What is this?
Espanso is a cross-platform text expander written in Rust that detects a keyword you type and instantly replaces it with something else, like a snippet, date, or script output.
Espanso is a cross-platform text expander written in Rust that detects a keyword you type and instantly replaces it with something else, like a snippet, date, or script output.Is this an app running in the background or something I open manually?It is a background desktop app that watches your keystrokes system-wide and triggers expansions in whatever program you're typing into, rather than something you open and use directly.
It is a background desktop app that watches your keystrokes system-wide and triggers expansions in whatever program you're typing into, rather than something you open and use directly.How do I start using it and define my own expansions?After installing, you define matches (trigger keywords and their replacements) in YAML files; you can split them into multiple files to organize things however you like.
After installing, you define matches (trigger keywords and their replacements) in YAML files; you can split them into multiple files to organize things however you like.Does it need extra libraries on Linux to work?On Linux it relies on libxdo and xclip, plus libxkbcommon and wl-clipboard for the experimental Wayland port.
On Linux it relies on libxdo and xclip, plus libxkbcommon and wl-clipboard for the experimental Wayland port.Is Wayland support fully ready?Wayland support is labeled experimental, so it may not be as stable or complete as the X11/Windows/macOS implementations.
Wayland support is labeled experimental, so it may not be as stable or complete as the X11/Windows/macOS implementations.Does espanso send my typed text anywhere?No, espanso is privacy-first: everything runs 100% locally on your machine with no tracking.
No, espanso is privacy-first: everything runs 100% locally on your machine with no tracking.What can I expand besides plain text snippets?Espanso supports emojis, images, date expansion, custom scripts, shell command output, and even interactive forms as expansion content.
Espanso supports emojis, images, date expansion, custom scripts, shell command output, and even interactive forms as expansion content.Can I get ready-made snippet packs instead of writing my own?Yes, espanso includes a built-in package manager and integrates with espanso hub, letting you install community-made expansion packages directly.
Yes, espanso includes a built-in package manager and integrates with espanso hub, letting you install community-made expansion packages directly.Does it support regex-based triggers or app-specific behavior?Yes, espanso supports regex triggers for matches and lets you configure app-specific settings so expansions can behave differently per application.
Yes, espanso supports regex triggers for matches and lets you configure app-specific settings so expansions can behave differently per application.Is there a GUI for searching or managing matches?Espanso includes a built-in search bar for quickly finding and inserting matches without memorizing every trigger keyword.
Espanso includes a built-in search bar for quickly finding and inserting matches without memorizing every trigger keyword.What are similar projects?forel, StarPie, gyotaku, pdfcraft, floral-notepaper, Wake, noty, ai-manager
forel, StarPie, gyotaku, pdfcraft, floral-notepaper, Wake, noty, ai-managerWhich topics is it in?productivity-tools, offline-first, package-manager, local-first, desktop, gplv3, rust, productivity, command-line-tool, gui, privacy, desktop-app
productivity-tools, offline-first, package-manager, local-first, desktop, gplv3, rust, productivity, command-line-tool, gui, privacy, desktop-app