Getting started

Raven is a keyboard launcher: press a key, type a few letters, press Return. This guide covers everything it can find, and how to bend it to your habits.

Install

Download Raven, open the disk image and drag Raven into Applications. It needs macOS 27 or later on Apple silicon. Raven updates itself: it checks for new releases in the background and asks before installing one.

Two permissions

The first time it runs, a setup window walks you through the two permissions Raven needs, Accessibility and Input Monitoring, ticks each one off as you grant it, and ends with a live test of your shortcut. Why it needs them.

Open it

The default shortcut is ⌥Space. Type what you’re looking for; the best match is already selected, so Return is usually all it takes. Escape clears the search, and a second Escape closes Raven.

You can pick a different shortcut, a single tap of a modifier, or Caps Lock: see Opening Raven.

Where to go next

• Finding things: how matching works, and the keys.
• What it finds: apps, settings, Shortcuts, bangs and more.
• App switcher: Raven’s optional ⌘⇥.