Settings reference

The search field at the top of the settings sidebar finds any of these by name. Generated from the app source by scripts/wiki_reference.py.

General

• Updates — Cleat checks once a day either way. On means a new release downloads in the background and installs the next time Cleat relaunches; off means it asks first.
• Install updates automatically — Cleat checks once a day either way. On means a new release downloads in the background and installs the next time Cleat relaunches; off means it asks first.
• Startup
• Launch Cleat at login
• Menu bar — Off means Cleat is hotkey-only. Settings stay reachable through the Cleat Settings command, cleat://settings, or opening Cleat again from Applications.
• Show the menu bar icon — Off means Cleat is hotkey-only. Settings stay reachable through the Cleat Settings command, cleat://settings, or opening Cleat again from Applications.

Appearance

• Reset Look
• Looks
• Tint strength
• Custom accent
• Corners
• Selected row
• Typeface
• Show ⌘1–⌘9 keycaps on rows
• Show the footer under the results
• Preview
• Appearance
• Theme
• Palette theme
• Surface
• Accent
• Animate palette transitions
• Text and row size
• Open on

Search

• Search engine — Use an HTTPS URL containing {query}.
• Search URL — Use an HTTPS URL containing {query}.
• Web search
• Sources
• Applications
• Files
• Browser bookmarks
• Notes
• Shortcuts
• App actions
• Script commands
• Built-in commands
• Snippets
• Emoji
• Answer sums as you type
• Apps from Cleat’s developer
• Suggest Capta and Sunflower in related searches
• Empty field
• Before you type, show
• Show a tip under the recent items
• Ranking
• Learn from what you open
• Forget Usage History
• Results shown
• The assistant
• Offer “Ask” when nothing else matches
• One result per app
• Hide Apple’s service apps
• Restore Apple’s List
• Search after
• Files at most
• Group files under a heading
• Ignored folders
• Restore Defaults
• Reset Every Search Setting
• Keywords

Hotkeys

• Search the selected text — Opens the palette with whatever is selected in the front app typed in, so translate, define, count and search are one key away. Reads the selection through Accessibility, or copies it when the app does not expose one.
• Palette
• Toggle Cleat — Opens the palette with whatever is selected in the front app typed in, so translate, define, count and search are one key away. Reads the selection through Accessibility, or copies it when the app does not expose one.
• Clipboard History — Opens the palette with whatever is selected in the front app typed in, so translate, define, count and search are one key away. Reads the selection through Accessibility, or copies it when the app does not expose one.
• Snippets
• Search Menu Items — Opens the palette with whatever is selected in the front app typed in, so translate, define, count and search are one key away. Reads the selection through Accessibility, or copies it when the app does not expose one.
• Dictate (hold) — Opens the palette with whatever is selected in the front app typed in, so translate, define, count and search are one key away. Reads the selection through Accessibility, or copies it when the app does not expose one.
• Next window of the front app — Opens the palette with whatever is selected in the front app typed in, so translate, define, count and search are one key away. Reads the selection through Accessibility, or copies it when the app does not expose one.
• Item hotkeys
• Aliases
• Windows
• Conflicts
• Use Cleat instead of Spotlight

Features

• Features
• Hidden rows

Assistant

• Assistant
• Translation — Runs on this Mac through Apple’s Translation framework. Nothing is sent anywhere.
• Answers come from
• Apple Intelligence — Apple’s on-device model, through the Foundation Models framework. Needs macOS 26 and a Mac that supports Apple Intelligence. The built-in model is the way round both.
• Claude Code
• Command — Uses the claude command that Claude Code installs, with the login and plan you already have; no API key. It runs without tools, so it can answer but cannot read or change files. A model alias such as sonnet or opus overrides the tool’s default.
• Open System Settings
• Translate to
• API provider
• Chat completions URL
• Model ID
• Save API Settings
• Remove API Key — Prompts, selected clipboard text and conversation context are sent to the provider you choose. API usage is billed by that provider; a consumer ChatGPT, Claude or Grok subscription may not include API access. Keys stay in macOS Keychain and are excluded from Cleat backups.

