Look - Keyboard-First macOS Launcher#

Look Github Repository

Look is a keyboard-first launcher for macOS focused on fast local actions. It provides instant access to apps, files, folders, and system settings without leaving the keyboard.

Platform notice (April 2026): The current stable release is macOS-first. A Windows version is now actively in development.

Why Look?#

If you're tired of slow launchers or expensive tools like Raycast, Look offers a free, lightweight alternative that stays out of your way. It's designed for developers and power users who want quick access to everything on their Mac without leaving the keyboard.

Core Concepts#

• Local-first indexing: All search indexing happens locally on your machine
• Swift UI shell + Rust engine: Modern macOS UI powered by efficient Rust search
• Usage-aware ranking: Results improve over time based on your usage patterns
• Customizable themes: Multiple built-in themes with full customization options

Key Features#

• Fast Local Search: Instantly search apps, files, folders, and system settings
• Query Prefixes: Use prefixes like a", f", d" to narrow search scope
• Clipboard History: Access recent clipboard items with c"
• Translation: Quick translation with t" and dictionary lookup with tw"
• Command Mode: Built-in calculator, shell commands, force quit, and system info
• Customizable Themes: Multiple built-in themes including Catppuccin, Tokyo Night, and more
• Privacy-First: No external services required for core features

System Requirements#

• macOS 15.0+
• Keyboard shortcut: Cmd+Space (conflicts with Spotlight by default)

Installation#

Requirements#

• macOS 15.0+

Windows build status: in active development (not publicly released yet).

Homebrew (Recommended)#

brew tap kunkka19xx/tap
brew install --cask look

Update#

brew upgrade --cask kunkka19xx/tap/look

Manual Download#

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases.

Uninstall#

brew uninstall --cask look

Or manually remove:

rm -rf ~/Library/Application Support/Look
rm -f ~/.look.config

First Launch#

Release builds are Developer ID signed and notarized, so normal first launch should open without Gatekeeper bypass.

If Cmd+Space is still opening Spotlight:

1. Open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts...
2. Go to Spotlight section
3. Disable "Show Spotlight search" or rebind it to another shortcut

Getting Started#

Basic Usage#

1. Open Look: Press Cmd+Space (or your configured shortcut)
2. Type to Search: Start typing to search apps, files, folders, or settings
3. Navigate: Use Tab/Shift+Tab or arrow keys to move between results
4. Open: Press Enter to open the selected item

Query Prefixes#

Use these prefixes to narrow your search scope:

Apps only search example#

Directories only search example#

Path-like queries (e.g., git/project/readme) are also supported and bias toward path matches.

Query Aliases#

Define aliases in ~/.look.config to map search terms to related apps:

alias_note=Notion|Obsidian|Notes|Apple Notes|Bear|Logseq
alias_code=Visual Studio Code|VSCode|Cursor|Windsurf|IntelliJ IDEA|PyCharm|WebStorm|Neovim|Xcode|Zed

• Aliases apply to app + System Settings search only
• Aliases boost matching apps but don't create synthetic results
• Keep lists short (5-10 targets) for best results

Typical Workflow#

1. Press Cmd+Space to open launcher
2. Type to search apps/files/folders/settings
3. Use Tab/Shift+Tab or arrow keys to navigate
4. Press Enter to open

Keyboard Shortcuts#

Global Shortcuts#

Navigation#

Actions#

Settings Panel Zoom#

Query Prefixes#

Features#

Clipboard History (`c"`)#

Access recently copied text items:

• Type c" to enter clipboard mode
• Browse recent text clips
• Press Enter to copy an item back to clipboard

Note: Clipboard history is stored in-memory only and cleared when the app restarts.

Clipboard histories search example#

Translation (`t"` / `tw"`)#

Quick translation without leaving the launcher:

• t"hello → Translate "hello" to Vietnamese/English/Japanese
• tw"word → Dictionary lookup with definitions and examples

Translate sentences, words via web#

Search words by MacOS's built-in LookUp#

Translation requires network connectivity.

Command Mode (`Cmd+/`)#

Built-in quick commands:

Notes:

• shell input containing sudo shows an orange warning cue
• kill flow requires explicit confirmation

Background Image#

Add a custom background image:

1. Place image in ~/look_bg.png
2. Adjust opacity and blur in settings
3. Choose layout mode: fill, fit, tile, or stretch

Lazy Indexing#

When enabled (default), the app only reindexes when:

• File/app changes are detected
• Manual reload is triggered (Cmd+Shift+;)
• App restarts

Disable for immediate indexing on every launch (slower but fresher results).

Settings Panel#

Open with Cmd+Shift+,. Contains three tabs:

Appearance#

• Theme: 7 built-in presets (Catppuccin, Tokyo Night, Rose Pine, Gruvbox, Dracula, Kanagawa, Custom)
• Tint Color: accent color (RGB + opacity)
• Blur: blur material and opacity
• Font: name and size
• Font Color: text color (RGB + opacity)
• Border: thickness and color

Advanced#

• Background image (path, layout mode, opacity, blur)
• Indexing settings (File Scan Depth: 1-12, File Scan Limit: 500-50000)
• Backend log level
• Launch at login
• Config reset: Create Fresh Config button with confirmation popup

Shortcuts#

• In-app keyboard shortcut documentation
• Toggle help screen with Cmd+H

Configuration#

Look uses a configuration file at ~/.look.config. Changes take effect immediately after saving, or you can press Cmd+Shift+; to reload.

