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โ€ป /labs/loutools

LouTools

the modular macOS super-app replacing the Frankenstein automation stack

work in progress

โ€ป vision

A native Swift CLI + menubar app where each module is a focused, well-engineered solution to a real workflow problem โ€” and they all share a common Core. The end of the duct-tape-and-toothpicks ecosystem of Karabiner + Hammerspoon + Keyboard Maestro + N third-party apps.

โ€ป why

Every macOS power user ends up building the same Frankenstein. LouTools is the answer: native, fast, dependency-light, and modular enough that I can ship a single feature without dragging the whole monolith forward.

modules โ€” current and planned

  • โ–ถWindow Crawl โ€” spatial window management as a graph navigation
  • โ–ถPress GUI โ€” programmatic clicking with caret/cursor preservation
  • โ–ถFast Search โ€” incremental search across notes, code, clipboard, chats
  • โ–ถRemote Mode โ€” full mouse/keyboard control of one Mac from another
  • โ–ถSpace Mode โ€” one mode for Mission Control + spaces + windows
  • โ–ถMouse Mode โ€” keyboard-driven pointer for trackpad-haters

โ€ป principles

minimal third-party deps ยท zero focus stealing (preserve cursor + caret on every interaction) ยท works from the keyboard ยท each module ships standalone but shares the Core.

   LouTools ยท architecture
   โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€
                  โ”Œโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”
                  โ”‚     Core     โ”‚
                  โ”‚  (state ipc) โ”‚
                  โ””โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”˜
       โ”Œโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ดโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”
       โ–ผ         โ–ผ                โ–ผ          โ–ผ
   WndwCrawl  FastSrch        PressGUI   RemoteMode
       โ”‚         โ”‚                โ”‚          โ”‚
       โ””โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”ดโ”€โ”€ menubar app โ”€โ”ดโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”˜
                        โ”‚
                       CLI