🪟 AppSwipe

A fast, minimal, native macOS window switcher.

Replace ⌘-Tab with a clean, glassy list of your windows — not just apps.

---

💡 Why

macOS's built-in ⌘-Tab switches between apps. AppSwipe switches between windows, in true most‑recently‑used order — so flipping between your last two windows is instant, even when they belong to the same app. No live thumbnails (those need private APIs); just a crisp icon + title list that feels native and gets out of your way.

✨ Features

• ⌨️ ⌘-Tab to switch windows — hold ⌘, tap Tab to cycle, release to select (⌘⇧Tab goes back).
• 🔁 True MRU order — alternate between your two last windows like ⌘-Tab, regardless of app.
• 🪟 Native Liquid Glass — built on macOS Tahoe's NSGlassEffectView.
• ⚡ Instant quick-switch — a fast tap-and-release switches with no UI; hold to reveal the list.
• 🖱️ Mouse or keyboard selection, with hover feedback.
• 🎨 Live preview in Preferences — change size, font and accent color and see it update instantly.
• 📊 Menu-bar item with Preferences and Quit.
• 🔒 100% public macOS APIs for window data + Accessibility — no Screen Recording needed.

🎬 Demo

_{⌘-Tab switching, live preview and accent colors in action.}

📦 Install (beta — build from source)

git clone https://github.com/stivenrosales/AppSwipe.git
cd AppSwipe
./scripts/run.sh

run.sh builds a release, installs AppSwipe.app into /Applications, signs it with a stable local certificate (so the Accessibility permission survives rebuilds), and launches it. Then grant Accessibility in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

⚠️ AppSwipe is signed with a local self-signed certificate, not an Apple Developer ID. macOS Gatekeeper may warn on first open — right-click the app → Open to confirm. A notarized release will come later.

🛠️ Building & developing

This project uses Swift Package Manager, driven through a Makefile:

make build     # debug build
make test      # run the domain test suite (Swift Testing)
make release   # release build

macOS Tahoe build note

On macOS 26 Command Line Tools, plain swift build fails to compile the package manifest (a symbol mismatch in libPackageDescription, SwiftVersion vs SwiftLanguageMode). The Makefile + scripts/swift-wrapper.sh work around this transparently — always build via make, never swift directly.

🏗️ Architecture

Clean and layered, with a pure, fully-tested core:

Layer	What
AppSwipeCore	Pure domain: window model, MRU tracker, selection logic. No AppKit/SwiftUI. Unit-tested.
AppSwipe	System adapters (window enumeration, activation, the ⌘-Tab CGEventTap, permissions) + SwiftUI presentation + composition root.

The domain depends on protocols (ports); the macOS adapters implement them — so the switching logic is tested without ever opening a window.

☕ Support the creator

AppSwipe is free. If it makes your day a little smoother, you can buy me a coffee:

PayPal: stivenrosales01@gmail.com

Every coffee fuels the next feature. Thank you! 🙌

🗺️ Roadmap

• Type-to-filter the window list
• Close a window straight from the switcher
• Launch at login
• Configurable shortcut
• Notarized signed release

📄 License

GPL-3.0 © Stiven Rosales — free to use, study, modify and share. Forks must stay open source under the same license.

---

_{Beta software, provided as-is. AppSwipe uses the Accessibility API to read and activate your windows — nothing ever leaves your machine.}