Configuration File Location#

• Default: ~/.look.config
• Custom: Set LOOK_CONFIG_PATH environment variable
• Reload: Cmd+Shift+;
• Reset: Settings → Advanced → "Create Fresh Config"

Format#

• One key=value per line
• # starts a comment
• Unknown keys ignored
• Invalid values fall back to defaults

Backend Settings#

App Scanning#

app_scan_roots=/Applications,/System/Applications,/System/Applications/Utilities,/System/Library/CoreServices/Applications
app_scan_depth=3
app_exclude_paths=
app_exclude_names=

File Scanning#

file_scan_roots=Desktop,Documents,Downloads
file_scan_depth=4
file_scan_limit=4000
file_exclude_paths=

Other Backend Options#

lazy_indexing_enabled=true
skip_dir_names=node_modules,target,build,dist,library,applications
backend_log_level=info
launch_at_login=false

Backend Keys Reference#

UI Theme Settings#

Theme Preset#

ui_theme=catppuccin

Available: catppuccin, tokyoNight, rosePine, gruvbox, dracula, kanagawa, custom

Appearance#

ui_tint_red=0.08
ui_tint_green=0.10
ui_tint_blue=0.12
ui_tint_opacity=0.55
ui_blur_material=hudWindow
ui_blur_opacity=0.95
ui_font_name=SF Pro Text
ui_font_size=14
ui_font_red=0.96
ui_font_green=0.96
ui_font_blue=0.98
ui_font_opacity=0.96
ui_border_thickness=1.0
ui_border_red=1.0
ui_border_green=1.0
ui_border_blue=1.0
ui_border_opacity=0.12

Background Image#

ui_background_image=~/look_bg.png
ui_background_image_mode=fill
ui_background_image_opacity=0.5
ui_background_image_blur=10

Settings Panel#

settings_blur_multiplier=0.8

Search Aliases#

Define aliases to map search terms to related apps:

alias_note=Notion|Obsidian|Notes|Apple Notes|Bear|Logseq
alias_code=Visual Studio Code|VSCode|Cursor|Windsurf|IntelliJ IDEA|PyCharm|WebStorm|Neovim|Xcode|Zed
alias_term=Terminal|iTerm|iTerm2|Ghostty|WezTerm|Alacritty|Kitty|Warp
alias_chat=Slack|Discord|Telegram|Messages
alias_music=Spotify|Apple Music|Music
alias_brow=Safari|Arc|Google Chrome|Chrome|Firefox|Brave

Alias behavior:

• Aliases apply to app + System Settings search only
• Aliases boost matching apps but don't create synthetic results
• If an aliased app is not installed, no error is shown
• Keep lists short (5-10 targets) for best results

Troubleshooting#

Hotkey Doesn't Open Launcher#

1. Check Spotlight shortcut conflict:
   • System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts... → Spotlight
   • Disable or rebind "Show Spotlight search"
2. Relaunch Look and try again
3. Check if app is running:

ps aux | grep Look

Results Seem Stale or Incomplete#

1. Reload configuration: Cmd+Shift+;
2. Check scan settings in ~/.look.config:
   • file_scan_roots
   • file_scan_depth (range: 1-12)
   • file_scan_limit (range: 500-50000)
3. Verify exclude rules aren't too broad
4. Keep lazy_indexing_enabled=true and use Cmd+Shift+; to force refresh

Translation Returns Warnings/No Result#

• Confirm network connectivity
• Check that translation service is accessible

App Doesn't Appear in Search#

1. Check app_scan_roots includes the app's location
2. Verify app_exclude_names doesn't exclude it
3. Reload config: Cmd+Shift+;

First Launch Issues#

Current releases are signed and notarized. If you still encounter Gatekeeper issues:

1. Confirm you installed a recent release
2. Check System Settings → Privacy & Security for any blocks
3. Legacy workaround (older builds only):
   • Right-click app → Open → confirm
   • Or use Privacy & Security → Open Anyway

Need to Inspect Local DB#

You can query the local SQLite database to inspect indexed candidates:

sqlite3 "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Look/look.db" "SELECT id,title,use_count FROM candidates ORDER BY use_count DESC LIMIT 20;"

Reset Configuration#

To reset to default configuration:

1. Open Settings (Cmd+Shift+,)
2. Go to Advanced → "Create Fresh Config"
3. Confirm the action (press Y)

This replaces your current ~/.look.config with the latest default template.

Development#

Building from Source#

Requirements#

• macOS 15.0+
• Xcode (for app shell)
• Rust stable toolchain (for core engine)
• Node.js (for web components, optional)

Repository Structure#

look/
├── apps/macos/LauncherApp/    # Swift UI shell
├── core/                       # Rust engine
│   ├── engine/                # Search & indexing
│   ├── matching/              # Fuzzy matching
│   ├── ranking/               # Result ranking
│   └── storage/               # SQLite storage
├── bridge/ffi/                # Swift-Rust FFI
└── docs/                      # Documentation

Build Commands#

# Check Rust workspace
cd core
cargo check --workspace

# Check FFI bridge
cd bridge/ffi
cargo check

# Run local dev app
make app-run

Dev App Behavior#

make app-run:

• Builds local app bundle with Xcode (Debug)
• Stops any running Look process
• Launches with LOOK_CONFIG_PATH=$HOME/.look.dev.config
• Shows red TEST APP badge for visual distinction

Running Tests#

# Rust tests
cd core
cargo test -p look-engine

# Swift tests (if available)
cd apps/macos/LauncherApp
swift test

Architecture Overview#

Look is built with a hybrid Swift/Rust architecture:

• Swift UI Shell: Modern macOS native interface using SwiftUI
• Rust Engine: Fast search and indexing via FFI
• SQLite Storage: Local database for candidates and usage data

Core Components#

1. Search Engine: Handles fuzzy matching and ranking
2. Index Manager: Manages file/app indexing
3. Storage Layer: SQLite for persistence
4. FFI Bridge: Swift-Rust communication

Contributing#

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Run tests and linting
5. Submit a pull request

See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.