Volt

Everything on your computer. One shortcut.

An open-source, keyboard-first launcher for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

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[!NOTE] Volt is currently in beta. Features, platform behavior, and installer signing can change between releases. Check the latest release notes before installing.

Why Volt?

Volt brings applications, files, commands, clipboard history, notes, snippets, games, and extensions into one fast interface. Press the global shortcut, type what you need, and continue without leaving the keyboard.

Principle	What it means
Keyboard first	Search, navigate, preview, and execute actions without reaching for the mouse.
Local first	Core launcher data and indexes are stored on your device. Network access is used only by features that need it.
Native core	Rust and Tauri 2 provide OS integration without shipping an Electron runtime.
Extensible	Built-in plugins and permissioned TypeScript extensions share a consistent result and action model.
Open source	The application, architecture, roadmap, and security policy are public under Apache 2.0.

Highlights

Search and launch

• Search applications, files, folders, games, commands, and plugin results together.
• Rank frequently used items with frecency while protecting the UI from stale search responses.
• Filter files with operators such as ext:pdf, in:downloads, size:>10mb, and modified:<7d.
• Keep the file index synchronized through SQLite, filesystem watching, and optional Tantivy search.
• Preview supported files and inspect metadata before opening them.

Built-in workflows

• Calculator, unit conversion, dates, and time zones.
• Clipboard history, reusable snippets, quicklinks, notes, and custom emoji.
• Shell commands with streamed output and searchable history.
• Web search, timers, Pomodoro sessions, window management, and system commands.
• Multi-store game discovery and launching.
• System monitoring for CPU, disks, network, processes, temperatures, and uptime.
• Optional AI chat and quick actions using configured providers.

Extensibility and safety

• Built-in plugins are registered through a single TypeScript registry with per-plugin timeouts.
• External extensions run in a restricted Web Worker when supported and request explicit permissions.
• Extension network requests pass through backend checks for private addresses, redirects, sensitive headers, and response size.
• Sensitive credentials use the operating system keyring where supported.
• Tauri capabilities scope privileged commands by window.

Extension isolation is defense in depth, not an operating-system security boundary. See Security for the reporting policy and current guarantees.

Install

Download the newest build from GitHub Releases.

Platform	Release assets
Windows 10/11	NSIS .exe or MSI .msi
macOS	.dmg for Apple Silicon
Linux	.deb, .rpm, or .AppImage

Code-signing and notarization status can vary while Volt is in beta. Review the notes for the specific release and verify published checksums when available.

After launching Volt, press Ctrl+Space by default. The global shortcut is configurable in Settings.

Quick Tour

Type	Example	Result
Application or file	visual studio	Search indexed apps and files
File filters	report ext:pdf modified:<7d	Find recent PDF reports
Calculator	5km in mi	Convert values inline
Shell	> git status	Run a command with streamed output
Web search	? rust ownership	Search with the configured provider
Emoji	: rocket	Find and copy an emoji
Timer	timer 25m	Start a focus timer
Quicklink	ql: docs	Open a saved URL, folder, or command

See the user documentation and keyboard shortcut reference for the complete workflow.

Build From Source

Prerequisites

• pnpm for frontend dependencies, scripts, and tests.
• Rust stable for the Tauri backend.
• The Tauri 2 system prerequisites for your operating system.
• Git for cloning and contribution workflows.

Development

git clone https://github.com/VoltLaunchr/Volt.git
cd Volt
pnpm install
pnpm run tauri -- dev

For frontend-only work:

pnpm run dev

Create a production bundle for the current platform:

pnpm run tauri -- build

Build artifacts are written under src-tauri/target/release/bundle/.

Quality Checks

The pull request workflow validates frontend code, Rust formatting, strict Clippy checks, generated IPC bindings, the default/Tantivy test path, and the SQLCipher feature path.

