Hold Command to peek
Hold Command alone for 0.8, 1.2 or 2 seconds and a centered overlay appears. Release the key and it disappears.
Open source · macOS 14+ · Universal binary · Focus & Productivity
Hold Command.
See every shortcut.
Hold Command alone for a moment and an overlay lists the frontmost app's menu shortcuts. Press Control-Option-Command-K to search them and run any item.
Free & MIT licensed · Apple Silicon & Intel · Latest release
Features
Learn shortcuts without manuals.
A small menu bar app that reads the menus you already have and shows what each shortcut does.
No false triggers
The hold is cancelled by any other key, modifier, click or scroll, so ordinary shortcuts like Command-C never flash the overlay.
Search and run menu items
A global hotkey opens a search window. Type to filter by item or menu name, then press Return to run the selected item.
Grouped by menu
Shortcuts appear as keycap glyphs, grouped by File, Edit, View and the rest in menu-bar order. Disabled items are dimmed.
Favorites per app
Star the items you use and they are pinned to the top, in both search and hold mode.
Excluded apps and settings
Choose apps where the overlay never shows, record your own hotkey, and optionally launch at login. The overlay is skipped during secure input.
Screenshots
See it in action.
Install
Up and running in a minute.
ShortcutPeekOverlay is open source and not notarized with a paid Apple Developer ID, so macOS needs one extra step the first time.
- Download ShortcutPeekOverlay-macOS.zip and unzip it.
- Move ShortcutPeekOverlay.app to your Applications folder.
- Clear the quarantine flag once, then right-click the app and choose Open:
xattr -cr /Applications/ShortcutPeekOverlay.app
- When prompted, grant Accessibility access in System Settings Privacy Security Accessibility.
Download
Get ShortcutPeekOverlay for macOS
Free, forever. Built for macOS 14 Sonoma or newer, Apple Silicon and Intel.
Not notarized: on first launch right-click ShortcutPeekOverlay.app → Open.
- macOS 14 Sonoma+
- Universal (Apple Silicon + Intel)
- MIT licensed · open source
- No ads, no accounts, no telemetry
- Built with Claude Code · how and why
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is ShortcutPeekOverlay really free and open source?
Yes. It is released under the MIT license and the full source is on GitHub. There are no ads, accounts or paid tiers, and an optional Support button links to Ko-fi.
What permissions does it need?
Accessibility, which it uses to read the frontmost app's menus, press the item you choose, and listen for the Command hold and hotkey with a listen-only event tap. It never blocks or records keystrokes, and macOS may also list it under Input Monitoring. Launch at login is optional.
Where is my data stored?
Settings and favorites are stored locally on your Mac in the app's preferences. The app makes no network connections and has no analytics. Menu data is cached in memory for 5 seconds per app.
Why isn't the app notarized?
Notarization requires a paid Apple Developer account, and this is a free project. Right-click the app and choose Open once to get past Gatekeeper, or build it yourself from source.
Was this written by AI?
Yes. ShortcutPeekOverlay was generated by Claude Code from a written spec as a clean-room reimplementation, with no code or assets from any commercial app. The full source is on GitHub under MIT, so you can read every line before you run it. It has had less human review than a hand-written app, so bug reports are welcome.
Support ❤️
Built by one person, given away for free.
ShortcutPeekOverlay is a free, open-source alternative to paid utilities. If it earns a spot on your Mac, a coffee keeps the updates coming.
☕ Support Or on Ko-fi