v1.0.1New app icon and new menu bar icon→

A translucent scratchpad for your Mac.

Press a shortcut from anywhere and a translucent note floats over whatever you are doing. Type, calculate, paste a snippet, and close it when you are done.

Download for MacView on GitHub

Free and open source · macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon and Intel

Pinned
⌥Space
No Dock icon·No accounts·No sync·No network connections
Features

Everything a scratchpad needs. Nothing it doesn't.

⌥option
space
⌥⇧Space Quick capture⌃⌥N Show or hide all
Global shortcut
A new note from any app. Quick capture copies your selection straight in.
12*3 = 36
1200 / 12 = 100
(18 + 4) * 3 =
Inline maths
Type 12*3 = at the end of a line and the answer appears.
```swiftSwift
let ttl = 60 * 60
cache.set(key, value, ttl)
// expires in an hour
Code blocks
Fenced blocks with syntax colours for Swift, Python, JS, Go, Rust and more.
Lists and checklists
Type - or [] to start one. Click a box to check it. Try it.
Call Sam back
When you click away
Notes stay visible, fade, or hide. Pinned notes always stay on top.
⇧⌘TReopen last closed note
.txt.md.rtf.rtfd
Keep or discard
Temporary by default, so nothing piles up. Save or export what you want to keep.
Appearance

A note that looks like glass.

Adjust blur and background opacity so the window behind stays readable. Light, dark, or follow the system. Respects Reduce Transparency, Increase Contrast and Reduce Motion.

Ideas for the talk
- Start with the demo
- Keep it under 10 minutes
Shortcuts

Built for the keyboard.

Global shortcuts work from any app. Several can be rebound in Settings.

Anywhere
New note⌥Space
Quick capture selection⌥⇧Space
Show or hide all notes⌃⌥N
Inside a note
Close and discard⌘W
Reopen last closed⇧⌘T
Keep on top⌥⌘T
Copy all and close⇧⌘C
Save or export⌘S
Find⌘F
Privacy

Your notes never leave your Mac.

Nothing goes online

Peekie makes no network connections, has no analytics, and stores nothing outside your Mac.

Accessibility, only for capture

Quick capture sends ⌘C to read your selection, then restores your clipboard. Everything else works without it.

Saved only if you ask

Turn on saving and open notes come back after a relaunch. Closing a note deletes its saved copy.

FAQ

Questions.

Something else? Open an issue on GitHub.

Why is there no Dock icon?

Peekie is a background utility. It is meant to appear when you press a shortcut and disappear when you are done.

Can I keep my notes?

Yes. Turn on Save notes between launches, or export a note with ⌘S.

How do I open Settings?

Launch Peekie again from Applications, Spotlight or Finder. If you turn on Show menu bar icon, it has entries for Settings and Quit.

Why is it not on the Mac App Store?

The adjustable blur uses internal Core Animation layers of the system blur view, which is not a public API.

Is there a Windows or Linux version?

No. Peekie is built with AppKit and SwiftUI for macOS.

Write it. Let it go.

Free for macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

Download Peekie 1.0.1
1
Download the .dmg from Releases
2
Drag Peekie onto Applications
3
Open it and press ⌥Space
$ xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Peekie.app

Releases aren't notarized yet. If macOS won't open Peekie, right-click it and choose Open, or run the command above once.