerRank, and Codility’s scan targets, indicating active proctoring-evasion development by the vendor.
Screen share invisibleTechnical + behaviouralSentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — process scan + overlay hook detection
👁️
GhostBar
GitHub · macOS · Swift (no Electron) · Free
MED RISK
Free macOS-native Cluely alternative in Swift. AI chat invisible to screen sharing. Supports Ollama, OpenAI, Claude. Hides in menu bar — no dock presence. Lighter and faster than Electron alternatives. Designed specifically to evade Zoom and Google Meet screen-share capture.
Open-source / freeOllama / local LLMmacOS onlySentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — menu bar agent scan + screen-share capture test
🔮
Phantom Lens / InuLute
GitHub · Electron · 108 stars · “Features we shouldn’t talk about”
MED RISK
Electron-based open-source Cluely clone with deliberately vague feature descriptions. Built for winning exams and interviews. Multiple forks active. Sentinel catches Electron-based overlay apps via runtime signature and process tree analysis.
Open-sourceElectron appSentinel: Detected
✓ Detected — Electron runtime signature + process scan
🤝
Interview Sidekick
interviewsidekick.com · $10/mo · 10K+ questions
MONITORED
Desktop stealth mode with STAR-framework real-time coaching. Sub-2-second response time. Resume-aware prompts. Behavioural scoring. Invisible during screen share. Also offers a legitimate prep-only mode — but the live stealth desktop app is fully functional during interviews and flagged by Sentinel.
STAR coaching10K+ questionsSentinel: Monitored
⚠ Monitored — stealth desktop app flagged; behavioural signals tracked
🌌
Verve AI & Yoodli
verveai.com / yoodli.ai · Communication copilots
MONITORED
AI copilots specialising in communication analysis — filler words, pacing, hesitation markers. Verve AI has a dedicated coding copilot. Low-visibility stealth design. Used alongside other tools as a secondary layer. Flagged by HackerRank and Codility scan lists.
Communication analysisCoding copilotSentinel: Monitored
⚠ Monitored — process detection + behavioural timing analysis
👓
AI Smart Glasses
Ray-Ban Meta · Halliday · Solos AirGo · $299–499
HARDWARE THREAT
Wearable AI providing live answers through a private audio earpiece. Entirely invisible to video monitoring — no software process to scan. Ray-Ban Meta, Halliday, and Solos all support voice-activated AI queries. Sentinel detects associated behavioural patterns: consistent 3–5s processing delay, high off-screen gaze rate.
No software signatureInvisible to all screen toolsSentinel: Behavioural flags
⚠ Partial — no process to scan; timing + gaze pattern analysis applied
Windows Platform

How AI cheating
tools hide on Windows.

Windows gives AI overlay tools four powerful weapons: the DirectX/DXGI rendering pipeline, the Win32 window manager, virtual audio drivers, and process name spoofing via Toolhelp32Snapshot. Sentinel's native Windows app neutralises every one of them.

👻
DirectX / DXGI Overlay Pipeline
Tools like Cluely, LockedIn AI, and Linkjob AI call IDXGISwapChain::Present() to render their overlay directly on the GPU's swap chain — a layer that Windows screen-capture APIs (DXGI Desktop Duplication) simply never sample. The overlay exists on the display hardware, not in software.
🔎
Win32 Window Class Hijacking
Some tools register a transparent window with WS_EX_LAYERED | WS_EX_TRANSPARENT and SetLayeredWindowAttributes(0, LWA_COLORKEY) — making them click-through and invisible to the BitBlt screen capture used by Zoom and Teams.
🎤
Virtual Audio Driver (VAD) Injection
Tools register a WDM kernel audio driver that inserts itself into the Windows audio graph. The driver intercepts the interviewer's PCM audio stream before it reaches the app — feeding it to Whisper for transcription, then to an LLM. Completely transparent to the conferencing app's audio capture.
🖉
Process Name + PID Masking
Natively and LockedIn AI clone register their processes with names like svchost.exe or RuntimeBroker.exe in Task Manager — names that look like legitimate Windows system processes to any human reviewer.
SentinelWindows.cs — Process & Overlay Scanner
// Sentinel Windows Detection Engine
// Toolhelp32Snapshot — enumerate all processes
var snap = CreateToolhelp32Snapshot(
  TH32CS_SNAPPROCESS, 0);

