Look

https://noah-code.com/docs/look
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Look is a keyboard-first, local-first launcher for macOS, Windows, and Linux that provides instant...
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### Install Look on macOS with curl

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Alternative installation method using a curl script from the official repository.

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kunkka19xx/look/main/scripts/install-look.sh | bash
```

--------------------------------

### Example TOML configuration

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Example TOML file with two blocks: 'projects' (dir) and 'work' (do). Demonstrates the basic structure and usage.

```toml
# ~/.look/sources/mine.toml

[projects]
name = "Projects"
dir  = "~/dev"
only = "dirs"

[work]
name = "Work setup"
do = [
  "open -a Slack",
  "open -a Safari https://github.com",
]
```

--------------------------------

### Install Look on NixOS with nix profile

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Installs Look to the user profile using nix profile install.

```bash
nix profile install github:kunkka19xx/look?dir=apps/linows
```

--------------------------------

### Install Look on Ubuntu/Debian with curl

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Installs Look on Ubuntu/Debian using the official Linux install script.

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kunkka19xx/look/main/scripts/linux/install-look.sh | bash
```

--------------------------------

### Install Look on Windows with PowerShell

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Installs Look on Windows using a PowerShell script. SmartScreen may warn on first run.

```powershell
iex "& { $(irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kunkka19xx/look/main/scripts/windows/install-look.ps1) }"
```

--------------------------------

### Preferred Tools Configuration Example

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Example configuration for setting preferred tools in Look. Keys are optional; undeclared keys use system defaults. Values must be tool names, not commands.

```ini
text_editor=nvim
code_editor=zed
terminal=ghostty
file_manager=nautilus
```

--------------------------------

### Install Look on Arch Linux with AUR helper

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Installs Look from AUR using yay or paru.

```bash
yay -S look-bin
# or
paru -S look-bin
```

--------------------------------

### Install Look on macOS with Homebrew

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Installs Look via Homebrew cask. Requires macOS 15.0+.

```bash
brew install --cask kunkka19xx/tap/look
```

--------------------------------

### Run side-by-side dev build

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Installs /Applications/Look Dev.app with a separate bundle id so the Homebrew-installed Look.app remains untouched.

```bash
make app-run-dev
```

--------------------------------

### Install Look on Arch Linux without AUR helper

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Builds and installs Look from the AUR repository manually using git and makepkg.

```bash
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/look-bin.git
cd look-bin
makepkg -si
```

--------------------------------

### do block example

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

A 'do' block that runs a sequence of commands when activated. Steps run in order; a failing step does not stop the rest.

```toml
[work]
name = "Work setup"
icon = "🚀"
do = [
  "open -a Slack",
  "open -a Ghostty",
]
```

--------------------------------

### JSON row format example

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Example of a JSON row with id, title, subtitle, and path fields. The path makes the row a filesystem object.

```json
[{"id": "look", "title": "Look", "subtitle": "3 uncommitted", "path": "~/dev/look"}]
```

--------------------------------

### run block example

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

A 'run' block that executes a command on reload and caches its output. Rows are kept if the command fails or times out.

```toml
[branches]
name = "Git branches"
run  = "git -C ~/dev/look branch --format='%(refname:short)'"
open = "git -C ~/dev/look switch {id}"
```

--------------------------------

### Ignored File Patterns Example (INI)

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Example of ignored file patterns using gitignore-style globs. Group patterns under any ignored_patterns_<group> key; all such keys are merged. Patterns are separated by |, support * ** ? [abc], and ~ expands to home. Patterns match files only, not folders.

```ini
# ignored_patterns_<group>=Pattern1|Pattern2
ignored_patterns_browser=~/AppData/Local/BraveSoftware/**/*.log|~/AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/**/*.tmp
ignored_patterns_sqlite=~/Documents/git/project/**/*.db-wal|~/Documents/git/project/**/*.db-shm
```

--------------------------------

### Pin Look version or fork on macOS

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Installs a specific version or fork of Look using the curl script with --version and --repo flags.

