Alter

AI lives in your clipboard now.

Press ⌥ Space in any app. Type a command. Done in ~1.5 seconds.

Download .dmg · How it works · Features · Build from source

What is Alter?

Alter is a tiny macOS menu-bar app that turns your clipboard into an AI command line.

Copy any text. Press ⌥ Space. A floating bar appears over your current window with your text pre-loaded. Type "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "shrink to one sentence" — anything you'd type into ChatGPT. Hit Enter. ~1.5 seconds later the transformed text auto-pastes where your cursor was, in the app you came from.

No tab switch. No browser. No account. No subscription.

How it works

⌘C → ⌥ Space → type a command → Enter → Accept → pasted in your app

Copy any text from anywhere
Press ⌥ Space — a floating command bar appears over your current app
Type what you want: "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "summarize"
Hit Enter — Groq transforms it in ~1.5 s
Press Accept — the result pastes directly where your cursor is

You never leave the app you're in.

Features

Floating HUD — summons in any app via ⌥ Space, vanishes when you're done
8 one-click presets — Rewrite, Shrink, Expand, Translate, Fix, Explain, Reply, Formal
⌘K opens the full preset library inline (browse + search)
Custom commands — type anything you'd type into ChatGPT
Auto-paste — result lands where your cursor was, in the original app
~1.5 s end-to-end — Groq llama-3.3-70b-versatile with llama3-8b fallback
macOS Keychain — API key encrypted via safeStorage
Menu-bar only — zero Dock clutter, custom template tray icon
No account, no telemetry — bring your own free Groq key

Dashboard

A separate menu-bar window for everything that doesn't belong in the HUD:

Presets — manage your library of one-click transforms, add your own
History — every transform you've made, searchable
Settings — change hotkey, toggle features, manage permissions
API Key — masked Groq key, copy/delete, status pill

Install

Option A — download the .dmg (recommended)

Open the latest Release and grab:
- Alter-1.0.0-arm64.dmg — Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
- Alter-1.0.0.dmg — Intel Macs
Open the DMG and drag Alter onto the Applications folder
First launch: right-click → Open (the build is unsigned, so Gatekeeper asks once)
Grant Accessibility permission when prompted (needed for auto-paste)
Paste your Groq API key on the setup screen

Option B — build from source

git clone https://github.com/tanujrajputdev/alter
cd alter
npm install
npm run dev

To build a .dmg:

npm run dist

Output lands in dist/. Requires macOS. No Apple Developer account needed.

Requirements

macOS 13 Ventura or later (Apple Silicon + Intel)
A free Groq API key
Node.js 18+ (only if building from source)

Hotkeys

Key	Action
⌥ Space	Open / close the command bar
Enter	Submit command
⌘ K	Open preset library
Escape	Dismiss without changes

Privacy

Your API key is encrypted at rest via macOS Keychain (safeStorage)
Clipboard text is sent to api.groq.comonly when you press Enter
No analytics, no crash reporting, no remote logging
No account, no signup — verify it all in the code

Stack

Layer	Technology
Desktop shell	Electron 33
Build	electron-vite 2 + Vite 5
UI	React 18 + TypeScript
AI	Groq API (`llama-3.3-70b-versatile`)
Icons	`@hugeicons/react`
Secrets	Electron `safeStorage` → macOS Keychain
Packaging	electron-builder → `.dmg` (arm64 + x64)
Hotkey	Electron `globalShortcut`
Paste	`osascript` keystroke

Architecture

See ARCHITECTURE.md for the decision log, IPC contract, data flow, and security model.

The TL;DR:

⌥ Space → main: globalShortcut fires → reads clipboard → shows HUD
↓
type command + Enter → renderer calls window.electronAPI.transform()
↓
main: fetch(api.groq.com) → ~1.5 s → result back to HUD
↓
Accept → main: clipboard.write + app.hide + activateApp(source) + osascript ⌘V

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md. Highlights:

Voice command via Whisper (Groq)
Multi-provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama
App-context awareness — knows you're in Slack vs. email vs. code
Custom preset templates with variables
Swift hotkey helper for Fn / CapsLock support

Contributing

PRs welcome. Keep changes scoped, no telemetry, no dependencies that pull in megabytes of transitive deps.

License

MIT. Build it, fork it, ship your own version.

Built with Groq, Electron, and an obsession with not-leaving-the-app-you're-in.

Alter

AI lives in your clipboard now.

Press ⌥ Space in any app. Type a command. Done in ~1.5 seconds.

Download .dmg · How it works · Features · Build from source

What is Alter?

Alter is a tiny macOS menu-bar app that turns your clipboard into an AI command line.

Copy any text. Press ⌥ Space. A floating bar appears over your current window with your text pre-loaded. Type "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "shrink to one sentence" — anything you'd type into ChatGPT. Hit Enter. ~1.5 seconds later the transformed text auto-pastes where your cursor was, in the app you came from.