Clipboard

• Snippets
• Clipboard
• History
• Clear History — Copies from password managers and anything marked concealed are never recorded. Everything stays in ~/Library/Application Support/Cleat.
• Keep at most — Copies from password managers and anything marked concealed are never recorded. Everything stays in ~/Library/Application Support/Cleat.
• Forget items after
• Read text in copied images so screenshots are searchable
• Never record from
• Exclude Installed Terminals — Password managers are always excluded, and nothing is recorded while the screen is locked. Add a terminal or a notes app if you copy secrets from it.

Snippets

• Expansion — Add a “keyword: ;sig” line under a snippet heading. Typing the keyword in any app replaces it with the snippet. Needs Accessibility.
• Snippets
• Keyword, for example ;sig (optional)
• Quicklinks
• Restore Defaults
• Expand snippet keywords while typing — Add a “keyword: ;sig” line under a snippet heading. Typing the keyword in any app replaces it with the snippet. Needs Accessibility.

Extras

• File Shelf — Hiding the shelf keeps your files. Show it again here or search for File Shelf.
• Show File Shelf — Hiding the shelf keeps your files. Show it again here or search for File Shelf.
• Appearance
• Expand on hover — Click the edge notch or drop files onto it. The shelf collapses when the pointer leaves; your files stay on the shelf.
• Open File Shelf
• Dashboard
• Cards above the results when the field is empty
• Windows
• Pressing the same snap again cycles the width — A half becomes two thirds, then a third, then a half again.
• Leave room for the Stage Manager strip
• Dictation — Spoken text is wordy. Fix Grammar alone turns it into something you would have typed. Uses the provider selected in Assistant & Translation; if it is unavailable the words are pasted as spoken.
• After dictating — Spoken text is wordy. Fix Grammar alone turns it into something you would have typed. Uses the provider selected in Assistant & Translation; if it is unavailable the words are pasted as spoken.
• Keyboard — Caps Lock is remapped to F18 through hidutil, so any shortcut can use it. macOS forgets the mapping on restart; Cleat reapplies it at launch.
• Caps Lock acts as Hyper — Caps Lock is remapped to F18 through hidutil, so any shortcut can use it. macOS forgets the mapping on restart; Cleat reapplies it at launch.
• Typing sounds
• Camera preview
• Camera
• Mirror the image — Mirrored is easier to frame yourself in. Turn it off to see what everyone on the call sees.
• Float above other windows
• Screen time and breaks — Seconds per app per day, and nothing else: no window titles, no sites, no keystrokes. Time stops counting after two minutes without input, at the lock screen and during sleep. Type usage in the palette to see it. Off by default.
• Track which apps have my time — Seconds per app per day, and nothing else: no window titles, no sites, no keystrokes. Time stops counting after two minutes without input, at the lock screen and during sleep. Type usage in the palette to see it. Off by default.
• Forget Screen Time
• Remind me to take breaks
• Pictures
• Menu bar — Off means Cleat is hotkey-only. Settings stay reachable through the Cleat Settings command, cleat://settings, or opening Cleat again from Applications.
• Show the next calendar event — The menu bar shows what is next and how long until it starts. Needs Calendar access.
• Show a running timer’s countdown — The soonest timer or Pomodoro counts down in the menu bar; the menu lists every timer and alarm.
• Privacy mode — For screen sharing and recording. Titles stay readable so the palette is still usable; the revealing part is what goes.
• Hide paths, clipboard text and note titles — For screen sharing and recording. Titles stay readable so the palette is still usable; the revealing part is what goes.
• Hidden apps — Hide an app with ⌘K on its result. Pinned apps are set the same way.

Permissions

• Permissions
• Accessibility — Windows, pasting from history, snippet expansion, typing sounds and the Hyper key. Nothing is read that those do not need.

Commands

• Folder
• Commands
• Open
• Quicklinks
• Update Bundled Commands
• Loaded commands — Updates preserve edited and untracked scripts. Setup checks verify installed tools; services may also require a separate login.

Usage

• Storage
• Clipboard images
• Database
• Downloaded models
• Activity
• Most used
• Stored on this Mac
• Recording
• Learn from what you open
• Forget Usage History

Data & Backups

• iCloud Drive
• Keep configuration in iCloud Drive
• Local backup
• Restore scheduled
• Cancel Scheduled Restore
• Move from another launcher
• Import from Alfred