An opinionated macOS setup: autonomous, minimal, keyboard-first.
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Minimalist setup for productivity. Opinionated ready-to-use focus on keyboard primacy, window management, mental quiet, and tools that stay out of the way so focused work can happen.
Prerequisite: install Homebrew first at brew.sh. Basic: Raycast — app launcher, automation, and Hyper Key. Advanced: JankyBorders for native macOS window borders, AltTab for fast window switching, TopIt to pin windows on top, Handy for privacy-focused speech-to-text, and Cap for open source screen recording.
brew install --cask raycast
brew tap FelixKratz/formulae && brew install borders
brew install lihaoyun6/tap/topit
brew install --cask alt-tab handy capA global hotkey works from anywhere — no need to click or switch apps. Press Cmd + Space and Raycast opens instantly, whether you're browsing, coding, or in any app. macOS Spotlight already uses Cmd + Space; replace it with Raycast using the same shortcut — no new keys to learn.
The Hyper Key gives you a dedicated layer that won't conflict with system defaults. Map it to Caps Lock: in Raycast Settings → General toggle Enable Hyper Key, then hold Caps Lock and press another key to trigger custom actions instantly. Leave “Include shift in Hyper Key” unchecked.
Now that you have the Hyper Key set up, you can create instant shortcuts to any app. Start with music playback: in Raycast Extensions, find your music app, click the hotkey column, and press Caps Lock + M. Now press Hyper + M from anywhere to start your music instantly. Every app can be one keystroke away.
Quick access to your productivity tools means less context switching and faster workflows. These shortcuts give you instant access to Word, Excel, and data analysis tools.
| Application | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Word | Hyper + Shift + W |
| Microsoft Excel | Hyper + Shift + E |
| Positron (RStudio) | Hyper + Shift + R |
System tools and utilities need quick access too. These shortcuts give you instant control over terminal sessions, system monitoring, and container management — essential for development and debugging workflows.
| Application | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Primary Terminal (Apple Terminal) | Hyper + Return |
| Activity Monitor | Hyper + T |
| lazy Docker (OrbStack) | Hyper + L |
Many web applications offer lighter, faster versions than their desktop counterparts. Chrome's “Install” feature converts websites into standalone applications that appear in your Applications folder, making them easy to set up with Raycast shortcuts — just like native apps. Web apps run in their own window, feel native, and can be launched instantly with Hyper shortcuts.
Efficient web browsing requires quick access to tabs, search through history, and easy profile switching. Raycast extensions for Chrome make all of this accessible via keyboard shortcuts: Hyper + B searches active tabs, Shift + Hyper + B searches everything including history, and Hyper + P switches Chrome profiles.
Screen capture is essential for documentation, bug reports, and quick communication. Setting up unified shortcuts lets you capture screenshots, text, and scrolling areas instantly from anywhere. Disable the macOS defaults in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Screenshots, then rebind in your capture app of choice (CleanShot X, Cap, or Screen Studio).
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Capture Text (OCR) | Shift + Cmd + 3 |
| Capture Area | Shift + Cmd + 4 |
| Repeat Previous Area | Shift + Cmd + 1 |
| Screen Video Recording | Shift + Cmd + 2 |
| Scrolling Capture | Shift + Cmd + 5 |
| Self-Timer (5 seconds) | Shift + Cmd + 6 |
Voice dictation lets you speak naturally into any text field. Set your dictation shortcut to Option + Space, and prefer applications with local transcription models like Whisper or Parakeet for fast, private, offline transcription. Options include Super Whisper, Whisper Flow, and Handy. For audio devices, the Raycast “Set Audio Device” extension switches input and output without opening System Settings.
On macOS, it's often unclear which window has focus — especially with multiple windows open. Visual focus indicators solve this by drawing a subtle border around the active window, giving you instant clarity about where your keystrokes will go. Install JankyBorders (brew tap FelixKratz/formulae && brew install borders), configure the color and width in ~/.config/borders/bordersrc, and start it on boot with brew services start borders.
Quick toggles for system settings keep you focused without digging through menus. Install the Do Not Disturb extension from the Raycast Store and bind it to Hyper + , to silence notifications with one keystroke. Install the Coffee extension and bind Hyper + I to keep your Mac from falling asleep.
Folder shortcuts open Finder windows instantly with a keystroke. Using Raycast script commands (open /path/to/folder), jump directly to your most-used directories without leaving the keyboard: Sandbox on Hyper + S, Screenshots on Hyper + Shift + S, Downloads on Hyper + D, Dropbox on Hyper + Shift + D.
Ghostty is minimal, native, and GPU-rendered. Use it for btop, git tools, or any shell task; a small Raycast script command launches Ghostty running btop on Hyper + B. Fallback: the built-in Terminal if Ghostty is absent.
The full grouped list of macOS and Automacy shortcuts lives on the Mac keyboard shortcuts reference. Want it on paper? The Mac shortcuts cheat sheet page shows how to build a printable PDF of your own shortcuts with the free Cheat Sheet Builder.
Everything above fits inside native macOS behavior, one Homebrew install line, and a few text files. No subsystems, no dependency chains, no mental drag.