This workflow is designed for writing, support replies, notes, documentation, and any place where the cost of switching apps interrupts the work.

How The Workflow Works​

1. Select text in your current Mac app.
2. Press your OnText hotkey, F2 by default.
3. Open Inline AI from the panel.
4. Type a prompt such as Make this clearer or Rewrite this in a concise support tone.
5. Use Command-R to replace the selected text, or Command-C to smart copy the AI response.

OnText automatically appends the selected text to the prompt. If you need precise placement, use the {text} placeholder in the prompt.

Useful Rewrite Prompts​

Try these as prompt presets:

Make this shorter while keeping the main point.

Rewrite this in a clear, professional tone.

Fix grammar and keep the original meaning.

Turn this into a concise bullet list.

Prompt presets are useful when you repeat the same rewrite task every day. See the Inline AI guide for provider setup and preset management.

Provider And Privacy Notes​

OnText supports Inline AI providers including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Ollama. Core local actions run on your Mac, but selected text is sent to the configured cloud AI provider when you choose a cloud AI action.

If you want local AI processing, use Ollama. That keeps the AI workflow on your machine, subject to the local model you configure.

When This Is Useful​

Use OnText Inline AI when you want to:

• Rewrite an email without leaving the mail app.
• Summarize selected research notes.
• Make a rough paragraph more polished.
• Convert selected prose into a checklist.
• Replace selected text with the AI result in place.

For non-AI workflows, OnText also supports URL actions, shell scripts, AppleScript, and macOS Shortcuts.

Next Steps​

• Read the Inline AI guide.
• Learn the basic selected-text flow in First Steps.
• Review placeholders for precise prompt control.
• Download OnText.

The goal is not to replace every app launcher or automation tool. The goal is to remove the repeated copy, switch app, paste, run command cycle for selected text.

The Basic Workflow​

1. Select text in any Mac app.
2. Press the OnText hotkey.
3. Run an action from the panel or use the action shortcut.

This works well for quick search, copy, translation, character count, Large Type, shell scripts, AppleScript, Shortcuts, URL actions, and Inline AI.

Example: Search Without Leaving the Keyboard​

Create a URL action with this template:

https://www.google.com/search?q={text}

Select a phrase, open OnText, and trigger the action. OnText inserts the selected text into the URL and opens the search without a manual copy and paste step.

Example: Turn Text Into an Automation Input​

For a keyboard-heavy workflow, custom actions are where OnText becomes useful. A selected paragraph can become:

• input for a shell script;
• input for a macOS Shortcut;
• a query in a documentation site;
• a prompt for Inline AI;
• a note capture action in another app.

Start with a small action you repeat daily. A good first automation is a URL action or Shortcut action because the setup is visible and easy to test.

When This Fits​

OnText fits best when you already work from the keyboard and repeatedly act on selected text:

• reading technical docs and searching unfamiliar terms;
• writing notes and sending snippets into another app;
• translating short passages;
• rewriting text without opening a separate AI chat;
• running scripts on selected identifiers, file paths, or commands.

If you rarely select text before acting, a general launcher may be a better first layer. If selected text is the starting point, OnText keeps the action closer to the work.

Next Step​

Set up OnText with First Steps, then build your first custom action with Custom Actions. For automation-heavy workflows, continue with Shortcuts Integration and Placeholders.

The workflow is: select text, press F2, then trigger a Shortcut action by name.

Setup​

1. Open the Shortcuts app on macOS.
2. Create a Shortcut that accepts text input.
3. In OnText, create a new action.
4. Choose Shortcut as the action type.
5. Enter the exact Shortcut name.
6. Select text and trigger the action from the OnText panel.

OnText sends the selected text as input to the Shortcut.

Example Ideas​

Use a Shortcut action to:

• Append selected text to a note.
• Create a reminder from selected text.
• Add a research quote to a document.
• Create a calendar item from selected text.
• Send selected text to another app that Shortcuts supports.

Tips​

• Keep Shortcut names stable so OnText can find them.
• Test the Shortcut in the Shortcuts app before wiring it into OnText.
• Use clear action titles and icons when you have multiple Shortcut actions.
• Use regex context rules if a Shortcut should appear only for certain text patterns.

For setup details, read Shortcuts Integration, Custom Actions, and Placeholders.

OnText is built for the second style. Select text anywhere on macOS, press your configured hotkey, then run an action by clicking it or pressing its assigned key.

How OnText Handles Selected Text​

OnText runs as a native macOS menu bar app. Its floating panel appears when you select text and trigger it with the hotkey, which is F2 by default. From there, you can search, copy, translate, count characters, show Large Type, or run custom workflows.

That makes OnText useful when you want selected-text actions without an automatic popup competing with typing, replacing text, or keyboard-heavy work.

Example Workflows​

Use the built-in actions for common tasks:

• Search selected text in your browser.
• Copy the current selection without changing focus.
• Translate selected text.
• Count characters or show text in Large Type.