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kunkka19xx/look/main/scripts/install-look.sh | bash -s -- --version <version> --repo kunkka19xx/look
```

--------------------------------

### Running Apps Switcher: running_apps_placement

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Controls the running-apps row in the search bar. Options: none (off), right (on). When none, the row is hidden and the Cmd/Alt+1..9 switching shortcut is disabled; any other value shows it. Legacy top/bottom values from older releases still load as "on" and normalize to right on next save. The key is auto-appended to existing ~/.look/config files on first Save Config, so upgrading from an older Look install doesn't reset other settings. See Home Screen → Running Apps Switcher for the badge-key behavior.

```ini
running_apps_placement=right
```

--------------------------------

### file block example

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

A 'file' block that reads rows from a text file. Each line becomes a row.

```toml
[hosts]
name = "SSH hosts"
file = "~/.look/hosts.txt"
open = "ssh {id}"
```

--------------------------------

### dir block example

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

A 'dir' block that lists immediate children of a directory. Supports options like depth, only, match, and exclude.

```toml
[projects]
name  = "Projects"
dir   = "~/dev"          # or: dirs = ["~/dev", "~/work"]
depth = 1                # 1 = immediate children
only  = "dirs"           # dirs | files | all
```

--------------------------------

### Create sources directory

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Creates the ~/.look/sources directory where Look looks for TOML files.

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.look/sources
```

--------------------------------

### Run Look AppImage on any distro

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Makes the Look AppImage executable and runs it.

```bash
chmod +x Look_*.AppImage
./Look_*.AppImage
```

--------------------------------

### Background Image: ui_background_image_*

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Sets the background image path, mode, opacity, and blur. Mode options: fill, fit, tile, stretch.

```ini
ui_background_image=~/look_bg.png
ui_background_image_mode=fill
ui_background_image_opacity=0.5
ui_background_image_blur=10
```

--------------------------------

### Run benchmarks

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Run the query throughput, scoped refresh, and watcher stress benchmarks from the tools/perf crate.

```bash
cd tools/perf
cargo run --release --bin query_engine_bench     # query throughput + fuzzy scoring
cargo run --release --bin scoped_refresh_bench   # per-call refresh latency
cargo run --release --bin watcher_stress         # simulated event streams
```

--------------------------------

### Build commands for core, FFI, and dev apps

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Commands to check the Rust core workspace, the FFI bridge, run the macOS dev app, and run the Tauri dev app on Windows/Linux.

```bash
# Check Rust core workspace
cd core
cargo check --workspace

# Check FFI bridge (macOS)
cd bridge/ffi
cargo check

# Run macOS dev app
make app-run

# Run Tauri dev (Windows/Linux)
cd apps/linows
cargo tauri dev
```

--------------------------------

### Define project and branch blocks with then drill-downs

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

TOML configuration for a project directory and a branches block. The 'branches' block uses 'run' as the producer (project is {path}) and 'open' acts on the produced branch row (project is {parent.path}). Levels stack five deep and a 'then' target may live in another file.

```toml
[projects]
dir  = "~/dev"
only = "dirs"
then = ["branches"]

[branches]
name = "Branches"
run  = "git -C {path} branch --format='%(refname:short)'"
open = "git -C {parent.path} switch {id}"
```

--------------------------------

### Define an applies rule for PNG files with a do action

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

TOML configuration for an 'optimize' block that applies to PNG files. The 'applies' rule matches files with a .png extension, and the 'do' command runs oxipng on the selected file's path. Only a 'do' block can declare 'applies'.

```toml
[optimize]
name    = "Optimize"
applies = { ext = ["png"] }
do      = ["oxipng -o4 {path}"]
```

