[ mt-2.1 · menu bar utility ]

knock the macbook.
the app does the rest.

mactap turns knocks on the chassis, or on the desk under a still laptop, into shortcuts. one knock, two, three. copy, paste, accept, screenshots, media, whatever you map.

download mactap 2.1.2 view on github →

[ 6,287+ downloads · live ]

mactap - Knock your MacBook to run shortcuts | Product Hunt
mactap app icon, a small character knocking on a macbook
[ click to knock ]
01how it works

three knocks is a vocabulary.

×1 knock

the everyday one. copy, play or pause, accept the ai suggestion. the thing you reach for all day.

×2 knocks

the second slot. paste, next track, screenshot. one more hit, another verb.

×3 knocks

the decisive one. undo, save, lock. knock knock knock, done.

02two layouts

anywhere, or left and right.

anywhere

one, two or three knocks on the chassis or the desk. three slots, nothing to learn.

left & right

each edge gets its own actions. six slots: music on the left, work on the right.

03presets

five ways in, out of the box.

presetwhat it maps
dailycopy · paste · undo / play · screenshot · lock
codingai accept · ai reject · save · made for cursor and claude
capturefull screenshot · selection screenshot · lock
mediaprevious · volume · mute / play · next
focushide app · tile windows · lock · sleep display

per-app rules sit on top: cursor can take accept, reject and save while everything else stays on daily. sensitivity, cooldown and ignore while typing are all in settings.

04actions

one knock, almost anything.

copypastecut undoredosave ai acceptai reject screenshotscreenshot selection play / pausenext trackvolumemute lock screenspotlightmission control tile windowswitch desktop open appopen urlrun shortcut keyboard shortcutshell commandapplescript + 20 more

new: custom knock sounds. pick from a built-in library or drop in your own — a thud, a click, a coin, whatever feels right. the app plays it back when it fires, so you actually hear the knock land.

05install

four steps, then knock.

  1. download mactap-2.1.2 from the v2.1.2 release.
  2. unzip and drag mactap into applications.
  3. open it from applications (or spotlight).
  4. allow accessibility when asked. only the actions need it; knock detection works either way.
06details
requires
m2+ macbook, or m1 pro / max
with the chassis imu
system
macOS 14.6
or later
privacy
classified on-device.
nothing gets uploaded.
license
mit.
open source.
livelaunch day, on x

0+ downloads and counting.

posted at lunch, gone by dinner.

launch tweet so far: 387k views · 1,573 likes · 1,365 bookmarks · 128 replies · 82 reposts

read the replies and knock along →

07faq

fine, questions.

which macbooks does it work on?

macbooks with the chassis motion sensor: m2 and later macbook air and pro, plus the m1 pro and m1 max macbook pro. the imu lives in the unibody, so desktop macs and external keyboards are out.

does it work offline? is it private?

yes to both. knocks are classified on-device and nothing ever gets uploaded. no account, no analytics, no network calls.

why the accessibility permission?

only the actions need it — copy, paste, keystrokes, scripts. knock detection works either way, so you can deny it and still knock.

does it drain the battery?

no. it's a small native swift menu bar app — no electron, no daemons. the sensor path sips power.

is it free?

yes, and mit open source. over five thousand people grabbed it in the first four hours.

fired: copied.