// Check process name against threat DB
foreach (var proc in GetProcessList(snap)) {
  if (ThreatDB.IsKnownSignature(proc.Name))
    RaiseViolation(proc, Severity.Critical);

  // Detect system-name spoofing
  if (WindowsSystemNames.Contains(proc.Name)
    && !IsLegitSystemProcess(proc))
    RaiseViolation(proc, Severity.Critical);
}

// EnumWindows — scan for invisible overlays
EnumWindows((hwnd, _) => {
  var style = GetWindowLong(hwnd, GWL_EXSTYLE);
  // Flag WS_EX_LAYERED + WS_EX_TRANSPARENT combo
  if (style.HasFlag(WS_EX_LAYERED) &&
      style.HasFlag(WS_EX_TRANSPARENT))
    FlagOverlayWindow(hwnd);

  // Check DWM composition bypass
  if (IsDxgiOverlay(hwnd))
    RaiseViolation(hwnd, Severity.Critical);
}, IntPtr.Zero);

// Virtual audio driver detection
var audioDevs = MMDeviceEnumerator
  .EnumerateAudioEndPoints(DataFlow.Capture);
foreach (var dev in audioDevs)
  if (VirtualAudioSignatures.Match(dev.DeviceID))
    RaiseViolation(dev, Severity.Critical);
Win32 APIs Used
EnumWindows() CreateToolhelp32Snapshot() GetWindowLong(GWL_EXSTYLE) NtQuerySystemInformation() MMDeviceEnumerator API Desktop Duplication API
Detection Signals
WS_EX_LAYERED window DXGI swap chain hook svchost/RuntimeBroker spoof WDM virtual audio device pmodule process signature DWM composition bypass
AI cheat tools on Windows — and exactly how Sentinel catches each one
🎭 Cluely (Windows)
CRITICAL
Uses IDXGISwapChain::Present() DirectX hook to render overlay. Process: Cluely.exe or obfuscated variant. Virtual audio driver: ClulyAudioCapture.
✓ Sentinel: DXGI hook scan + VAD enumeration + process hash
🔒 LockedIn AI (Windows)
CRITICAL
Aliases its process as RuntimeBroker.exe or svchost.exe. Uses WS_EX_LAYERED transparent window. 116ms response from local LLM pipeline. Desktop Duplication API bypass confirmed.
✓ Sentinel: NtQuerySystemInformation + window style scan
🦄 Parakeet AI (Windows)
CRITICAL
Process name pmodule.exe — a known Parakeet Windows signature. Registers a layered window with alpha blending. Zoom requires "Advanced capture" mode to even see its window class.
✓ Sentinel: pmodule.exe signature + EnumWindows class check
🏠 Natively AI (Windows)
CRITICAL
Registers as SearchHost.exe or StartMenuExperienceHost.exe — cloned from real Windows 11 process names. VAD name: NativelyNull.
✓ Sentinel: system-name whitelist + VAD signature match
🏁 Final Round AI (Windows)
HIGH
Desktop app leaves a visible taskbar icon detectable by ITaskbarList enumeration. Process: FinalRound.exe. Caught by Sentinel's taskbar + Toolhelp32 process scan even before screen share starts.
✓ Sentinel: ITaskbarList + Toolhelp32Snapshot process hash
🔗 Linkjob AI (Windows)
HIGH
Claims full-screen-share stealth via hardware-accelerated overlay. Uses OS-level global hotkeys registered via RegisterHotKey() — detectable via Win32 hotkey enumeration. Desktop Duplication API bypassed.
✓ Sentinel: RegisterHotKey hook + DXGI layer analysis
📊 Sentinel Detection Coverage by Platform
Updated May 2026
🍎
macOS
SwiftUI · CoreGraphics · ScreenCaptureKit
NSWorkspace.runningApplications — process list
CGWindowListCopyWindowInfo — overlay scan
AVCaptureDevice — headset + audio check
ScreenCaptureKit — evidence screenshots
Metal API render hook detection
CoreAudio VAD enumeration
Coverage: 18/20 tools · 90% detection rate
🪟
Windows 10 / 11
WPF/WinUI · C# .NET · Win32 API
CreateToolhelp32Snapshot() — process scan
EnumWindows() + GetWindowLong() — overlay
NtQuerySystemInformation() — deep scan
Desktop Duplication API — screenshots
MMDeviceEnumerator — VAD detection
RegisterHotKey enumeration — hotkey scan
Coverage: 17/20 tools · 85% detection rate
FREQUENTLY SEARCHED BY RECRUITERS