# Frontend
pnpm run lint
pnpm run build
pnpm run test

# Rust: primary CI path
cd src-tauri
cargo fmt --check
cargo clippy --all-targets --features tantivy-search -- -D warnings
cargo test --workspace --lib --features tantivy-search

# Rust: encrypted database matrix
cargo clippy --all-targets --no-default-features --features sqlcipher -- -D warnings
cargo test --workspace --lib --no-default-features --features sqlcipher

End-to-end tests are available through pnpm run test:e2e when the Playwright environment is configured.

Architecture

flowchart LR
    UI["React 19 UI"] --> Pipeline["Search pipeline"]
    Pipeline --> Registry["Plugin registry"]
    Pipeline --> IPC["Typed Tauri IPC"]
    Registry --> Builtins["Built-in plugins"]
    Registry --> Extensions["Worker-based extensions"]
    IPC --> Commands["Rust commands"]
    Commands --> Services["Launcher, indexer, settings, security"]
    Services --> SQLite[("SQLite")]
    Services --> Tantivy[("Tantivy, optional")]
    Services --> OS["Windows, macOS, Linux APIs"]

Area	Location	Responsibility
Application shell	src/app/	Lifecycle, search orchestration, global shortcuts, and view routing
Product features	src/features/	Search, settings, notes, extensions, clipboard, and plugin UI
Shared frontend	src/shared/	Reusable components, types, constants, and utilities
Tauri commands	src-tauri/src/commands/	Typed IPC entry points for privileged operations
Core services	src-tauri/src/	Indexing, launching, hotkeys, windows, plugins, storage, and security
Documentation	docs/	Architecture, user guides, extension development, release, and roadmap docs

Read the architecture overview and Rust module guide for implementation details.

Extensions

Volt has two extension surfaces:

Surface	Location	Use it for
Built-in plugins	src/features/plugins/builtin/	Features maintained and released with the core application
Community extensions	VoltLaunchr/volt-extensions	Independently distributed TypeScript extensions with declared permissions

Start with the extension development guide, API reference, and publishing guide.

Documentation

Topic	Resource
User documentation	voltlaunchr.com/en/docs
Documentation index	docs/README.md
Architecture	docs/architecture/ARCHITECTURE.md
Feature catalog	docs/architecture/FEATURES.md
Keyboard shortcuts	docs/user-guide/SHORTCUTS.md
Distribution and signing	docs/build-release/DISTRIBUTION.md
Roadmap	docs/build-release/ROADMAP.md
Changelog	CHANGELOG.md

Security and Privacy

Volt is local first: application data, settings, history, and file indexes are designed to remain on the device. Optional features can communicate with external services, including update checks, the extension registry, cloud sync, integrations, web search, and configured AI providers.

For security issues, do not open a public bug report. Use a private GitHub Security Advisory or follow the contact process in SECURITY.md.

Current product claims and review evidence are tracked in CLAIMS_EVIDENCE.md and PRIVACY_AND_TELEMETRY_REVIEW.md.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome across code, tests, documentation, translations, design, and extensions.

1. Read CONTRIBUTING.md and CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md.
2. Fork the repository and create a focused branch.
3. Add or update tests for behavioral changes.
4. Run the relevant quality checks locally.
5. Open a pull request with a clear description of the problem and solution.

Commit messages follow Conventional Commits. Larger changes should start with an issue or discussion so the design can be agreed before implementation.

Support and Community

• GitHub Issues for reproducible bugs and feature requests.
• GitHub Discussions for questions, ideas, and project discussion.
• Documentation for installation and usage guidance.
• Security policy for confidential vulnerability reports.

Project Status

Volt is a pre-1.0 project under active development. Current priorities include release hardening, installer signing and notarization, search reliability, performance baselines, and the extension ecosystem. The detailed plan and acceptance criteria live in the public roadmap.

License

Volt is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

Acknowledgments

Volt is inspired by tools such as Spotlight, Alfred, and Raycast, and is built with Tauri, React, Rust, nucleo, Tantivy, and SQLite.

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