rustcast README

RustCast

An open-source, Rust-powered productivity, blazing fast popup launcher for apps, utilities, and workflows.

Those who sponsor me also get a personal easter egg inside RustCast

Config docs: https://github.com/MystikoLab/rustcast/wiki

Community: https://discord.gg/bDfNYPbnC5

Plugins: RustCast Library for shell scripts

For support use github discussions / issues / the discord

You can also contact MystikoLab / secretised at [email protected]

RustCast Demo

Installation:

Via Homebrew:

brew install --cask unsecretised/tap/rustcast

Via github releases

Download the dmg from this link https://github.com/MystikoLab/rustcast/releases/latest/download/rustcast.dmg

Config:

Full config docs can be found here

The config file should be located at: ~/.config/rustcast/config.toml RustCast creates the default configuration for you, but it does use its default options Here's a full list of everything you can configure The list.

Feature list:

Finished:

Autoload installed apps 11/11/2025
Search through apps 11/11/2025
Generate randomvar (between 0 and 100) via the app. Simply type randomvar and it will generate the num for you
Image icons next to the text 13/12/2025
Scrollable options 12/12/2025
Customisable themes (13/12/2025)
- Configurable colours
Spotify control - Ability to control spotify via the app
Allow variables to be passed into custom shell scripts.
Google your query. Simply type your query, and then put a ? at the end, and press enter
Calculator (27/12/2025)
Clipboard History (29/12/2025) This works by typing cbhist to enter the clipboard history page, which allows you to access your clipboard history,
Blur / transparent background (7/1/2026)
Select the options using arrow keys
Tray icons (8/1/2026)
Unit Conversions (19/1/2026) thanks to Hriztam
Emoji Searching (19/1/2026) Allows people to search for emojis through rustcast
RustCast modes (2/3/2026)
Better documentation for the config (3/3/2026)
Image rendering from clipboard history (13/3/2026)
File searching (11/3/2026)
CTRL n / p (vim motions) navigation for search results (5/3/2026)
Settings Panel (22/3/2026)

Planned:

Popup note-taking
Plugin Support (Partially implemented on 15/12/2025)
Hyperkey - Map CMD + OPT + CTRL + SHIFT to a physical key
Better hotkey picking
Ability to pick between tabs in firefox / chromium browsers - using Puppeteer

Not planned:

Cross platform support Cancelled for now, as not within my ability to support and maintain it

RustCast wouldn't be possible without these people:

Nazeofel - First sponsor + initiator of windows support
Mnem42 - Helped add windows support
Random Scientist - First ever community contributor to rustcast
Lemon - Sponsored me, and gave me free Discord Nitro
Julie / Zoey - Gave me amazing feedback and has been using RustCast since almost the first version!
Hriztam - Added support for unit conversions to rustcast
Lars-Schumann - Sponsored me
Tanishq Dubey - Contributor, improved the file search to use mdfind
JON - Contributor,

And of course, all the people who starred my repo!!

And the updated list of contributors to the macos version:

Easter egg list:

Nazeofel (Random Variable on discord) -> led to the randomvar easter egg
Lemon -> led to the lemon easter egg that shows "lemon" on rustcast
Lars-Schumann -> search f and get ferris.rs as a result
Me -> 67

If you like rustcast, consider starring it on github :)

Motivations:

I didn't want to pay for raycast + wanted to get better at rust. Raycast in itself is one of the most useful productivity apps in my opinion, and it is truly an underappreciated marvel of computer engineering

1.1K ·GitHub

Rustcast

What is this?

RustCast is a free, open-source popup launcher for macOS written in Rust: hit a hotkey, start typing, and launch apps, utilities and workflows. It is positioned as an open-source alternative to Raycast.

Is this just a Raycast clone?

It is built explicitly as an open-source alternative to Raycast. The author says he made it because he did not want to pay for Raycast and wanted to get better at Rust.

How do I install it on my Mac?

Two ways: via Homebrew, or by downloading the .dmg from the GitHub releases page.

Does it work on Windows or Linux too?

No. Cross-platform support was cancelled as not within the author's ability to support and maintain, so RustCast is macOS-only.

How do I pick results - mouse or keyboard?

Keyboard-first: arrow keys navigate the scrollable options, and there is also CTRL n / p (vim motions) navigation for search results.

What is on the roadmap?

Planned features include popup note-taking, finishing plugin support, a hyperkey that maps CMD+OPT+CTRL+SHIFT to one physical key, and picking between Firefox/Chromium tabs via Puppeteer.

Does it have any easter eggs?

Yes - typing randomvar generates a random number between 0 and 100, and there are sponsor-themed ones like a lemon result, a ferris.rs file when you search f, and 67.

What are similar projects?

Wox, Flow.Launcher, tinycast, ZTools, PowerToys, Kap, fd, window-sweaters

Which topics is it in?

spotlight, file-search, app-launcher, raycast, application, oss, fast, alternative, clipboard, rust-lang, spotify, open-source-alternative

Creator: MystikoLab
Size: 18.2 MB
Stars: 1.1K
Updated: CommitOct 03 Releasev0.8.5Jul 31
Age: 10mo
Commits · 90 Days