Photon 0.4.8

Ryan welcome window, compact footer, and Settings click focus.

Changed

• The first-run welcome is a normal window: the Photon icon, the product name, and the launcher shortcut that is actually configured. Grant Access asks for Accessibility and then Input Monitoring, one system dialog at a time.

Fixed

• The launcher footer stays a single compact bar directly under the result rows while a search is in flight and after results arrive. A shorter list no longer leaves the panel at the expanded height.
• Clicking a Settings sidebar row moves the blue focus ring onto that row.

Signing

This build is signed with a Developer ID certificate, notarized by Apple, and stapled. It opens without Gatekeeper warnings.

Install

brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew install --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

If Homebrew still references the retired singular tap, repair the existing installation with:

brew untap ryanstoffel/homebrew-tap   # only if that stale tap is present
brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew update
brew upgrade --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

Ryan's GitHub account was renamed from RyanStoffel to ryan-stoffel. GitHub redirects old repository links, but Homebrew records tap trust by name, so use ryan-stoffel/taps.

Or download Photon-0.4.8.zip (or the .dmg) below and move Photon.app to /Applications. Verify a download with shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS after placing the file next to it.

Photon needs macOS 14 or later. It asks for Accessibility access on first launch for paste-back, the Hyper key, and window management; everything else works without it.

Photon 0.4.7

Ryan minimal first-run welcome.

Changed

• The cinematic first-run sequence is gone. The first-run note is a small window: how to open Photon, and where Settings are. Escape or Continue dismisses it. Settings > General can show it again. People who already finished the full-screen introduction see this once.
• Empty-launcher Suggestions rank applications and standing commands by local open count. File hits, individual notes, and Settings panes stay in the catalog below.

Fixed

• Typing an application name that also matches files, such as finder, keeps that app as the first result. Search Files and filename hits stay below it instead of opening a files-only list.

Signing

This build is signed with a Developer ID certificate, notarized by Apple, and stapled. It opens without Gatekeeper warnings.

Install

brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew install --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

If Homebrew still references the retired singular tap, repair the existing installation with:

brew untap ryanstoffel/homebrew-tap   # only if that stale tap is present
brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew update
brew upgrade --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

Ryan's GitHub account was renamed from RyanStoffel to ryan-stoffel. GitHub redirects old repository links, but Homebrew records tap trust by name, so use ryan-stoffel/taps.

Or download Photon-0.4.7.zip (or the .dmg) below and move Photon.app to /Applications. Verify a download with shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS after placing the file next to it.

Photon needs macOS 14 or later. It asks for Accessibility access on first launch for paste-back, the Hyper key, and window management; everything else works without it.

Photon 0.4.6

Ryan windowed first-run sequence.

Changed

• The first-run sequence sits in a centered window instead of covering the screen. The reveal is a short beam and flash inside that window, and a muted particle burst plays there when the launcher shortcut opens Photon. People who finished 0.4.5 see this once.

Signing

This build is ad-hoc signed and not notarized: the Apple signing secrets were not configured when it was built. macOS Gatekeeper will block the first launch of a downloaded copy.

• macOS 14: Control-click Photon.app and choose Open, then confirm.
• macOS 15 and later: try to open the app once, then open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
• Or remove the quarantine flag: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Photon.app

Install

brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew install --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

If Homebrew still references the retired singular tap, repair the existing installation with:

brew untap ryanstoffel/homebrew-tap   # only if that stale tap is present
brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew update
brew upgrade --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

Ryan's GitHub account was renamed from RyanStoffel to ryan-stoffel. GitHub redirects old repository links, but Homebrew records tap trust by name, so use ryan-stoffel/taps.

Or download Photon-0.4.6.zip (or the .dmg) below and move Photon.app to /Applications. Verify a download with shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS after placing the file next to it.

Photon needs macOS 14 or later. It asks for Accessibility access on first launch for paste-back, the Hyper key, and window management; everything else works without it.