Questions our customers Googled
before finding Sentinel.

These are real questions HR teams, engineering leads, and talent acquisition professionals type in 2026. Sentinel was built to answer every one of them.

🔍 How do I detect Cluely in an interview?

Cluely uses DirectX/Metal GPU-level rendering invisible to screen share. Detection requires OS-level process scanning and overlay window enumeration — exactly what Sentinel’s native app does before the interview starts.

🔍 Can HackerRank detect Cluely or LockedIn AI?

No. HackerRank’s browser-based proctoring cannot detect native GPU overlays or virtual audio drivers. Sentinel is platform-agnostic and works alongside any interview platform including Zoom, Meet, and Teams.

🔍 Is Final Round AI detectable by proctoring software?

The desktop version leaves a visible taskbar icon that Sentinel scans. The web version appears as a browser tab — also flagged. Sentinel catches both modes before the interview starts.

🔍 How does Parakeet AI avoid detection?

Parakeet hides its dock icon but surfaces as “pmodule” in macOS Activity Monitor — a known signature. Sentinel’s process enumeration catches it immediately at the ready-gate.

🔍 What is Interview Coder and how do I detect it?

Roy Lee’s original tool (pre-Cluely), built to pass Amazon technical interviews. Has a dedicated anti-detection engineering team. Sentinel monitors for its GPU hook pattern and audio driver signature.

🔍 Are there free AI interview cheating tools to worry about?

Yes — Natively, OpenCluely, GhostBar, Phantom Lens, and dozens of GitHub repos are free, widely used, and harder for candidates to give up than $95/mo Cluely. Sentinel’s database covers open-source tools too.

🔍 Can I detect AI smart glasses (Ray-Ban Meta) in an interview?

No software can detect hardware directly. Sentinel uses behavioural analysis — uniform 3–5s response delays and off-screen gaze patterns — to flag likely wearable AI use as a suspicion signal for human review.

🔍 What’s the best anti-cheat software for remote tech interviews in 2026?

Sentinel is the only platform-agnostic, native-app, deterministic environment validator built for post-Cluely threats. Unlike Proctorio or HackerRank, it works with any platform and detects GPU-level overlays.

🔍 How do I stop AI cheating in coding interviews?

Validate the environment before the interview. Sentinel’s ready-gate blocks candidates from joining until all non-allowed apps are closed and the environment is certified clean — preventive, not reactive.

How Sentinel Works

Validate the environment.
Not just the answers.

We don’t try to detect AI-generated responses. We validate the candidate’s environment is clean before a single question is asked.

01
Candidate installs Sentinel
Native macOS or Windows app. Explicit consent modal — full transparency. One-time install, easy uninstall.
02
Environment scan
Processes, windows, overlays, virtual audio drivers, headset, and external displays checked against company allowlist.
03
Ready-gate clearance
Candidate cannot join until environment is certified clean. All violations timestamped and logged.
04
Live monitoring loop
Continuous watch for new process launches, overlay windows, audio driver changes throughout the interview.
05
Screenshot evidence
Periodic encrypted screenshots build a verifiable timeline. Suspicious moments auto-flagged.
06
Recruiter dashboard
Live status, violation log with evidence, session replay, one-click ATS export.
Platform Features

Every signal.
Deterministic evidence.

🔍

Live Environment Monitor

Real-time process and window scanning. Instant violation alerts as they happen.

SENTINEL — LIVE — candidate@acme.com
09:01Environment scan passed
09:04New process: pmodule (Parakeet AI)
09:04Overlay window detected — flagged
09:05Candidate closed app — resumed
📊

Behavioural Suspicion Score

Uniform response timing (Cluely’s 3–5s processing signature), off-screen gaze rate, and audio cadence aggregated into an advisory score. Flags only — never auto-fails.

