SuperhumanIsDead
A keyboard-first Gmail client with a built-in AI assistant. Runs on your Mac, talks to
Gmail and Claude with your own keys, and has no server of its own.
It is a from-scratch recreation of the Superhuman experience: split inbox (Important /
Other), j k e h triage, snooze, a Cmd+K command palette, undo toasts, and
"write with AI" drafts. The whole thing is a few thousand lines of TypeScript.
Run it
Prerequisites: macOS, Node 22 (nvm use reads .nvmrc), npm.
git clone <this repo> && cd SuperhumanIsDead
./scripts/setup.sh # installs dependencies, runs tests, builds
npm run dev # launches the app with hot reload
On first launch you can press Try the sample inbox to see the whole UI with fake
data. To use your real mail you need two keys, both entered in the app's setup screen
and stored encrypted on your Mac.
1. Google OAuth client (about two minutes)
Gmail access needs an OAuth client that belongs to you. Google does not let apps share one.
- Go to https://console.cloud.google.com and create a project (any name).
- APIs & Services → Library → Gmail API → Enable.
- OAuth consent screen: User type External. Fill the app name and your email. Under
Scopes add
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.modify. Under Test users add your
own Gmail address. You do not need to publish or verify the app for personal use.
- Credentials → Create credentials → OAuth client ID → Desktop app. Copy the client
ID and client secret into SuperhumanIsDead's setup screen.
- Click Save and sign in with Google. Your browser opens, you approve, and the app
receives the token on
127.0.0.1. Google shows an "unverified app" warning because
this is your own test app; click Continue.
2. Anthropic API key (optional)
Summaries, AI drafts and AI inbox sorting use Claude. Create a key at
https://console.anthropic.com and paste it into the setup screen. Without it everything
else still works.
Keyboard
| Key | Action |
|---|
j / k | Next / previous conversation |
e | Mark done (archive). In Done, moves back to inbox |
h | Snooze (1–5 picks a preset, or choose a time) |
r / a / f | Reply / reply all / forward |
c | Compose |
s / u / x | Star / unread / select |
z | Undo the last action |
⌘K | Command palette |
/ | Search (Gmail search syntax) |
Tab / ⇧Tab | Next / previous split |
g i g o g s g h g t g d g e | Go to Important, Other, Starred, Snoozed, Sent, Drafts, Done |
⌘J | AI: summarize the conversation (in the composer: write the draft) |
⌘⇧R | AI: draft a reply |
⌘↵ | Send |
? | All shortcuts |
How it works
src/main Electron main process: OAuth loopback flow, encrypted store (safeStorage),
Gmail REST proxy with token refresh, Claude proxy (streaming), snooze scheduler
src/preload The window.duper bridge (contextIsolation + sandbox on)
src/shared Pure modules: MIME builder, Gmail parser, split rules, key bindings. Unit tested.
src/renderer React UI: thread list, reading pane, composer, palette, overlays, demo inbox
- Splits use Gmail's own categories: Important is the inbox minus Promotions, Social,
Updates and Forums. "Sort this list with AI" (in the palette) reclassifies the loaded
page with Claude and remembers the moves locally.
- Snooze is not a Gmail feature. The app removes the thread from the inbox and a
scheduler in the main process puts it back, unread, when the time comes. The app has to
be running for that to happen.
- Mail bodies render in a sandboxed iframe with a strict CSP. Remote images are blocked.
Links open in your system browser.
- Privacy. Tokens and keys are encrypted with the macOS keychain via Electron's
safeStorage and never leave the machine. Mail content goes to Google and, only when
you invoke an AI action, to Anthropic.
Build a Mac app
npm run dist:mac # produces dist/SuperhumanIsDead-<version>.dmg (unsigned unless you add an identity)
Set CSC_NAME or CSC_LINK/CSC_KEY_PASSWORD for electron-builder to sign and notarize.
Tests
npm test # vitest over src/shared
npm run typecheck
Matching Superhuman
docs/SUPERHUMAN_SPEC_PROMPT.md is a prompt for an agent with a Superhuman account to
produce a measured spec (tokens, layout, motion, keyboard map). The resulting
docs/SUPERHUMAN_SPEC.md is the acceptance checklist; src/renderer/src/styles.css
holds every token in one place so the match is a matter of editing values.
License
MIT
Website (yourappisdead.com/superhumanisdead)
web/ holds the single marketing page and /login (Firebase project yourappisdead,
email/password + Google). Copy web/.env.example to web/.env with the web app config, then:
npm run dev:web # local preview
npm run build:web # static files in out/web, served under /superhumanisdead/
Design tokens and the font (Inter, OFL, closest open match to Superhuman's sans) come from
the shared IsDead design system; refresh with npm run sync:design.
Keyboard map and features
The full Superhuman keyboard map lives in src/shared/keys.ts (⌘K → Keyboard shortcuts shows it).
Highlights: E done, ⇧E not done, H remind me (natural language, "only if nobody replies"),
# trash, ! spam, ? Ask AI, 0 calendar (- T = to move days), g ; snippets,
;name inline snippets and ⌘; picker in the composer, ⌘⇧L send later, ⌘⇧H remind if no reply,
⌘⇧Z send instantly, ⌘⇧↵ send and mark done. Undo send uses the delay set in Settings.
Calendar uses the calendar.events scope (read and write): sign out and back in after upgrading.
More shortcuts
- Reading:
N/P next/previous message, O expand, Space/⇧Space page, ← folder and label menu, ⌘O links and attachments, ⌘P print.
- Organize:
V move, L labels, Y remove the label you are viewing, ⇧Y remove all labels, [ / ] remove then next/previous, ⇧M mute, ⌘U unsubscribe (asks first).
- Accounts:
Ctrl+1–9 switch account; ⌘K → Add another account.
- Pop-out:
⇧C, ⇧R, ⇧↵, ⇧F open the draft in a floating window; ⌘⇧P pops it in/out, ⌘D toggles focus between draft and thread.
- Composer:
⌘B ⌘I ⌘U ⌘K ⌘⇧X ⌘⇧7/8/9 (bold, italic, underline, link, strike, numbered, bullets, quote), ⌘⇧A attach (or drop files), ⌘⇧I Instant Intro, ⌘⇧F change From, :name emoji.
- Calendar:
2 week view, B quick-create ("Lunch with Ada tomorrow 1pm for 45m"), ⇧B full form. Guests only get an invitation if you add them, and the form says so.
Read statuses (off by default)
Settings → Read statuses. Turn it on and every email you send carries an invisible 1×1 image from a server you host
(node tools/pixel-server.mjs). Recipients are not told and some mail apps preload images, so treat it as a hint. Nothing is added unless both the host and the toggle are set.
Smoke test
npm run build, serve out/renderer (python3 -m http.server 5181 -d out/renderer), then SMOKE_CHROME=/usr/bin/google-chrome node scripts/smoke.mjs. It drives the sample inbox in a browser with a stubbed preload; no Google, no email.
Open source & contributing
This project is part of yourappisdead, a marketplace of free, open-source clones of paid SaaS apps. It is an independent clone built from public product behavior; it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or using any code or assets from the original product. All brand names belong to their owners.
- Licensed under Apache-2.0 (see
LICENSE).
- Contributions are welcome: read the contributing guide and the code of conduct, then open an issue or pull request.
- Want a different app killed? Submit it on yourappisdead.
- Please never commit secrets, keys or copied third-party assets (logos, screenshots, fonts without an open license).
- Shared design tokens, fonts and login live in
isdead-design.
Analytics
The website (web/) sends PostHog events to the shared IsDead project. See docs/ANALYTICS.md. The desktop app sends nothing.