Photon 0.4.5

Ryan cinematic full-screen onboarding.

Added

• A full-screen first-run sequence. A beam of light reveals the Photon mark, then Accessibility and Input Monitoring, a short look at search, Suggestions, clipboard, notes, files, and Settings, and the launcher shortcut. Escape skips every step except the permission screens. People who finished the 0.4.3 or 0.4.4 tour see this once. Settings > General can show it again.

Changed

• Those two permissions are requested inside the sequence, each on its own screen, instead of both system prompts appearing before the tour.

Signing

This build is ad-hoc signed and not notarized: the Apple signing secrets were not configured when it was built. macOS Gatekeeper will block the first launch of a downloaded copy.

• macOS 14: Control-click Photon.app and choose Open, then confirm.
• macOS 15 and later: try to open the app once, then open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
• Or remove the quarantine flag: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Photon.app

Install

brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew install --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

If Homebrew still references the retired singular tap, repair the existing installation with:

brew untap ryanstoffel/homebrew-tap   # only if that stale tap is present
brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew update
brew upgrade --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

Ryan's GitHub account was renamed from RyanStoffel to ryan-stoffel. GitHub redirects old repository links, but Homebrew records tap trust by name, so use ryan-stoffel/taps.

Or download Photon-0.4.5.zip (or the .dmg) below and move Photon.app to /Applications. Verify a download with shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS after placing the file next to it.

Photon needs macOS 14 or later. It asks for Accessibility access on first launch for paste-back, the Hyper key, and window management; everything else works without it.

Photon 0.4.4

Ryan interactive first-run tour and full app icon release.

Added

• An interactive first-run walkthrough: try the launcher shortcut, suggestions, search, clipboard, notes, files, and ⌘,. Skip still leaves the tour. People who already finished or skipped the 0.4.3 tour see this one once.

Fixed

• The Photon icon in the launcher, menus, and in-app chrome uses the full artwork Finder shows for Photon.app.

Signing

This build is ad-hoc signed and not notarized: the Apple signing secrets were not configured when it was built. macOS Gatekeeper will block the first launch of a downloaded copy.

• macOS 14: Control-click Photon.app and choose Open, then confirm.
• macOS 15 and later: try to open the app once, then open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
• Or remove the quarantine flag: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Photon.app

Install

brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew install --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

If Homebrew still references the retired singular tap, repair the existing installation with:

brew untap ryanstoffel/homebrew-tap   # only if that stale tap is present
brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew update
brew upgrade --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

Ryan's GitHub account was renamed from RyanStoffel to ryan-stoffel. GitHub redirects old repository links, but Homebrew records tap trust by name, so use ryan-stoffel/taps.

Or download Photon-0.4.4.zip (or the .dmg) below and move Photon.app to /Applications. Verify a download with shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS after placing the file next to it.

Photon needs macOS 14 or later. It asks for Accessibility access on first launch for paste-back, the Hyper key, and window management; everything else works without it.

Photon 0.4.3

Ryan most-used Suggestions, Settings keyboard focus, first-launch permissions, and a short walkthrough.

Added

• Suggestions at the top of the empty launcher, ranked by how often each application is opened on this Mac.
• A first-run walkthrough for the launcher, search, suggestions, clipboard, notes, files, and Settings.
• Accessibility and Input Monitoring are requested together on first launch.

Changed

• Currently open applications are no longer pinned to the top of the launcher. Running dots still mark open apps.

Fixed

• Tab moves keyboard focus through Settings. The sidebar focus ring no longer stays stuck on one row.

Signing

This build is ad-hoc signed and not notarized: the Apple signing secrets were not configured when it was built. macOS Gatekeeper will block the first launch of a downloaded copy.

