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Summon

Quick Start

Learn the basics of using Summon in under 5 minutes.

Opening Summon

Press ⌘ + Space (or your configured shortcut) to open the Summon window. Start typing immediately — no need to click anywhere.

Launching Applications

Simply start typing the name of any application:

  1. Press ⌘ + Space
  2. Type the first few letters of an app name (e.g., "saf" for Safari)
  3. Press Enter to launch

Summon learns from your usage and ranks frequently-used apps higher. The more you use it, the smarter it gets.

Navigating Results

Use these keys to navigate through results:

| Key | Action | |-----|--------| | ↓ or J | Move down | | ↑ or K | Move up | | Enter | Open/execute | | ⌘ + R | Reveal in Finder | | Shift + Space | Quick Look preview | | Esc | Close Summon |

Quick select: Press ⌘ + 1-9 to instantly select an item by its position.

Searching Files

Summon can search through your entire filesystem:

  • Type part of a filename to find it
  • Use / at the start to search from a specific path
  • Press ⌘ + Enter to reveal the file in Finder instead of opening it

Filter Prefixes

| Prefix | Searches | |--------|----------| | @ | Applications only | | / | Files and folders | | > | Actions only | | def | Dictionary lookup | | syn | Thesaurus lookup |

Built-in Calculator

Summon includes a powerful inline calculator. Just type any math expression:

Code
2 + 2
100 * 1.2
sqrt(144)
20% of 85
100 USD to EUR

Results appear instantly as you type. Press Enter to copy the result.

Clipboard History

View your clipboard history by typing clip or using the keyboard shortcut ⌘ + Shift + C.

  • Search through past clipboard items
  • Pin important items with ⌘ + P
  • Delete items with ⌘ + Delete
  • Preview images and formatted text

Everything is stored locally on your Mac for privacy.

Snippet Expansion

Create text snippets that expand as you type:

  1. Open Settings (⌘ + ,)
  2. Go to Snippets
  3. Create a new snippet with a keyword and expansion text
  4. Type the keyword anywhere and press Space or Tab

Example Snippets

| Keyword | Expands to | |---------|------------| | @@ | your@email.com | | //addr | Your full mailing address | | //date | Today's date | | //sig | Your email signature |

Quick Notes

Capture thoughts instantly without leaving your current app:

  1. Press ⌘ + Shift + N (or type note in Summon)
  2. Start typing immediately
  3. Press ⌘ + S to save, Esc to close

Notes support full Markdown syntax and optional Vim keybindings.

Custom Actions

Create quick links and custom commands:

  1. Open Settings → Actions
  2. Click "Add Action"
  3. Choose type (Quick Link, Shell Command, or Script)
  4. Configure and save

Now your custom actions appear in Summon search results.

Tips for Power Users

Keyboard Shortcuts

Open Settings → Shortcuts to see and customize all available shortcuts.

Vim Navigation

Summon supports Vim-style navigation throughout:

  • J/K for up/down navigation
  • Full Vim mode in Quick Notes

Themes

Customize the appearance in Settings → Appearance. Choose from built-in themes or create your own.

Next Steps