Leader Key

Leader Key is a riff on @raycastapp, @mxstbr's multi-key Karabiner setup, and Vim's <leader> key.

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Why Leader Key?

Problems with traditional launchers:

1. Typing the name of the thing can be slow and give unpredictable results.
2. Global shortcuts have limited combinations.
3. Leader Key offers predictable, nested shortcuts -- like combos in a fighting game.

Example Shortcuts:

• [leader][o][m] → Launch Messages (open messages)
• [leader][m][m] → Mute audio (media mute)
• [leader][w][m] → Maximize current window (window maximize)

Configuration Options

Leader Key uses a JSON configuration file to define your shortcuts. Here's a table describing the available options:

Field	Type	Description
type	String	The type of action. Can be "group", "application", or "url".
key	String	The key to trigger this action or group.
value	String	For "application" type, the path to the application. For "url" type, the URL to open.
actions	Array	For "group" type, an array of nested actions or groups.

Example Configuration Structure

Example Configuration

FWIW, here's a recent version of my own config:

{
  "type": "group",
  "actions": [
    { "key": "t", "type": "application", "value": "/Applications/WezTerm.app" },
    {
      "key": "o",
      "type": "group",
      "actions": [
        {
          "key": "1",
          "type": "application",
          "value": "/Applications/1password.app"
        },
        { "key": "a", "type": "application", "value": "/Applications/Arc.app" },
        {
          "key": "c",
          "type": "application",
          "value": "/Applications/Google Chrome.app"
        },
        {
          "key": "s",
          "type": "application",
          "value": "/Applications/Safari.app"
        },
        {
          "key": "e",
          "type": "application",
          "value": "/System/Applications/Mail.app"
        },
        {
          "key": "z",
          "type": "application",
          "value": "/Applications/Slack.app"
        },
        {
          "key": "i",
          "type": "application",
          "value": "/System/Applications/Music.app"
        },
        {
          "key": "n",
          "type": "application",
          "value": "/Applications/Notion.app"
        },
        {
          "key": "t",
          "type": "application",
          "value": "/Applications/WezTerm.app"
        },
        {
          "key": "m",
          "type": "application",
          "value": "/System/Applications/Messages.app"
        },
        {
          "key": "o",
          "type": "application",
          "value": "/Applications/Obsidian.app"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "key": "r",
      "type": "group",
      "actions": [
        {
          "key": "e",
          "type": "url",
          "value": "raycast://extensions/raycast/emoji-symbols/search-emoji-symbols"
        },
        { "key": "p", "type": "url", "value": "raycast://confetti" },
        {
          "key": "c",
          "type": "url",
          "value": "raycast://extensions/raycast/system/open-camera"
        },
        {
          "key": "v",
          "type": "url",
          "value": "raycast://extensions/raycast/clipboard-history/clipboard-history"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "key": "s",
      "type": "group",
      "actions": [
        {
          "key": "l",
          "type": "url",
          "value": "raycast://extensions/raycast/system/lock-screen"
        },
        {
          "key": "s",
          "type": "url",
          "value": "raycast://extensions/raycast/system/sleep"
        },
        {
          "key": "a",
          "type": "application",
          "value": "/Users/mikker/Applications/DarkMode.app"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "key": "w",
      "type": "group",
      "actions": [
        {
          "key": "f",
          "type": "url",
          "value": "raycast://extensions/raycast/window-management/maximize"
        },
        {
          "key": "h",
          "type": "url",
          "value": "raycast://extensions/raycast/window-management/left-half"
        },
        {
          "key": "l",
          "type": "url",
          "value": "raycast://extensions/raycast/window-management/right-half"
        },
        {
          "key": "o",
          "type": "url",
          "value": "raycast://extensions/raycast/window-management/last-two-thirds"
        },
        {
          "key": "n",
          "type": "url",
          "value": "raycast://extensions/raycast/window-management/first-third"
        },
        {
          "key": "-",
          "type": "url",
          "value": "raycast://extensions/raycast/window-management/center"
        },
        {
          "key": "=",
          "type": "url",
          "value": "raycast://extensions/raycast/window-management/maximize-height"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

License

MIT