Use custom actions when you want more control:

https://www.google.com/search?q={text}

That URL action searches the selected text. For automation-heavy workflows, OnText also supports shell scripts, AppleScript, macOS Shortcuts, regex context rules, custom icons, and Inline AI.

When OnText Is a Good Fit​

OnText is a good fit if you:

• Prefer pressing a hotkey before a panel appears.
• Want keyboard shortcuts for actions.
• Need custom selected-text actions for URLs, scripts, Shortcuts, or app deep links.
• Want a native macOS utility rather than a web app or browser extension.
• Want AI workflows available from selected text, while keeping provider choice explicit.

If you specifically want a panel that appears automatically every time you select text, review OnText's floating panel behavior first so the interaction model matches how you work.

Setup Path​

1. Install OnText and grant Accessibility permission.
2. Select text in any supported Mac app.
3. Press F2 or your configured hotkey.
4. Run a built-in action or create your own.

Start with the first steps guide, then configure custom actions when you want selected-text workflows for scripts, Shortcuts, search URLs, or Inline AI.

Next Steps​

• Read the OnText introduction.
• Learn how the floating panel works.
• Build your first custom action.
• Try Inline AI for selected-text rewriting and summarizing.
• Download OnText.

The workflow is: select text, press F2, then trigger your shell script action.

Basic Shell Action​

Create a Shell Script action in OnText and use {text} where the selected text should be inserted:

echo '{text}' | tr '[:lower:]' '[:upper:]' | pbcopy

This copies an uppercase version of the selected text to the clipboard.

Replace Text After Processing​

Use OnText placeholders when you want to process text and paste it back:

echo '{text}' | tr '[:lower:]' '[:upper:]' | pbcopy && {paste}

The command transforms the selection, writes it to the clipboard, then uses {paste} to paste the result.

Safer Placeholder Options​

OnText supports multiple placeholders for different cases:

• {text} for fast selected text capture.
• {textWithCopy} when an app needs copy-based selected text capture.
• {clipboard} for the current clipboard.
• {prompt} to ask for extra input before running the action.
• {date}, {time}, and {datetime} for timestamped workflows.

Read the placeholders guide before building scripts that modify text in place.

Good Use Cases​

Shell script actions are useful for:

• Formatting identifiers such as snake_case or CONSTANT_CASE.
• Cleaning whitespace or line breaks.
• Sending selected text to a local command-line tool.
• Building small clipboard transformations.
• Combining selected text with prompts or dates.

For more examples, see Shell Scripts and Custom Actions.

The default flow is simple: select text, press F2, then click an action or press its assigned shortcut.

What You Can Do With Selected Text​

OnText includes common actions out of the box:

• Search the selected text.
• Copy it to the clipboard.
• Translate it.
• Count characters.
• Show it in Large Type.

For custom workflows, you can create actions that open URLs, run shell scripts, run AppleScript, trigger macOS Shortcuts, or send the text to Inline AI.

Example: Search With a URL Action​

Create a URL action with this template:

https://www.google.com/search?q={text}

When you trigger the action, OnText URL-encodes the selected text and opens the search in your default browser.

Example: Rewrite With Inline AI​

Select a paragraph, open OnText, then use Inline AI with a prompt such as:

Rewrite this in a concise professional tone.

Use Command-R to replace the original selection with the response, or Command-C to smart copy the result.

When This Workflow Fits​

Selected text actions work best when you repeat the same small operations many times a day:

• Searching terms while reading.
• Translating snippets while researching.
• Formatting text while writing.
• Sending text into scripts, Shortcuts, notes, or AI prompts.

Start with First Steps, then move to Custom Actions when you want your own actions.

Related Posts​

• Run Shell Script on Selected Text
• macOS Shortcuts with Selected Text
• AI Rewrite Selected Text on Mac
• Translate Selected Text on Mac

The default flow is: select text, press F2, then run the translate action.

Built-In Translation Flow​

OnText includes a default translate action so you can get started immediately. It opens translation for the selected text using the configured URL workflow.

This is useful for:

• Reading documentation in another language.
• Translating short research snippets.
• Checking phrases while writing.
• Moving quickly through multilingual web pages or notes.

Custom Translation URL​

You can also create your own URL action. A simple template looks like this:

https://translate.google.com/?text={text}

Use {text} where the selected text should be inserted. OnText handles URL encoding before opening the link.

When To Use Inline AI Instead​

Use translation actions when you want a quick translation page. Use Inline AI when you want a more controlled rewrite, tone change, summary, or in-place replacement.

For example:

Translate this to English and keep the tone natural.

Then use Command-R to replace the selected text, or Command-C to copy the response.

Next Steps​

• Learn the basics in First Steps.
• Review Default Actions.
• Create your own URL Actions.
• Browse more workflow guides.