CLI reference
Every pounce flag and subcommand: the palette, the built-in windows, pickers, drafts, transforms and housekeeping.
pounce --launcher # apps + commands palette (the default mode)
pounce --max-empty 7 # rows to show before you type
pounce -p "Pick:" # generic picker; reads lines from stdin
pounce -i "sf.symbol.name" # icon for the picker
pounce -p "Search:" --chain # picker whose free-text Enter feeds another pounce step
pounce run cmd:emoji # run one item by its key (for external binders)
# built-in windows (items, not flags)
pounce run mode:clipboard # clipboard history
pounce run mode:emoji # emoji + symbols picker
pounce run mode:screenshots # screenshot browser
pounce run mode:camera # live camera preview
pounce run mode:filesearch # file/folder search (Spotlight index)
pounce run app:/Applications/Ghostty.app
pounce --cheatsheet [path] # cheatsheet overlay
pounce --transform 'tr a-z A-Z' # rewrite the selected text through a shell filter
# settings
pounce config print # print the annotated config, touching nothing
pounce config init # write ~/.config/pounce/config.json
# housekeeping
pounce doctor # diagnose a dead/slow hotkey or binding
pounce --request-accessibility / --check-accessibility
pounce --request-bluetooth / --check-bluetooth
pounce --help / --versionFlags
| Flag | Purpose |
|---|---|
-p, --placeholder | Prompt text for the search field |
-i, --icon | SF Symbol icon for the picker |
--chain [keys] | Mark a free-text commit as feeding another pounce step. Optional comma-separated action list (--chain enter,opt); bare --chain means enter |
--actions <spec> | Label the action bar on a rowless step: "Go|shift:New line|cmd:Screenshot|opt:Drafts" |
--draft <key> | Keep typed text on any non-commit dismissal, filed under <key> |
--query <text> | Open with the box pre-filled, caret at the end |
--transform <filter> | Pipe the current selection through a shell filter and paste the result back (needs Accessibility) |
--copy-file <path> | Copy a file's contents to the clipboard |
--max-empty <n> | How many rows to show before anything is typed |
--cheatsheet [path] | Open the cheatsheet overlay |
Subcommands
| Subcommand | Purpose |
|---|---|
run <item-key> | Run one item by the key items uses, for binders that own the keystroke |
config print / config init | Print the annotated config, or write one |
doctor | Report the daemon, the grant, and every binding actually armed |
focus <op> | Focus/DND: focus status|toggle|on|off, forwarded to the daemon |
drafts <key> <op> | save (stdin) / list / get <i> / rm <i> / clear. Files live in ~/.local/state/pounce/drafts/<key>.tsv, newest first, capped at 20 |
Homebrew binaries
brew install pounce puts pounce (the app/daemon), pounce-palette (the
launcher wrapper, for binding a hotkey externally), and one pounce-<command>
wrapper per built-in on your PATH.
Inside haus, set the palette up via haus.pounce instead; the module handles
the daemon, the hotkey, and permission survival for you.