Kea
Kea is a small native launcher for the Mac. Press a key and it is there, in about ten milliseconds. Type a word and it finds the app, does the math, starts the timer, or moves the window. It never takes focus from your work, and it keeps your data in plain files.
Kea has fewer rules than features, and the rules matter more. Each one comes from a launcher that broke it and felt slow or rude because of it.
The panel stays alive between uses, so the hotkey only makes it visible. Icons, indexes and recent items are ready before you ask. Nothing slow runs on a keystroke.
Kea opens as a non-activating panel, like Spotlight. The app you were in keeps focus, and it is in front again when the panel closes.
cb is the clipboard, du is the disk map, qr is a QR code. The word alone shows the state. The word and text show a preview. Return does it.
A row says exactly what Return does: "Start a 25m timer", "Move Ollama and 3 items to the Trash". Deletion goes to the Trash, and a permanent action asks again.
Apps, math and commands show at once. Files from Spotlight arrive a moment later and go below them, so the row under your finger never moves.
Settings are one JSON file that the Settings window also edits. History, snippets and layouts are JSON and CSV in ~/.launcher. No cloud, no account, no lock-in.
Each tool starts with a short keyword. You can turn any of them off, and you can add your own with a folder, a JSON file and a script in any language. The reference lists every tool and how to start it.
12*4.5math, at the top10 mi in kmunits and currencycbclipboard historytimer 25mtimers in the menu barcalevents from plain wordsdefthe system dictionaryweatherand what to wearsniptext snippets anywhereeemoji, typed for yousettingsevery settings paneaudioswitch output and micbtconnect Bluetoothcaffkeep the Mac awakestatsCPU, memory, heatport 3000what listens theremenusearch the app's menushyperCaps Lock as Hypercleanlock the keys to wipe themdua map of the disktidyfind space to freeuninstallan app and its leftoverspresscompress, delete nothingshotscreenshot to editorrecscreen to GIF or MP4ocrtext from the screenconvconvert Finder filesqrmake or read QR codespainta tiny MS PaintsolSawayama Solitaire2048with springy tilesuuidand b64 hash jsoncolorpick from the screentrun in a terminallorem 3 mdtest MarkdownDescribe each display in one short line, such as cols(2*zone, rows 2), and Kea keeps a set of zones for it. Then move windows with the keys, or drop them with the mouse.
layout save work remembers every window, and layout work puts them back.Kea was built with a coding agent, one feature at a time. spec.md holds everything needed to build it again: the rules, the panel, search and ranking, the command system, every tool, the permissions, the speed budget, and a build order. Give it to your agent, keep the tools you want, and change the rest.
For its author, yes. Kea covers app and file search, clipboard history, snippets, window management and script commands, and adds its own tools. It has no extension store: you add a command with a script, or you ask your agent for a new built-in.
Nothing to start. Some tools ask for one permission the first time you use them: Accessibility for windows and snippets, Screen Recording for screenshots, Calendars for events. Each tool works without the others.
No. Kea has no account and sends no data about you. The only network calls are the ones a tool needs, such as the weather forecast or the daily currency rates.
A launcher is personal. With an agent, building your own is now a weekend, and the spec gives it the parts that are hard to get right: speed, focus, ranking and safe actions.