No tab switch. No browser. No account. No subscription.

How it works

⌘C → ⌥ Space → type a command → Enter → Accept → pasted in your app

Copy any text from anywhere
Press ⌥ Space — a floating command bar appears over your current app
Type what you want: "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "summarize"
Hit Enter — Groq transforms it in ~1.5 s
Press Accept — the result pastes directly where your cursor is

You never leave the app you're in.

Features

Floating HUD — summons in any app via ⌥ Space, vanishes when you're done
8 one-click presets — Rewrite, Shrink, Expand, Translate, Fix, Explain, Reply, Formal
⌘K opens the full preset library inline (browse + search)
Custom commands — type anything you'd type into ChatGPT
Auto-paste — result lands where your cursor was, in the original app
~1.5 s end-to-end — Groq llama-3.3-70b-versatile with llama3-8b fallback
macOS Keychain — API key encrypted via safeStorage
Menu-bar only — zero Dock clutter, custom template tray icon
No account, no telemetry — bring your own free Groq key

Dashboard

A separate menu-bar window for everything that doesn't belong in the HUD:

Presets — manage your library of one-click transforms, add your own
History — every transform you've made, searchable
Settings — change hotkey, toggle features, manage permissions
API Key — masked Groq key, copy/delete, status pill

Install

Option A — download the .dmg (recommended)

Open the latest Release and grab:
- Alter-1.0.0-arm64.dmg — Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
- Alter-1.0.0.dmg — Intel Macs
Open the DMG and drag Alter onto the Applications folder
First launch: right-click → Open (the build is unsigned, so Gatekeeper asks once)
Grant Accessibility permission when prompted (needed for auto-paste)
Paste your Groq API key on the setup screen

Option B — build from source

git clone https://github.com/tanujrajputdev/alter
cd alter
npm install
npm run dev

To build a .dmg:

npm run dist

Output lands in dist/. Requires macOS. No Apple Developer account needed.

Requirements

macOS 13 Ventura or later (Apple Silicon + Intel)
A free Groq API key
Node.js 18+ (only if building from source)

Hotkeys

Key	Action
⌥ Space	Open / close the command bar
Enter	Submit command
⌘ K	Open preset library
Escape	Dismiss without changes

Privacy

Your API key is encrypted at rest via macOS Keychain (safeStorage)
Clipboard text is sent to api.groq.comonly when you press Enter
No analytics, no crash reporting, no remote logging
No account, no signup — verify it all in the code

Stack

Layer	Technology
Desktop shell	Electron 33
Build	electron-vite 2 + Vite 5
UI	React 18 + TypeScript
AI	Groq API (`llama-3.3-70b-versatile`)
Icons	`@hugeicons/react`
Secrets	Electron `safeStorage` → macOS Keychain
Packaging	electron-builder → `.dmg` (arm64 + x64)
Hotkey	Electron `globalShortcut`
Paste	`osascript` keystroke

Architecture

See ARCHITECTURE.md for the decision log, IPC contract, data flow, and security model.

The TL;DR:

⌥ Space → main: globalShortcut fires → reads clipboard → shows HUD
↓
type command + Enter → renderer calls window.electronAPI.transform()
↓
main: fetch(api.groq.com) → ~1.5 s → result back to HUD
↓
Accept → main: clipboard.write + app.hide + activateApp(source) + osascript ⌘V

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md. Highlights:

Voice command via Whisper (Groq)
Multi-provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama
App-context awareness — knows you're in Slack vs. email vs. code
Custom preset templates with variables
Swift hotkey helper for Fn / CapsLock support

Contributing

PRs welcome. Keep changes scoped, no telemetry, no dependencies that pull in megabytes of transitive deps.

License

MIT. Build it, fork it, ship your own version.

Built with Groq, Electron, and an obsession with not-leaving-the-app-you're-in.

Alter

AI lives in your clipboard now.

Press ⌥ Space in any app. Type a command. Done in ~1.5 seconds.

Download .dmg · How it works · Features · Build from source

What is Alter?

Alter is a tiny macOS menu-bar app that turns your clipboard into an AI command line.

Copy any text. Press ⌥ Space. A floating bar appears over your current window with your text pre-loaded. Type "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "shrink to one sentence" — anything you'd type into ChatGPT. Hit Enter. ~1.5 seconds later the transformed text auto-pastes where your cursor was, in the app you came from.

No tab switch. No browser. No account. No subscription.

How it works

⌘C → ⌥ Space → type a command → Enter → Accept → pasted in your app

Copy any text from anywhere
Press ⌥ Space — a floating command bar appears over your current app
Type what you want: "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "summarize"
Hit Enter — Groq transforms it in ~1.5 s
Press Accept — the result pastes directly where your cursor is

You never leave the app you're in.

