Global hotkey palette
Option+Space opens a centered floating panel with a searchable list sorted by recent use. The hotkey can be re-recorded in Settings.
Open source · macOS 14+ · Universal binary · Menu Bar Utility
Templates with blanks.
Filled in seconds.
Press Option+Space to open a floating palette, pick a template, fill in its fields, and paste the finished text into the app you were using.
Free & MIT licensed · Apple Silicon & Intel · Latest release
Features
Built for repeatable text.
Customer replies, meeting notes, and commit messages get a form instead of find-and-replace.
Typed placeholders
Write {{name}}, defaults, multi-line text, dates with day offsets, or choice lists. Each placeholder becomes the right input, with a live preview beside it.
Paste or copy
Command+Return pastes into the previous app and Option+Return only copies. You can optionally restore your original clipboard afterward.
Built-in variables
Use {{@date}}, {{@date(-1)}}, {{@time}}, and {{@clipboard}} without typing anything. Date and time formats are configurable.
Template manager
Edit titles, tags, and bodies, insert placeholders from a menu, and check a parse report that flags unclosed braces or empty choices.
Local and private
Templates live in a JSON file on your Mac, with import and export. There is no account, server, or network access.
Screenshots
See it in action.
Install
Up and running in a minute.
SnippetFormPalette is open source and not notarized with a paid Apple Developer ID, so macOS needs one extra step the first time.
- Download SnippetFormPalette-macOS.zip and unzip it.
- Move SnippetFormPalette.app to your Applications folder.
- Clear the quarantine flag once, then right-click the app and choose Open:
xattr -cr /Applications/SnippetFormPalette.app
- To let the app paste for you, grant Accessibility access in System Settings Privacy Security Accessibility without it, text is copied to the clipboard instead.
Download
Get SnippetFormPalette for macOS
Free, forever. Built for macOS 14 Sonoma or newer, Apple Silicon and Intel.
Not notarized: on first launch right-click SnippetFormPalette.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 SnippetFormPalette free and open source?
Yes. It is free to use and released under the MIT license, and the full source is on GitHub. If it saves you time, there is an optional Support button in the app.
What permissions does it need?
Accessibility, so it can press Command+V in the app you were using. If you decline, the finished text is copied to the clipboard and a notice is shown. Launch at login uses a standard macOS login item and needs no prompt.
Where is my data stored?
Templates are saved as JSON at ~/Library/Application Support/SnippetFormPalette/templates.json, and settings are kept in UserDefaults. Nothing is sent anywhere, and you can export your templates to a JSON file at any time.
Why isn't the app notarized?
Notarization requires a paid Apple Developer account, and this is a free open-source project. Right-click the app and choose Open once to launch it, or build it yourself from source with Xcode.
Was this written by AI?
Yes. SnippetFormPalette 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.
SnippetFormPalette 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