• macOS 14: Control-click Photon.app and choose Open, then confirm.
• macOS 15 and later: try to open the app once, then open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
• Or remove the quarantine flag: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Photon.app

Install

brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew install --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

If Homebrew still references the retired singular tap, repair the existing installation with:

brew untap ryanstoffel/homebrew-tap   # only if that stale tap is present
brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew update
brew upgrade --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

Ryan's GitHub account was renamed from RyanStoffel to ryan-stoffel. GitHub redirects old repository links, but Homebrew records tap trust by name, so use ryan-stoffel/taps.

Or download Photon-0.4.3.zip (or the .dmg) below and move Photon.app to /Applications. Verify a download with shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS after placing the file next to it.

Photon needs macOS 14 or later. It asks for Accessibility access on first launch for paste-back, the Hyper key, and window management; everything else works without it.

Photon 0.4.2

Ryan Photon-styled Settings, Caps Lock Hyper, app-hotkeys list, and running-apps-first release.

Changed

• Settings matches the launcher: Liquid Glass / vibrancy panel chrome, 12 pt continuous corners, launcher type, and sidebar rows instead of a System Settings clone. ⌘, still opens it.
• App hotkeys lists installed and currently running apps so each row can take a shortcut. Add missing app remains for anything the catalog does not show.
• Currently open applications sort to the top of the launcher list (apps only), then the rest. Running dots stay.

Fixed

• Caps Lock as the Hyper key no longer toggles Caps Lock on. The remap swallows Caps Lock lock-state changes while Hyper is held.

Signing

This build is ad-hoc signed and not notarized: the Apple signing secrets were not configured when it was built. macOS Gatekeeper will block the first launch of a downloaded copy.

• macOS 14: Control-click Photon.app and choose Open, then confirm.
• macOS 15 and later: try to open the app once, then open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
• Or remove the quarantine flag: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Photon.app

Install

brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew install --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

If Homebrew still references the retired singular tap, repair the existing installation with:

brew untap ryanstoffel/homebrew-tap   # only if that stale tap is present
brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew update
brew upgrade --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

Ryan's GitHub account was renamed from RyanStoffel to ryan-stoffel. GitHub redirects old repository links, but Homebrew records tap trust by name, so use ryan-stoffel/taps.

Or download Photon-0.4.2.zip (or the .dmg) below and move Photon.app to /Applications. Verify a download with shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS after placing the file next to it.

Photon needs macOS 14 or later. It asks for Accessibility access on first launch for paste-back, the Hyper key, and window management; everything else works without it.

Photon 0.4.1

Ryan Dock-style running dots and trailing keybind chips release.

Added

• Dock-style running dots under open application icons in the launcher. Apps only; the dot hides when the app is not running.
• Trailing Raycast-style keybind chips on rows that have an assigned shortcut, split into separate glyphs (for example ⌘ and /). Window command shortcuts move out of the subtitle into chips.

Signing

This build is ad-hoc signed and not notarized: the Apple signing secrets were not configured when it was built. macOS Gatekeeper will block the first launch of a downloaded copy.

• macOS 14: Control-click Photon.app and choose Open, then confirm.
• macOS 15 and later: try to open the app once, then open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
• Or remove the quarantine flag: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Photon.app

Install

brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew install --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

If Homebrew still references the retired singular tap, repair the existing installation with:

brew untap ryanstoffel/homebrew-tap   # only if that stale tap is present
brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew update
brew upgrade --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

Ryan's GitHub account was renamed from RyanStoffel to ryan-stoffel. GitHub redirects old repository links, but Homebrew records tap trust by name, so use ryan-stoffel/taps.

Or download Photon-0.4.1.zip (or the .dmg) below and move Photon.app to /Applications. Verify a download with shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS after placing the file next to it.

Photon needs macOS 14 or later. It asks for Accessibility access on first launch for paste-back, the Hyper key, and window management; everything else works without it.

Photon 0.4.0

Ryan foreground launch, snappy launcher, native Settings, and macOS 26/27 chrome release.

