Starter¶

A command launcher: a global shortcut (⌥Space by default) shows a Spotlight-style bar over any app, even a full-screen one; type, pick with the keyboard, and it opens the app and vanishes. LSUIElement, no Dock icon, a small menu bar menu that people can hide. Made with Summon from its launcher template. The starter's job is opening apps; replace AppCatalog with your own items and keep the panel.

Built to the SummonOS surface rules for a launcher (docs/ux-surfaces/04-command-launcher.md in the SummonOS workspace): Apple reserves ⌘Space for Spotlight, so the default is ⌥Space and people record their own.

Behavior¶

What	How
Open	The global shortcut (`RegisterEventHotKey`, no permission prompt), the menu bar menu, or `LauncherController.open()`
Show	Pre-warmed: the panel is made at launch and kept hidden, so opening is one `orderFront`, with no window animation
Shape	680 pt wide; a 56 pt bar that grows a results list as you type (to about 450 pt); the top edge never moves
Focus	`.nonactivatingPanel` + `canBecomeKey`: the field takes keys, the frontmost app keeps its menu bar
Keys	↑↓ select, ↩ open, ⌘1…⌘9 open that row, ⌘K actions (Open, Show in Finder, Copy Path), ⌘, Settings, Esc closes
Close	Esc, a click anywhere else (the panel loses key), a Space change, or after opening
Drop	Drop a file on the bar, then pick an app: it opens that file
Errors	A status line in the footer, no alert; it stays until the next keystroke
Settings	Open at Login, Show in menu bar, the shortcut recorder (refuses ⌘Space and other system shortcuts)
Reopen	Opening the app again from the Finder shows Settings: the way back when the menu bar item is hidden

Layout¶

Path	What it is
`Sources/Starter/`	`@main` only: the invisible opener window and the `Settings` scene
`Sources/StarterUI/LauncherPanel.swift`	`LauncherPanel` (`NSPanel`, pinned top edge) and `LauncherController`
`Sources/StarterUI/LauncherView.swift`	Search bar, results, ⌘K actions, footer, file drop
`Sources/StarterUI/StarterModel.swift`	Query, ranked results, selection, status; opens apps through `NSWorkspace`
`Sources/StarterUI/AppDelegate.swift`	Creates the launcher, registers the hotkey, owns the menu bar menu
`Sources/StarterUI/HotKey.swift`	Global shortcuts through Carbon `RegisterEventHotKey`
`Sources/StarterUI/ShortcutRecorder.swift`	The Settings row that records a shortcut
`Sources/StarterUI/StatusMenu.swift`	A template SF Symbol in the menu bar with a plain `NSMenu`
`Sources/StarterUI/SettingsOpener.swift`	Opens the Settings window from AppKit code
`Sources/StarterUI/SummonTheme.swift`, `Glass.swift`	`.themed()` (the Summon theme's accent) and `.glassControl()`
`Sources/StarterUI/CloseOnlyWindow.swift`	`.closeOnlyWindow()` on Settings: minimize and zoom dimmed, no full screen
`Sources/StarterUI/Screenshots.swift`	`--screenshot <folder>`: the launcher and Settings to PNGs, for `summon project shots`
`Sources/StarterCore/`	`AppCatalog`, `FuzzyMatch`, `KeyCombo` (reserved shortcuts), `SummonThemeFile`; Foundation only, tested
`Resources/`	`Info.plist` (bundle id `local.summon.launcher-starter`, `LSUIElement`), `AppIcon.icns`
`Tests/StarterCoreTests/`	swift-testing
`scripts/check.sh`	The gate: build, tests (`scripts/test.sh`, works without Xcode), plist, bundle

Build and run¶

scripts/check.sh
scripts/bundle.sh            # build/Starter.app
open build/Starter.app       # then press ⌥Space

Requires macOS 15+ and Swift 6. No third-party dependencies.