Features

Floating HUD — summons in any app via ⌥ Space, vanishes when you're done
8 one-click presets — Rewrite, Shrink, Expand, Translate, Fix, Explain, Reply, Formal
⌘K opens the full preset library inline (browse + search)
Custom commands — type anything you'd type into ChatGPT
Auto-paste — result lands where your cursor was, in the original app
~1.5 s end-to-end — Groq llama-3.3-70b-versatile with llama3-8b fallback
macOS Keychain — API key encrypted via safeStorage
Menu-bar only — zero Dock clutter, custom template tray icon
No account, no telemetry — bring your own free Groq key

Dashboard

A separate menu-bar window for everything that doesn't belong in the HUD:

Presets — manage your library of one-click transforms, add your own
History — every transform you've made, searchable
Settings — change hotkey, toggle features, manage permissions
API Key — masked Groq key, copy/delete, status pill

Install

Option A — download the .dmg (recommended)

Open the latest Release and grab:
- Alter-1.0.0-arm64.dmg — Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
- Alter-1.0.0.dmg — Intel Macs
Open the DMG and drag Alter onto the Applications folder
First launch: right-click → Open (the build is unsigned, so Gatekeeper asks once)
Grant Accessibility permission when prompted (needed for auto-paste)
Paste your Groq API key on the setup screen

Option B — build from source

git clone https://github.com/tanujrajputdev/alter
cd alter
npm install
npm run dev

To build a .dmg:

npm run dist

Output lands in dist/. Requires macOS. No Apple Developer account needed.

Requirements

macOS 13 Ventura or later (Apple Silicon + Intel)
A free Groq API key
Node.js 18+ (only if building from source)

Hotkeys

Key	Action
⌥ Space	Open / close the command bar
Enter	Submit command
⌘ K	Open preset library
Escape	Dismiss without changes

Privacy

Your API key is encrypted at rest via macOS Keychain (safeStorage)
Clipboard text is sent to api.groq.comonly when you press Enter
No analytics, no crash reporting, no remote logging
No account, no signup — verify it all in the code

Stack

Layer	Technology
Desktop shell	Electron 33
Build	electron-vite 2 + Vite 5
UI	React 18 + TypeScript
AI	Groq API (`llama-3.3-70b-versatile`)
Icons	`@hugeicons/react`
Secrets	Electron `safeStorage` → macOS Keychain
Packaging	electron-builder → `.dmg` (arm64 + x64)
Hotkey	Electron `globalShortcut`
Paste	`osascript` keystroke

Architecture

See ARCHITECTURE.md for the decision log, IPC contract, data flow, and security model.

The TL;DR:

⌥ Space → main: globalShortcut fires → reads clipboard → shows HUD
↓
type command + Enter → renderer calls window.electronAPI.transform()
↓
main: fetch(api.groq.com) → ~1.5 s → result back to HUD
↓
Accept → main: clipboard.write + app.hide + activateApp(source) + osascript ⌘V

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md. Highlights:

Voice command via Whisper (Groq)
Multi-provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama
App-context awareness — knows you're in Slack vs. email vs. code
Custom preset templates with variables
Swift hotkey helper for Fn / CapsLock support

Contributing

PRs welcome. Keep changes scoped, no telemetry, no dependencies that pull in megabytes of transitive deps.

License

MIT. Build it, fork it, ship your own version.

Built with Groq, Electron, and an obsession with not-leaving-the-app-you're-in.

Alter

AI lives in your clipboard now.

Press ⌥ Space in any app. Type a command. Done in ~1.5 seconds.

Download .dmg · How it works · Features · Build from source

What is Alter?

Alter is a tiny macOS menu-bar app that turns your clipboard into an AI command line.

Copy any text. Press ⌥ Space. A floating bar appears over your current window with your text pre-loaded. Type "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "shrink to one sentence" — anything you'd type into ChatGPT. Hit Enter. ~1.5 seconds later the transformed text auto-pastes where your cursor was, in the app you came from.

No tab switch. No browser. No account. No subscription.

How it works

⌘C → ⌥ Space → type a command → Enter → Accept → pasted in your app

Copy any text from anywhere
Press ⌥ Space — a floating command bar appears over your current app
Type what you want: "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "summarize"
Hit Enter — Groq transforms it in ~1.5 s
Press Accept — the result pastes directly where your cursor is

You never leave the app you're in.

