NB: Leader Key has been surpassed by Tuna

Tuna is a complete launcher – much more capable, and with Leader Key built in!

Leader Key will stay free and open source but my focus will be on Tuna going forward.

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<img src="https://s3.brnbw.com/icon_1024-akc2Ij3q9JOyhQ6Y7Lz6AFkX6nQQFhrQaRPqbV4vor0A62EA0vq4xOGrXpg6PVKi3aUJxOAyItkyktblPtZD4K4oYZ1bJVdh96VE.png" width="256" height="256" alt="Leader Key.app" />

The *faster than your launcher* launcher

A riff on Raycast, @mxstbr's multi-key Karabiner setup, and Vim's <leader> key.

Watch the intro video on YouTube:

<div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQYakLsYSAQ"><img src="https://img.youtube.com/vi/EQYakLsYSAQ/maxresdefault.jpg" width=480></a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzzQl5FOL-k"><img src="https://img.youtube.com/vi/hzzQl5FOL-k/maxresdefault.jpg" width=480></a> </div>

Yes, I only have that one thumbnail face.

Install

Download

📦 Download latest version or

Homebrew

$ brew install leader-key

Post-Install setup

• Open the settings menu with the menu bar icon <img width="17" alt="Screenshot 2025-05-21 at 1 58 46 PM" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7ba2cd99-dbd1-4b23-a35b-c5579e797321" />

• Choose your leader (Shortcut that will open the app)

  <img width="213" alt="Screenshot 2025-05-21 at 2 01 56 PM" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/5e486a9a-ee1c-4ac7-a2d9-f4d0a46eb734" />

• Add your shortcuts to the Config settings

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:

• <kbd>leader</kbd><kbd>o</kbd><kbd>m</kbd> → Launch Messages (open messages)
• <kbd>leader</kbd><kbd>m</kbd><kbd>m</kbd> → Mute audio (media mute)
• <kbd>leader</kbd><kbd>w</kbd><kbd>m</kbd> → Maximize current window (window maximize)

URL Scheme

Leader Key supports URL scheme automation for integration with tools like Alfred, Raycast, shell scripts, and more.

Available URL Schemes

Configuration Management

# Reload configuration from disk
open "leaderkey://config-reload"

# Show config.json in Finder
open "leaderkey://config-reveal"

Window Control

# Show Leader Key window
open "leaderkey://activate"

# Hide Leader Key window
open "leaderkey://hide"

# Clear navigation state (return to root)
open "leaderkey://reset"

Settings & Info

# Open settings window
open "leaderkey://settings"

# Show about dialog
open "leaderkey://about"

Navigation

# Navigate through keys and execute actions
open "leaderkey://navigate?keys=a,b,c"

# Navigate without executing (preview mode)
open "leaderkey://navigate?keys=a,b,c&execute=false"

Example Use Cases

• Alfred/Raycast workflows: Trigger Leader Key shortcuts programmatically
• Shell scripts: Automate configuration reloads after editing config.json
• Keyboard maestro: Chain Leader Key actions with other automations
• External triggers: Open specific action sequences from other applications

FAQ

What do I set as my Leader Key?

Any key can be your leader key, but only modifiers will not work.

Examples:

• <kbd>F12</kbd>
• <kbd>⌘ + space</kbd>
• <kbd>⌘⌥ + space</kbd>
• <kbd>⌘⌥⌃⇧ + L</kbd> (hyper key)

Advanced examples:

Using Karabiner you can do more fancy things like:

• <kbd>right ⌘ + left ⌘</kbd> at once (bound to <kbd>F12</kbd>) my personal favorite
• <kbd>caps lock</kbd> (bound to <kbd>hyper</kbd> when held, <kbd>F12</kbd> when pressed)

See @mikker's config in the wiki for akimbo cmds example.

I disabled the menubar item, how can I get Leader Key back?

Activate Leader Key, then <kbd>cmd + ,</kbd>.

Command action is failing with "Command not found"

You need to make sure your shell environment is correctly set up for non-interactive mode, and exports the PATH variable.

For zsh make sure you have your PATH variable exported in ~/.zshenv

For bash make sure you have your PATH variable exported in ~/.bash_profile

License

MIT