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App Compatibility

Shortcat uses Accessibility API to enumerate elements, so it requires the target applications to implement the Accessibility API in a mostly correct manner. Thankfully, most applications work with Shortcat!

Shortcat will be able to search application windows and their menus in almost all cases.

Applications that use native macOS controls are likely to work with Shortcat's UI element search, however there are some applications that do not implement Accessibility correctly which will affect Shortcat's ability to function correctly.

Supported applications​

If you are having issues operating these apps with Shortcat, it's considered a bug. Please notify me.

  • Shortcat :)
  • Finder
  • Messages
  • System Preferences
  • Preview
  • Dictionary
  • Notes
  • Calendar
  • Xcode
  • VS Code

Apps compatible with Shortcat​

These applications are known to work fairly well, with minor quirks.

Shortcat works with nearly all applications. The list below is apps that I personally have used with Shortcat, or people have reported to work with Shortcat.

  • 1Password 8
  • App Store
  • Notion
  • Slack
  • Tweetbot
  • VS Code
  • Acorn
  • Safari (depends on web site/apps accessibility)
  • Firefox (depends on web site/apps accessibility)
  • Chrome (depends on web site/apps accessibility)
  • Vivaldi (depends on web site/apps accessibility)
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • and many many more!

Apps known to have issues​

  • Little Snitch: "GUI Scripting" needs to be enabled, and poor AX implementation. Cells with no text in any label, and exposes no children.

Known compatibility issues​

Shortcat also depends on the target application returning Accessibility API calls quickly. In applications with complex interfaces or Web Views, this might cause Shortcat to not fully enumerate the target application.