Features

Floating HUD — summons in any app via ⌥ Space, vanishes when you're done
8 one-click presets — Rewrite, Shrink, Expand, Translate, Fix, Explain, Reply, Formal
⌘K opens the full preset library inline (browse + search)
Custom commands — type anything you'd type into ChatGPT
Auto-paste — result lands where your cursor was, in the original app
~1.5 s end-to-end — Groq llama-3.3-70b-versatile with llama3-8b fallback
macOS Keychain — API key encrypted via safeStorage
Menu-bar only — zero Dock clutter, custom template tray icon
No account, no telemetry — bring your own free Groq key

Dashboard

A separate menu-bar window for everything that doesn't belong in the HUD:

Presets — manage your library of one-click transforms, add your own
History — every transform you've made, searchable
Settings — change hotkey, toggle features, manage permissions
API Key — masked Groq key, copy/delete, status pill

Install

Option A — download the .dmg (recommended)

Open the latest Release and grab:
- Alter-1.0.0-arm64.dmg — Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
- Alter-1.0.0.dmg — Intel Macs
Open the DMG and drag Alter onto the Applications folder
First launch: right-click → Open (the build is unsigned, so Gatekeeper asks once)
Grant Accessibility permission when prompted (needed for auto-paste)
Paste your Groq API key on the setup screen

Option B — build from source

git clone https://github.com/tanujrajputdev/alter
cd alter
npm install
npm run dev

To build a .dmg:

npm run dist

Output lands in dist/. Requires macOS. No Apple Developer account needed.

Requirements

macOS 13 Ventura or later (Apple Silicon + Intel)
A free Groq API key
Node.js 18+ (only if building from source)

Hotkeys

Key	Action
⌥ Space	Open / close the command bar
Enter	Submit command
⌘ K	Open preset library
Escape	Dismiss without changes

Privacy

Your API key is encrypted at rest via macOS Keychain (safeStorage)
Clipboard text is sent to api.groq.comonly when you press Enter
No analytics, no crash reporting, no remote logging
No account, no signup — verify it all in the code

Stack

Layer	Technology
Desktop shell	Electron 33
Build	electron-vite 2 + Vite 5
UI	React 18 + TypeScript
AI	Groq API (`llama-3.3-70b-versatile`)
Icons	`@hugeicons/react`
Secrets	Electron `safeStorage` → macOS Keychain
Packaging	electron-builder → `.dmg` (arm64 + x64)
Hotkey	Electron `globalShortcut`
Paste	`osascript` keystroke

Architecture

See ARCHITECTURE.md for the decision log, IPC contract, data flow, and security model.

The TL;DR:

⌥ Space → main: globalShortcut fires → reads clipboard → shows HUD
↓
type command + Enter → renderer calls window.electronAPI.transform()
↓
main: fetch(api.groq.com) → ~1.5 s → result back to HUD
↓
Accept → main: clipboard.write + app.hide + activateApp(source) + osascript ⌘V

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md. Highlights:

Voice command via Whisper (Groq)
Multi-provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama
App-context awareness — knows you're in Slack vs. email vs. code
Custom preset templates with variables
Swift hotkey helper for Fn / CapsLock support

Contributing

PRs welcome. Keep changes scoped, no telemetry, no dependencies that pull in megabytes of transitive deps.

License

MIT. Build it, fork it, ship your own version.

Built with Groq, Electron, and an obsession with not-leaving-the-app-you're-in.

Alter

AI lives in your clipboard now.

Press ⌥ Space in any app. Type a command. Done in ~1.5 seconds.

Download .dmg · How it works · Features · Build from source

What is Alter?

Alter is a tiny macOS menu-bar app that turns your clipboard into an AI command line.

Copy any text. Press ⌥ Space. A floating bar appears over your current window with your text pre-loaded. Type "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "shrink to one sentence" — anything you'd type into ChatGPT. Hit Enter. ~1.5 seconds later the transformed text auto-pastes where your cursor was, in the app you came from.

No tab switch. No browser. No account. No subscription.

How it works

⌘C → ⌥ Space → type a command → Enter → Accept → pasted in your app

Copy any text from anywhere
Press ⌥ Space — a floating command bar appears over your current app
Type what you want: "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "summarize"
Hit Enter — Groq transforms it in ~1.5 s
Press Accept — the result pastes directly where your cursor is

You never leave the app you're in.

Features

Floating HUD — summons in any app via ⌥ Space, vanishes when you're done
8 one-click presets — Rewrite, Shrink, Expand, Translate, Fix, Explain, Reply, Formal
⌘K opens the full preset library inline (browse + search)
Custom commands — type anything you'd type into ChatGPT
Auto-paste — result lands where your cursor was, in the original app
~1.5 s end-to-end — Groq llama-3.3-70b-versatile with llama3-8b fallback
macOS Keychain — API key encrypted via safeStorage
Menu-bar only — zero Dock clutter, custom template tray icon
No account, no telemetry — bring your own free Groq key

Dashboard

A separate menu-bar window for everything that doesn't belong in the HUD:

Presets — manage your library of one-click transforms, add your own
History — every transform you've made, searchable
Settings — change hotkey, toggle features, manage permissions
API Key — masked Groq key, copy/delete, status pill

Install

Option A — download the .dmg (recommended)

Open the latest Release and grab:
- Alter-1.0.0-arm64.dmg — Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
- Alter-1.0.0.dmg — Intel Macs
Open the DMG and drag Alter onto the Applications folder
First launch: right-click → Open (the build is unsigned, so Gatekeeper asks once)
Grant Accessibility permission when prompted (needed for auto-paste)
Paste your Groq API key on the setup screen

Option B — build from source

git clone https://github.com/tanujrajputdev/alter
cd alter
npm install
npm run dev

To build a .dmg:

npm run dist

Output lands in dist/. Requires macOS. No Apple Developer account needed.