--------------------------------

### Define Search Aliases in INI Format

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Defines aliases that map search terms to related apps. Aliases apply to app and System Settings search only, boost matching apps without creating synthetic results, and show no error if an aliased app is not installed. Keep lists short (5-10 targets) for best results.

```ini
alias_note=Notion|Obsidian|Notes|Apple Notes|Bear|Logseq
alias_code=Visual Studio Code|VSCode|Cursor|Windsurf|IntelliJ IDEA|PyCharm|WebStorm|Neovim|Xcode|Zed
alias_term=Terminal|iTerm|iTerm2|Ghostty|WezTerm|Alacritty|Kitty|Warp
alias_chat=Slack|Discord|Telegram|Messages
alias_music=Spotify|Apple Music|Music
alias_brow=Safari|Arc|Google Chrome|Chrome|Firefox|Brave
```

--------------------------------

### Run Look on NixOS with nix run

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Runs Look directly from the flake using nix run.

```bash
nix run github:kunkka19xx/look?dir=apps/linows
```

--------------------------------

### Other Backend Options Configuration

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Configuration block for miscellaneous backend options including lazy indexing, skip directories, log level, and launch at login.

```ini
lazy_indexing_enabled=true
skip_dir_names=node_modules,target,build,dist,.git,vendor,out,coverage,tmp,cache,venv
backend_log_level=info
launch_at_login=false
```

--------------------------------

### Appearance: ui_tint_*, ui_blur_*, ui_font_*, ui_border_*

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Configures UI appearance: tint color, blur material, font, and border. ui_blur_material uses hudWindow. ui_font_name uses SF Pro Text. ui_border_thickness is 1.0. All color components are in 0-1 range.

```ini
ui_tint_red=0.08
ui_tint_green=0.10
ui_tint_blue=0.12
ui_tint_opacity=0.55
ui_blur_material=hudWindow
ui_blur_opacity=0.95
ui_font_name=SF Pro Text
ui_font_size=14
ui_font_red=0.96
ui_font_green=0.96
ui_font_blue=0.98
ui_font_opacity=0.96
ui_border_thickness=1.0
ui_border_red=1.0
ui_border_green=1.0
ui_border_blue=1.0
ui_border_opacity=0.12
```

--------------------------------

### Super Actions: super_actions_enabled

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Shows the control strip on the empty home screen. false hides it and disables its letter shortcuts. Which tiles are on the strip, where they sit, and any tiles of your own are not in this file. They are a drawing in ~/.look/super-actions.toml, seeded on first run and reloaded with Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+; - see Arranging the Strip.

```ini
super_actions_enabled=true
```

--------------------------------

### Run Rust and FFI tests

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Run the Rust core workspace tests and the FFI bridge tests.

```bash
# Rust tests
cd core
cargo test --workspace

# FFI bridge tests
cd bridge/ffi
cargo test
```

--------------------------------

### Repository structure tree

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Shows the top-level layout of the Look repository, including the macOS SwiftUI app, Tauri v2 app, Rust core workspace, FFI bridge, and docs.

```text
look/
├── apps/macos/LauncherApp/    # SwiftUI shell (macOS)
├── apps/linows/               # Tauri v2 app (Windows + Linux)
│   └── src-tauri/             # Rust backend
├── core/                      # Rust workspace (shared)
│   ├── engine/                # Search & indexing
│   ├── matching/              # Fuzzy matching
│   ├── ranking/               # Result ranking
│   ├── storage/               # SQLite storage
│   ├── answers/               # Web answer sources (Wikipedia, currency, ...)
│   └── todo/                  # Shared todo backend
├── bridge/ffi/                # Swift-Rust FFI (macOS)
└── docs/                      # Documentation
```

--------------------------------

### Query local Look database for top candidates

Source: https://noah-code.com/docs/look

Inspect the SQLite database to see the most used candidates. The command differs by OS: macOS uses the Library path, Linux uses the .local path.

```bash
# macOS
sqlite3 "$HOME/Library/Application Support/look/look.db" \
  "SELECT id,title,use_count FROM candidates ORDER BY use_count DESC LIMIT 20;"
```

```bash
# Linux
sqlite3 "$HOME/.local/share/look/look.db" \
  "SELECT id,title,use_count FROM candidates ORDER BY use_count DESC LIMIT 20;"
```
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