Added

• ⌘, opens Settings from anywhere Photon is running, including a key launcher. Settings use a System Settings–style NavigationSplitView with Photon's materials, accent, and typography.
• Liquid Glass panel chrome when NSGlassEffectView exists at runtime (GitHub Actions macos-latest is macOS 26.6.2, Xcode 26.6, SDK 26.5). macOS 14 still builds with vibrancy fallback.

Changed

• Launching or focusing an app hides Photon first, then activates the target with NSApp.yieldActivation and activateIgnoringOtherApps so it comes above everything.
• Launcher show paints before index reload. App icons load off the main thread. Spotlight mdfind starts off the main actor. PHOTON_DEBUG=1 enables cheap PhotonTiming logs; production stays quiet.

Fixed

• Packaged smoke proves a launched Calculator or TextEdit is frontmost, and a CGEvent ⌘, shows the Settings window. Files, clipboard, notes, drag, ember ranking, and recs-scroll are unchanged.

Signing

This build is ad-hoc signed and not notarized: the Apple signing secrets were not configured when it was built. macOS Gatekeeper will block the first launch of a downloaded copy.

• macOS 14: Control-click Photon.app and choose Open, then confirm.
• macOS 15 and later: try to open the app once, then open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
• Or remove the quarantine flag: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Photon.app

Install

brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew install --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

If Homebrew still references the retired singular tap, repair the existing installation with:

brew untap ryanstoffel/homebrew-tap   # only if that stale tap is present
brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew update
brew upgrade --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

Ryan's GitHub account was renamed from RyanStoffel to ryan-stoffel. GitHub redirects old repository links, but Homebrew records tap trust by name, so use ryan-stoffel/taps.

Or download Photon-0.4.0.zip (or the .dmg) below and move Photon.app to /Applications. Verify a download with shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS after placing the file next to it.

Photon needs macOS 14 or later. It asks for Accessibility access on first launch for paste-back, the Hyper key, and window management; everything else works without it.

Photon 0.3.9

Ryan Notes chrome and launcher recs-scroll release.

Changed

• Notes drop the persistent sidebar for Raycast-style chrome: vibrancy editor, centered title, traffic lights, character count, switcher overlay (⌘P), ⌘K actions (New, Duplicate, Browse, Find, Copy, Deeplink, Export, list-item move, Format), and a formatting toolbar. Width is a constant 680pt; height can grow.
• Empty-query launcher recommendations list the full unique catalog (up to 250 apps, recs, and shortcuts) instead of wrapping at the first visible page.

Fixed

• Down on the last on-screen recommendation scrolls the list instead of jumping to the first row. The expanded launcher stays 760 × 502. Notes, Files, clipboard, drag, paste, and ember ranking are otherwise unchanged.

Signing

This build is ad-hoc signed and not notarized: the Apple signing secrets were not configured when it was built. macOS Gatekeeper will block the first launch of a downloaded copy.

• macOS 14: Control-click Photon.app and choose Open, then confirm.
• macOS 15 and later: try to open the app once, then open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
• Or remove the quarantine flag: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Photon.app

Install

brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew install --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

If Homebrew still references the retired singular tap, repair the existing installation with:

brew untap ryanstoffel/homebrew-tap   # only if that stale tap is present
brew tap ryan-stoffel/taps
brew trust ryan-stoffel/taps          # Homebrew 7+
brew update
brew upgrade --cask ryan-stoffel/taps/photon

Ryan's GitHub account was renamed from RyanStoffel to ryan-stoffel. GitHub redirects old repository links, but Homebrew records tap trust by name, so use ryan-stoffel/taps.

Or download Photon-0.3.9.zip (or the .dmg) below and move Photon.app to /Applications. Verify a download with shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS after placing the file next to it.

Photon needs macOS 14 or later. It asks for Accessibility access on first launch for paste-back, the Hyper key, and window management; everything else works without it.