Requirements

macOS 13 Ventura or later (Apple Silicon + Intel)
A free Groq API key
Node.js 18+ (only if building from source)

Hotkeys

Key	Action
⌥ Space	Open / close the command bar
Enter	Submit command
⌘ K	Open preset library
Escape	Dismiss without changes

Privacy

Your API key is encrypted at rest via macOS Keychain (safeStorage)
Clipboard text is sent to api.groq.comonly when you press Enter
No analytics, no crash reporting, no remote logging
No account, no signup — verify it all in the code

Stack

Layer	Technology
Desktop shell	Electron 33
Build	electron-vite 2 + Vite 5
UI	React 18 + TypeScript
AI	Groq API (`llama-3.3-70b-versatile`)
Icons	`@hugeicons/react`
Secrets	Electron `safeStorage` → macOS Keychain
Packaging	electron-builder → `.dmg` (arm64 + x64)
Hotkey	Electron `globalShortcut`
Paste	`osascript` keystroke

Architecture

See ARCHITECTURE.md for the decision log, IPC contract, data flow, and security model.

The TL;DR:

⌥ Space → main: globalShortcut fires → reads clipboard → shows HUD
↓
type command + Enter → renderer calls window.electronAPI.transform()
↓
main: fetch(api.groq.com) → ~1.5 s → result back to HUD
↓
Accept → main: clipboard.write + app.hide + activateApp(source) + osascript ⌘V

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md. Highlights:

Voice command via Whisper (Groq)
Multi-provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama
App-context awareness — knows you're in Slack vs. email vs. code
Custom preset templates with variables
Swift hotkey helper for Fn / CapsLock support

Contributing

PRs welcome. Keep changes scoped, no telemetry, no dependencies that pull in megabytes of transitive deps.

License

MIT. Build it, fork it, ship your own version.

Built with Groq, Electron, and an obsession with not-leaving-the-app-you're-in.

Alter

AI lives in your clipboard now.

Press ⌥ Space in any app. Type a command. Done in ~1.5 seconds.

Download .dmg · How it works · Features · Build from source

What is Alter?

Alter is a tiny macOS menu-bar app that turns your clipboard into an AI command line.

Copy any text. Press ⌥ Space. A floating bar appears over your current window with your text pre-loaded. Type "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "shrink to one sentence" — anything you'd type into ChatGPT. Hit Enter. ~1.5 seconds later the transformed text auto-pastes where your cursor was, in the app you came from.

No tab switch. No browser. No account. No subscription.

How it works

⌘C → ⌥ Space → type a command → Enter → Accept → pasted in your app

Copy any text from anywhere
Press ⌥ Space — a floating command bar appears over your current app
Type what you want: "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "summarize"
Hit Enter — Groq transforms it in ~1.5 s
Press Accept — the result pastes directly where your cursor is

You never leave the app you're in.

Features

Floating HUD — summons in any app via ⌥ Space, vanishes when you're done
8 one-click presets — Rewrite, Shrink, Expand, Translate, Fix, Explain, Reply, Formal
⌘K opens the full preset library inline (browse + search)
Custom commands — type anything you'd type into ChatGPT
Auto-paste — result lands where your cursor was, in the original app
~1.5 s end-to-end — Groq llama-3.3-70b-versatile with llama3-8b fallback
macOS Keychain — API key encrypted via safeStorage
Menu-bar only — zero Dock clutter, custom template tray icon
No account, no telemetry — bring your own free Groq key

Dashboard

A separate menu-bar window for everything that doesn't belong in the HUD:

Presets — manage your library of one-click transforms, add your own
History — every transform you've made, searchable
Settings — change hotkey, toggle features, manage permissions
API Key — masked Groq key, copy/delete, status pill

Install

Option A — download the .dmg (recommended)

Open the latest Release and grab:
- Alter-1.0.0-arm64.dmg — Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
- Alter-1.0.0.dmg — Intel Macs
Open the DMG and drag Alter onto the Applications folder
First launch: right-click → Open (the build is unsigned, so Gatekeeper asks once)
Grant Accessibility permission when prompted (needed for auto-paste)
Paste your Groq API key on the setup screen

Option B — build from source

git clone https://github.com/tanujrajputdev/alter
cd alter
npm install
npm run dev

To build a .dmg:

npm run dist

Output lands in dist/. Requires macOS. No Apple Developer account needed.

