Nimbus Quick is the Mac launcher we wanted for ourselves: one floating pill, one keyboard chord, and a control brain that sends plain language to the right module without opening a full window first. Updated for 1.1.6: regional shopping search, configurable hotkeys, provider icons, and full Quick localization coverage.
One chord, anywhere
Press ⌥ Space from any app. Nimbus captures the frontmost window, raises a borderless floating panel, and drops focus straight into the composer. Type immediately — no click required. Help → Keyboard Shortcuts lists the binding; the menu bar and Command menu expose the same action as Open Nimbus Quick.
Quick also has a default microphone shortcut: press ⌥M to open Quick and start voice input. Both defaults are configurable in Settings → Nimbus Quick → Keyboard shortcuts. The recorder requires at least one modifier key and warns when a shortcut duplicates another Quick action or macOS refuses the registration.
We kept the panel intentionally small. It is not a second desktop. It is a transient surface that appears above your work, accepts a command, and gets out of the way.
Auto routing, or pin a mode
By default Quick runs in Auto. The resolver reads your text and picks an intent: search Mist, ask Gale, hand off to Ashe, open a file, run a saved snippet, calculate, paste from clipboard history, or start dictation. Pin a mode from the pill menu when you already know what you want — Dictation, Search, Write, Agent, or Launcher.
In 1.1.4 we added a Cirrus handoff: describe a coding task in plain language and Quick can route it to Cirrus on a workspace folder, with a confirmation step before anything mutates your tree.
Dictation that respects focus
Quick's waveform button runs Overture on-device. With Dictation enabled in Settings, Quick can translate speech, hide the pill when finished, and paste the transcript back into the app you were already typing in — using the accessibility target captured at open time.
New in 1.1.4: Start listening when Quick opens. Turn it on and the mic spins up as soon as the pill appears — dictation mode when Dictation is enabled, otherwise Overture transcribe into the pill. Pro unlock required, same as the rest of Quick's voice features.
Launcher primitives, local first
Quick is also a credible launcher on its own:
- File search across folders you pick in Settings, merged with Spotlight for global names.
- Snippets, notes, quicklinks, and AI commands you define once and recall by keyword.
- Clipboard history stored locally in the app sandbox.
- Calculator for inline math without opening Calculator.app.
Suggestions update as you type; the composer stays visually fixed while results stream in. We split the glass capsule from the suggestion list so async file search does not recompose the text field.
Regional shopping without locking anyone out
In 1.1.6, Quick's web search catalog grew from universal search into a regional shopping launcher. Google, Amazon, and YouTube remain universal defaults. When the pill opens empty, Quick also looks at the current macOS region and language and promotes matching retailers. A Thai user is more likely to see Shopee and Lazada. An Indian user sees Flipkart and Meesho. A Japanese user sees Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping, and Mercari. Korea gets Coupang and Naver Shopping; Indonesia gets Tokopedia; Vietnam gets Tiki; Latin America gets Mercado Libre; Turkey gets Trendyol; Arabic-market regions get Noon; Poland gets Allegro; the Netherlands and Belgium get bol.
That ranking is only a recommendation layer. The commands stay global. If you are in the United States and type shopee usb c cable, Quick still opens Shopee search. If you are in Thailand and type mercari jacket, that still works too. Locale changes what appears first, not what is allowed.
Provider rows now include brand marks sized for the Quick display area, including Google, Amazon, Shopee, Lazada, Flipkart, Meesho, Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping, Mercari, Coupang, Naver Shopping, Tokopedia, Tiki, Mercado Libre, Trendyol, Noon, Allegro, and bol.
Command list
The current Nimbus Quick command catalog covers these actions:
- Open and navigation: Open app, Open URL, Save Quicklink, Quick settings.
- Web and shopping search: Search Google (
g,google,web), Amazon (a,amazon), YouTube (yt,youtube), plus Shopee, Lazada, Flipkart, Meesho, Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping, Mercari, Coupang, Naver Shopping, Tokopedia, Tiki, Mercado Libre, Trendyol, Noon, Allegro, and bol by alias. - Local content: Search files, Add folders, Search snippets, Save snippet, Search Notes, Create Note, Append to Note, Delete Note, Search clipboard, Clear clipboard history.
- Writing and AI: Improve Writing, Fix Spelling and Grammar, Explain Simply, Save AI Command, Write with Gale, Search documents with Mist, Run Ashe, Run Cirrus.
- Voice and output: Start dictation, Read Selection Aloud, Stop Speaking, Insert result, Copy result.
- Calculator and Mac controls: Calculator, Lock Screen, Sleep Mac, Sleep Displays, Toggle Mute, Volume Up, Volume Down, Open Trash, Empty Trash, Eject All Disks, Unhide All Apps, Toggle Appearance.
- Window controls: Maximize Window, Left Half Window, Right Half Window, Top Half Window, Bottom Half Window, Center Window, First Third Window, Center Third Window, Last Third Window, Top Left Quarter Window, Top Right Quarter Window, Bottom Left Quarter Window, Bottom Right Quarter Window.
Settings worth knowing
Open Settings → Nimbus Quick to pick search folders, change the ⌥ Space and ⌥M hotkeys, toggle Cirrus routing, configure dictation languages and focused-app insertion, and assign explicit models per Quick route (Mist, Gale, Ashe, dictation translation). Match Nimbus theme is optional — off keeps native macOS Liquid Glass with system colors.
We also expanded the Quick string catalog in 1.1.6. Action titles, helper text, provider hints, dictation labels, hotkey rows, and settings explanations now have coverage across every supported app language.
Pro unlock
Launcher basics — files, snippets, notes, web search, calculator — work on the free tier. Dictation, insertion into other apps, Gale answers, Ashe handoffs, Cirrus routing, and Mist search from Quick require the Nimbus8 Pro lifetime unlock.
Tagged Platform · Published Jun 20, 2026 · Updated Jun 22, 2026 · Read the 1.1.6 release notes · Back to all posts