Appsnap

Snap any app into your cursor.

Appsnap is a native local macOS helper launched by a thin Raycast extension.

• If the current window has a verified text cursor, Appsnap captures the normal window directly behind it and pastes the image at the current cursor.
• Otherwise, Appsnap captures the current window, activates only the directly-behind window, and pastes only when that exact window and a text cursor are verified.
• If verification fails, Appsnap restores the original window and leaves the screenshot on the clipboard.
• It never searches a second or third background candidate.

There is no window picker, app-name configuration, Apple Developer account, Developer ID signing, notarization, installer package, or synthetic app-specific behavior.

How it is installed

The repository contains:

• a native Swift helper at Sources/Appsnap/Appsnap.swift;
• a standard Raycast no-view command that launches ~/.local/bin/appsnap;
• scripts/install-helper.sh, which builds the helper locally and copies it there.

Install or update the helper:

./scripts/install-helper.sh

The binary is built on this Mac with Swift Package Manager. Because it is built locally and never distributed as a downloaded executable, no Apple account, certificate, Developer ID signing, or notarization is required. Swift may add a local ad-hoc linker signature; that does not use or contact an Apple account.

Raycast shortcut

Run pnpm dev, find Appsnap in Raycast, and assign it a direct global hotkey. The Raycast command is intentionally thin: it only launches the native helper and shows its result.

Permissions

Grant Raycast:

• Accessibility, for exact focus/window verification and Command-V;
• Screen & System Audio Recording, for window capture.

No System Events Automation permission is needed by the native helper.

Development

pnpm install
./scripts/install-helper.sh
pnpm dev

Verification

swift build -c release
~/.local/bin/appsnap --dry-run --verbose
pnpm lint
pnpm build

CLI options

--dry-run
--copy-only
--activation-delay SECONDS
--paste-delay SECONDS
--verbose

The helper uses CoreGraphics for front-to-back window order and direct window capture, and the native Accessibility API for cursor inspection and exact-window raising. Paste is dispatched only after the destination window and text cursor have both been verified.