Requirements

macOS 13 Ventura or later (Apple Silicon + Intel)
A free Groq API key
Node.js 18+ (only if building from source)

Hotkeys

Key	Action
⌥ Space	Open / close the command bar
Enter	Submit command
⌘ K	Open preset library
Escape	Dismiss without changes

Privacy

Your API key is encrypted at rest via macOS Keychain (safeStorage)
Clipboard text is sent to api.groq.comonly when you press Enter
No analytics, no crash reporting, no remote logging
No account, no signup — verify it all in the code

Stack

Layer	Technology
Desktop shell	Electron 33
Build	electron-vite 2 + Vite 5
UI	React 18 + TypeScript
AI	Groq API (`llama-3.3-70b-versatile`)
Icons	`@hugeicons/react`
Secrets	Electron `safeStorage` → macOS Keychain
Packaging	electron-builder → `.dmg` (arm64 + x64)
Hotkey	Electron `globalShortcut`
Paste	`osascript` keystroke

Architecture

See ARCHITECTURE.md for the decision log, IPC contract, data flow, and security model.

The TL;DR:

⌥ Space → main: globalShortcut fires → reads clipboard → shows HUD
↓
type command + Enter → renderer calls window.electronAPI.transform()
↓
main: fetch(api.groq.com) → ~1.5 s → result back to HUD
↓
Accept → main: clipboard.write + app.hide + activateApp(source) + osascript ⌘V

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md. Highlights:

Voice command via Whisper (Groq)
Multi-provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama
App-context awareness — knows you're in Slack vs. email vs. code
Custom preset templates with variables
Swift hotkey helper for Fn / CapsLock support

Contributing

PRs welcome. Keep changes scoped, no telemetry, no dependencies that pull in megabytes of transitive deps.

License

MIT. Build it, fork it, ship your own version.

Built with Groq, Electron, and an obsession with not-leaving-the-app-you're-in.

Alter

AI lives in your clipboard now.

Press ⌥ Space in any app. Type a command. Done in ~1.5 seconds.

Download .dmg · How it works · Features · Build from source

What is Alter?

Alter is a tiny macOS menu-bar app that turns your clipboard into an AI command line.

Copy any text. Press ⌥ Space. A floating bar appears over your current window with your text pre-loaded. Type "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "shrink to one sentence" — anything you'd type into ChatGPT. Hit Enter. ~1.5 seconds later the transformed text auto-pastes where your cursor was, in the app you came from.

No tab switch. No browser. No account. No subscription.

How it works

⌘C → ⌥ Space → type a command → Enter → Accept → pasted in your app

Copy any text from anywhere
Press ⌥ Space — a floating command bar appears over your current app
Type what you want: "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "summarize"
Hit Enter — Groq transforms it in ~1.5 s
Press Accept — the result pastes directly where your cursor is

You never leave the app you're in.

Features

Floating HUD — summons in any app via ⌥ Space, vanishes when you're done
8 one-click presets — Rewrite, Shrink, Expand, Translate, Fix, Explain, Reply, Formal
⌘K opens the full preset library inline (browse + search)
Custom commands — type anything you'd type into ChatGPT
Auto-paste — result lands where your cursor was, in the original app
~1.5 s end-to-end — Groq llama-3.3-70b-versatile with llama3-8b fallback
macOS Keychain — API key encrypted via safeStorage
Menu-bar only — zero Dock clutter, custom template tray icon
No account, no telemetry — bring your own free Groq key

Dashboard

A separate menu-bar window for everything that doesn't belong in the HUD:

Presets — manage your library of one-click transforms, add your own
History — every transform you've made, searchable
Settings — change hotkey, toggle features, manage permissions
API Key — masked Groq key, copy/delete, status pill

Install

Option A — download the .dmg (recommended)

Open the latest Release and grab:
- Alter-1.0.0-arm64.dmg — Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
- Alter-1.0.0.dmg — Intel Macs
Open the DMG and drag Alter onto the Applications folder
First launch: right-click → Open (the build is unsigned, so Gatekeeper asks once)
Grant Accessibility permission when prompted (needed for auto-paste)
Paste your Groq API key on the setup screen

Option B — build from source

git clone https://github.com/tanujrajputdev/alter
cd alter
npm install
npm run dev

To build a .dmg:

npm run dist

Output lands in dist/. Requires macOS. No Apple Developer account needed.