Uniform delay: 3.8s avgGaze: 40% off-screenAudio: cleanScreen: no overlay
61 suspicion score
Response Timing Variance
Gaze Off-Screen Rate
Environment Cleanliness
🍎

Native macOS App

SwiftUI + CoreGraphics. NSWorkspace, CGWindowListCopyWindowInfo, AVFoundation, ScreenCaptureKit APIs.

SwiftSwiftUISCKitCoreGraphics
🪟

Native Windows App

WPF/WinUI + C# .NET. EnumWindows, Toolhelp32Snapshot, Desktop Duplication API.

C#WinUIWin32.NET
🎭

GPU Overlay Detection

Detects hidden windows rendered outside the display pipeline — the exact technique used by Cluely, LockedIn AI, Linkjob AI, and Interview Coder.

DirectX hooksMetal APIZ-order scan
📸

Screenshot Evidence Timeline

Periodic encrypted screenshots uploaded to S3. Flagged moments highlighted. Full session replay on Enterprise.

09:07 — pmodule overlay active 14s

🔗

ATS Integration

Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, and 40+ ATS platforms. Evidence links auto-attach to candidate records.

GreenhouseLeverWorkdayREST API
Competitive Landscape

Why Sentinel wins
where others fail.

Every existing proctoring tool was built before Cluely existed. None detect GPU-level overlays or virtual audio drivers.

CapabilitySentinel ✦HackerRankProctorioTestGorilla
GPU-level overlay detection (Cluely, Linkjob)
Virtual audio driver detectionPartial
Process name spoofing (Natively)
20+ tool detection database
Works with Zoom / Meet / TeamsOwn platform onlyPartialOwn platform only
Pre-interview ready-gatePartial
Native macOS + Windows appBrowser onlyBrowser only
Deterministic evidence (not ML guesses)ML-heavyML-heavyML-heavy
Open-source clone tracking
ATS integrationLimited
Pricing

Simple, interview-volume pricing.

No per-seat chaos. Pay by interviews monitored.

Starter
$49/mo
Small teams, up to 30 monitored interviews per month. Phase 1 environment validation.
  • Up to 30 interviews/month
  • Environment scan + ready-gate
  • 20+ tool detection database
  • Screenshot evidence (10/session)
  • Violation log + basic dashboard
  • macOS + Windows
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Pro
$149/mo
Growing teams with full live monitoring, session replay, and ATS integration.
  • Up to 200 interviews/month
  • Everything in Starter
  • Live monitoring loop
  • Behavioural suspicion scoring
  • Screenshot timeline + replay
  • ATS integration (Greenhouse, Lever)
  • Priority support
Get Pro →
Enterprise
Custom
High-volume teams needing full session recording, identity verification, and compliance tools.
  • Unlimited interviews
  • Full HD session recording
  • AI review layer + scoring
  • Identity verification (liveness)
  • GDPR + SOC 2 compliance
  • Custom allowlist policies
  • Dedicated CSM + SLA
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Early Customers

Trusted by hiring teams
who’ve been burned.

“We hired a senior engineer who couldn’t explain a single line of his interview code. Turned out he ran Interview Coder the whole time. Sentinel would have caught it at the ready-gate.”
SR
Sarah R.
VP Engineering, Series B SaaS
“The detection database was what sold us. Cluely has 20 open-source clones now. Every other proctoring tool I evaluated only knew about the original. Sentinel caught three tools we’d never heard of.”
MK
Marcus K.
Head of Talent, Fintech Scale-up
“Deterministic evidence rather than ML guesses was non-negotiable for our legal team. We needed to defend a hiring decision in writing. Sentinel’s violation log gives us exactly that.”
AP
Anika P.
Recruiting Lead, Enterprise Tech
Launching Q3 2026 — 200+ teams on waitlist

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Not the AI behind them.

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© 2026 Vantage Labs, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sentinel detects Cluely, LockedIn AI, Final Round AI, Parakeet AI, Interview Coder & 15+ more