Subtext

A floating, keyboard-first panel for your macOS text replacements. Press a shortcut, find your snippet, copy it — gone before you notice it was there.

Download · Website · Releases · akakika.com

Why

macOS text replacements are genuinely useful — and buried four clicks deep in System Settings. Once you have more than a handful, you end up typing ;docs and hoping you remembered the right one. Subtext turns that list into a Raycast-style overlay: summon it with a global hotkey, type a few letters to filter, press Enter, and the snippet is on your clipboard.

No new snippet database, no sync service, no subscription. It reads the text replacements you already have.

Features

• Floating panel — a borderless, non-activating overlay that appears over whatever you're doing and disappears on Escape, without stealing your window focus.
• Live from the system — reads text replacements straight from macOS. Add one anywhere (System Settings, defaults, another Mac via iCloud) and it's in the panel the next time you open it. No relaunch, no manual sync.
• Keyboard-first — type to filter, arrow keys to move, Enter to copy. Your hands never leave the keyboard.
• Import and remove — drop in a .plist exported from System Settings, or remove a replacement by its shortcut, from inside the app.
• Three panel sizes, three themes — Mini / Normal / Big, Dark / Light / System.
• Launch at login, optional menu bar item — and the menu bar item really is optional.

Install

Download Subtext-1.0.dmg (2.2 MB), drag Subtext to Applications, and open it.

The app is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple — it opens without any Gatekeeper warnings.

Checksum (SHA-256):

eb504c9c324dd607037e3e77b94f8286e551f4a1cf283b7350bca64fd983e7f8

Usage

1. Launch Subtext and record a global shortcut in Settings (⌘, while the panel is open).
2. Press the shortcut anywhere. The panel floats up.
3. Type to filter, ↓ ↑ to navigate, ↵ to copy, ⎋ to dismiss.

That's the whole app.

FAQ

What is Subtext? A small macOS utility that gives your system text replacements a fast, searchable, keyboard-driven interface — a snippet launcher for the replacements you already own.

Does it replace TextExpander or Raycast snippets? No — it complements the built-in macOS text replacement system instead of introducing another snippet store. Your replacements stay in System Settings and keep syncing through iCloud to your iPhone and iPad.

Why don't I see a replacement I just added? You will — close and reopen the panel. Subtext re-reads the system list every time the panel opens.

Does it work on Intel Macs? The prebuilt app is Apple Silicon. On Intel, build from source (below).

Does it collect anything? Nothing. No network calls, no analytics, no accounts. It reads one macOS preferences key and writes to your clipboard when you ask it to.

Requirements

• macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later
• Apple Silicon for the prebuilt download

Building from source

git clone https://github.com/aka-kika/Subtext.git
cd Subtext
swift build -c release

scripts/release.sh builds, signs, notarizes, and staples the distributable DMG (requires a Developer ID identity and a notarytool keychain profile).

Contributing

Bug reports and small focused PRs are welcome — open an issue.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Built by KIKA (akakika.com · @akakikaaa).