Requirements

macOS 13 Ventura or later (Apple Silicon + Intel)
A free Groq API key
Node.js 18+ (only if building from source)

Hotkeys

Key	Action
⌥ Space	Open / close the command bar
Enter	Submit command
⌘ K	Open preset library
Escape	Dismiss without changes

Privacy

Your API key is encrypted at rest via macOS Keychain (safeStorage)
Clipboard text is sent to api.groq.comonly when you press Enter
No analytics, no crash reporting, no remote logging
No account, no signup — verify it all in the code

Stack

Layer	Technology
Desktop shell	Electron 33
Build	electron-vite 2 + Vite 5
UI	React 18 + TypeScript
AI	Groq API (`llama-3.3-70b-versatile`)
Icons	`@hugeicons/react`
Secrets	Electron `safeStorage` → macOS Keychain
Packaging	electron-builder → `.dmg` (arm64 + x64)
Hotkey	Electron `globalShortcut`
Paste	`osascript` keystroke

Architecture

See ARCHITECTURE.md for the decision log, IPC contract, data flow, and security model.

The TL;DR:

⌥ Space → main: globalShortcut fires → reads clipboard → shows HUD
↓
type command + Enter → renderer calls window.electronAPI.transform()
↓
main: fetch(api.groq.com) → ~1.5 s → result back to HUD
↓
Accept → main: clipboard.write + app.hide + activateApp(source) + osascript ⌘V

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md. Highlights:

Voice command via Whisper (Groq)
Multi-provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama
App-context awareness — knows you're in Slack vs. email vs. code
Custom preset templates with variables
Swift hotkey helper for Fn / CapsLock support

Contributing

PRs welcome. Keep changes scoped, no telemetry, no dependencies that pull in megabytes of transitive deps.

License

MIT. Build it, fork it, ship your own version.

Built with Groq, Electron, and an obsession with not-leaving-the-app-you're-in.

Alter

AI lives in your clipboard now.

Press ⌥ Space in any app. Type a command. Done in ~1.5 seconds.

Download .dmg · How it works · Features · Build from source

What is Alter?

Alter is a tiny macOS menu-bar app that turns your clipboard into an AI command line.

Copy any text. Press ⌥ Space. A floating bar appears over your current window with your text pre-loaded. Type "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "shrink to one sentence" — anything you'd type into ChatGPT. Hit Enter. ~1.5 seconds later the transformed text auto-pastes where your cursor was, in the app you came from.

No tab switch. No browser. No account. No subscription.

How it works

⌘C → ⌥ Space → type a command → Enter → Accept → pasted in your app

Copy any text from anywhere
Press ⌥ Space — a floating command bar appears over your current app
Type what you want: "make this friendlier", "translate to Hindi", "summarize"
Hit Enter — Groq transforms it in ~1.5 s
Press Accept — the result pastes directly where your cursor is

You never leave the app you're in.

Features

Floating HUD — summons in any app via ⌥ Space, vanishes when you're done
8 one-click presets — Rewrite, Shrink, Expand, Translate, Fix, Explain, Reply, Formal
⌘K opens the full preset library inline (browse + search)
Custom commands — type anything you'd type into ChatGPT
Auto-paste — result lands where your cursor was, in the original app
~1.5 s end-to-end — Groq llama-3.3-70b-versatile with llama3-8b fallback
macOS Keychain — API key encrypted via safeStorage
Menu-bar only — zero Dock clutter, custom template tray icon
No account, no telemetry — bring your own free Groq key

Dashboard

A separate menu-bar window for everything that doesn't belong in the HUD:

Presets — manage your library of one-click transforms, add your own
History — every transform you've made, searchable
Settings — change hotkey, toggle features, manage permissions
API Key — masked Groq key, copy/delete, status pill

Install

Option A — download the .dmg (recommended)

Open the latest Release and grab:
- Alter-1.0.0-arm64.dmg — Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
- Alter-1.0.0.dmg — Intel Macs
Open the DMG and drag Alter onto the Applications folder
First launch: right-click → Open (the build is unsigned, so Gatekeeper asks once)
Grant Accessibility permission when prompted (needed for auto-paste)
Paste your Groq API key on the setup screen

Option B — build from source

git clone https://github.com/tanujrajputdev/alter
cd alter
npm install
npm run dev

To build a .dmg:

npm run dist

Output lands in dist/. Requires macOS. No Apple Developer account needed.

Requirements

macOS 13 Ventura or later (Apple Silicon + Intel)
A free Groq API key
Node.js 18+ (only if building from source)

Hotkeys

Key	Action
⌥ Space	Open / close the command bar
Enter	Submit command
⌘ K	Open preset library
Escape	Dismiss without changes

Privacy

Your API key is encrypted at rest via macOS Keychain (safeStorage)
Clipboard text is sent to api.groq.comonly when you press Enter
No analytics, no crash reporting, no remote logging
No account, no signup — verify it all in the code

Stack

Layer	Technology
Desktop shell	Electron 33
Build	electron-vite 2 + Vite 5
UI	React 18 + TypeScript
AI	Groq API (`llama-3.3-70b-versatile`)
Icons	`@hugeicons/react`
Secrets	Electron `safeStorage` → macOS Keychain
Packaging	electron-builder → `.dmg` (arm64 + x64)
Hotkey	Electron `globalShortcut`
Paste	`osascript` keystroke

Architecture

See ARCHITECTURE.md for the decision log, IPC contract, data flow, and security model.

