Getting started

Rewire Text installs like any other desktop app and stays out of your way. Here is what to do after you download it.

Install

Grab the installer from the Rewire Text page: a .dmg for macOS or an installer for Windows. On Windows it is also available on the Microsoft Store.

On macOS, the first time you run it you will be asked to grant Accessibility permission in System Settings. Rewire Text needs it to read your selected text and paste the result back. A guided first-run flow walks you through granting it, so you are not left hunting through settings. Windows needs no special permission.

The menu bar and system tray

Rewire Text runs in the background with an icon in your menu bar (macOS) or system tray (Windows). That icon is what keeps the hotkey active. Click it to open the app window. Right-click it for a short menu with Open and Quit.

The hotkey and command palette

Select text in any app and press the global hotkey. The defaults are Cmd+Shift+, on macOS and Ctrl+Shift+, on Windows, and you can change the hotkey in Settings › Hotkeys.

A command palette appears with your selected text. Type to filter the list, move with the arrow keys, and press Enter to run a transform. Deterministic transforms apply instantly. AI transforms stream their result in. Press Enter again to accept, and the result replaces your selection. Escape closes the palette without changing anything. If you live on the home row, there is an optional Vim mode in Settings › General › Keyboard: j and k to move, i to jump into the search box, Enter to apply, Esc to step back.

Per-transform hotkeys

The transforms you run constantly can each get their own global hotkey, set up in Settings › Hotkeys. Press one in any app and the palette opens with that transform already selected and running on your selection; press Enter to apply. Each hotkey can optionally skip the preview: deterministic transforms then paste the result straight back without opening the palette, and AI transforms apply as soon as the result finishes streaming. Conflicts with the global hotkey or another assignment are flagged while you record.

The app window

For longer text, or when you would rather work in one place, open the full window from the tray icon. Type or paste your text on one side and see the transformed result on the other.

Pinning transforms

Pin the transforms you reach for most so they sit at the top of both the command palette and the app window. Hover a transform in the list and click the pin icon. Your pins persist across restarts.

Turning on the AI transforms

The deterministic transforms work right away, with no setup. The AI transforms need a provider key or a local model. The AI setup guide walks through getting a key, the local options (Ollama, LM Studio, and llama.cpp), and which providers to start with.