At a Glance:
Ueli is a cross-platform keystroke launcher that provides instant access to applications, files, settings, and web services through an extensible plugin system, available on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Overview:
Ueli is a keystroke launcher designed for users who prefer keyboard-driven workflows across macOS, Windows, and Linux. Activated by a global hotkey, it provides a unified search interface to quickly open applications, find files, run system commands, perform calculations, and access web-based tools. The application supports extensibility through a built-in extension system, allowing users to enable or disable specific integrations such as browser bookmarks search, Terminal launching, Visual Studio Code integration, and translation services. Settings are accessible directly from the main interface, and a debugging panel is available for troubleshooting.
Key Decision Points:
Cross-Platform Desktop Application: Runs natively on macOS, Windows, and Linux, providing a consistent launcher experience across operating systems.
Extension-Based Architecture: Functionality is divided into discrete extensions that users can toggle on or off, including Application Search, File Search, Web Search, and system utilities.
Keyboard-Driven Workflow: Interaction relies on hotkeys and keyboard shortcuts to invoke commands, navigate results, and access additional actions without leaving the keyboard.
Global Hotkey Access: The launcher can be shown or hidden using the "Alt+Space" shortcut, with an option for custom hotkey binding on Linux Wayland sessions.
Core Features:
Global Keystroke Launcher: Opens applications, searches files, and executes commands by typing from a central input field.
Favorites System: Allows frequently used items to be pinned to the top of search results for faster access.
Extension Ecosystem: Includes built-in extensions for translation, currency conversion, password generation, browser bookmarks, color conversion, and IDE integration.
Additional Actions Menu: Each search result provides an action menu for secondary operations such as adding to favorites or invoking extension-specific commands.
Cross-Platform Hotkey Support: Uses "Alt+Space" as the default toggle hotkey, with known workarounds for unsupported global hotkey systems like Wayland on Linux.
Use Cases:
Developers can quickly launch terminals, code editors, or JetBrains Toolbox apps from a single keystroke interface.
Users working across multiple operating systems can maintain a consistent launcher workflow on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Individuals who rely on quick calculations, file searches, or web lookups can use the extension system to centralize these actions.
Open-Source Alternative Value:
Ueli provides an open-source keystroke launcher with a modular extension architecture, allowing users to control exactly which integrations are active rather than relying on a fixed feature set. As a cross-platform desktop application available on macOS, Windows, and Linux, it offers a consistent launcher experience for users who work across operating systems. The extension system also provides transparency into how specific integrations, such as browser bookmark search or IDE launching, are implemented.