The TL;DR:

⌥ Space → main: globalShortcut fires → reads clipboard → shows HUD
↓
type command + Enter → renderer calls window.electronAPI.transform()
↓
main: fetch(api.groq.com) → ~1.5 s → result back to HUD
↓
Accept → main: clipboard.write + app.hide + activateApp(source) + osascript ⌘V

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md. Highlights:

Voice command via Whisper (Groq)
Multi-provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama
App-context awareness — knows you're in Slack vs. email vs. code
Custom preset templates with variables
Swift hotkey helper for Fn / CapsLock support

Contributing

PRs welcome. Keep changes scoped, no telemetry, no dependencies that pull in megabytes of transitive deps.

License

MIT. Build it, fork it, ship your own version.

Built with Groq, Electron, and an obsession with not-leaving-the-app-you're-in.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
docs		docs
electron		electron
native/macos		native/macos
renderer		renderer
resources		resources
scripts		scripts
.gitignore		.gitignore
ARCHITECTURE.md		ARCHITECTURE.md
BUILD.md		BUILD.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
README.md		README.md
ROADMAP.md		ROADMAP.md
electron-builder.yml		electron-builder.yml
electron.vite.config.ts		electron.vite.config.ts
marketing-specs.md		marketing-specs.md
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json
tsconfig.node.json		tsconfig.node.json
tsconfig.web.json		tsconfig.web.json

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
docs		docs
electron		electron
native/macos		native/macos
renderer		renderer
resources		resources
scripts		scripts
.gitignore		.gitignore
ARCHITECTURE.md		ARCHITECTURE.md
BUILD.md		BUILD.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
README.md		README.md
ROADMAP.md		ROADMAP.md
electron-builder.yml		electron-builder.yml
electron.vite.config.ts		electron.vite.config.ts
marketing-specs.md		marketing-specs.md
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json
tsconfig.node.json		tsconfig.node.json
tsconfig.web.json		tsconfig.web.json

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
docs		docs
electron		electron
native/macos		native/macos
renderer		renderer
resources		resources
scripts		scripts
.gitignore		.gitignore
ARCHITECTURE.md		ARCHITECTURE.md
BUILD.md		BUILD.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
README.md		README.md
ROADMAP.md		ROADMAP.md
electron-builder.yml		electron-builder.yml
electron.vite.config.ts		electron.vite.config.ts
marketing-specs.md		marketing-specs.md
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json
tsconfig.node.json		tsconfig.node.json
tsconfig.web.json		tsconfig.web.json

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
docs		docs
electron		electron
native/macos		native/macos
renderer		renderer
resources		resources
scripts		scripts
.gitignore		.gitignore
ARCHITECTURE.md		ARCHITECTURE.md
BUILD.md		BUILD.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
README.md		README.md
ROADMAP.md		ROADMAP.md
electron-builder.yml		electron-builder.yml
electron.vite.config.ts		electron.vite.config.ts
marketing-specs.md		marketing-specs.md
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json
tsconfig.node.json		tsconfig.node.json
tsconfig.web.json		tsconfig.web.json

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
docs		docs
electron		electron
native/macos		native/macos
renderer		renderer
resources		resources
scripts		scripts
.gitignore		.gitignore
ARCHITECTURE.md		ARCHITECTURE.md
BUILD.md		BUILD.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
README.md		README.md
ROADMAP.md		ROADMAP.md
electron-builder.yml		electron-builder.yml
electron.vite.config.ts		electron.vite.config.ts
marketing-specs.md		marketing-specs.md
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json
tsconfig.node.json		tsconfig.node.json
tsconfig.web.json		tsconfig.web.json

Latest commit

History

Folders and files

Repository files navigation

Alter

What is Alter?

How it works

Features

Dashboard

Install

Option A — download the .dmg (recommended)

Option B — build from source

Requirements

Hotkeys

Privacy

Stack

Architecture

Roadmap

Contributing

License

About

Topics

Resources

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases

Packages

Contributors

Languages

Latest commit

History

Folders and files

Repository files navigation

Alter

What is Alter?

How it works

Features

Dashboard

Install

Option A — download the .dmg (recommended)

Option B — build from source

Requirements

Hotkeys

Privacy

Stack

Architecture

Roadmap

Contributing

License

About

Topics

Resources

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases

Packages

Contributors

Languages

Latest commit

History

Folders and files

Repository files navigation

Alter

What is Alter?

How it works

Features

Dashboard

Install

Option A — download the .dmg (recommended)

Option B — build from source

Requirements

Hotkeys

Privacy

Stack

Architecture

Roadmap

Contributing

License