u/Beginning_Fox_2468 — reddlx

Wanted to share what I did for my first macOS app launch since this community has been useful to me.

The app is InkeyTool, a small macOS utility that lets you run AI actions on selected text anywhere on your Mac using a keyboard shortcut. Rewrite, translate, shorten, custom prompts. Paid, no subscription.

A few decisions worth sharing: I went App Store over direct distribution. Most similar apps skip it because they use the Accessibility API, which Apple restricts for store distribution. I built on macOS Services instead, which meant giving up some flexibility but keeping App Store distribution and a real privacy advantage (the app only ever sees what you selected).

The one thing I'm still unsure about: one-time pricing. I went that route because there's no server cost on my end and users bring their own API keys. But I'm not sure if that's the right long-term call.

Happy to compare notes if anyone's gone through something similar with a macOS or productivity utility.

reddit.com

u/Beginning_Fox_2468 — 13 days ago

▲ 1 r/Appstore

https://preview.redd.it/fy4cvuv2kdyg1.jpg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50bbca0a6295dbd0809e6e4f19b92ff297d5a819

I kept running into the same friction: I'd want to quickly rewrite or translate something I'd typed, but every AI tool only worked inside its own interface. Copy the text, switch to another app, rewrite it, paste it back. Always that extra round trip.

So I built InkeyTool. Select text anywhere on your Mac (Mail, Slack, VSCode, browser, terminal), hit a keyboard shortcut, an AI action runs, and the text gets replaced in place.

Built-in rules: rewrite, shorten, expand, translate, summarize. You can also write your own prompts. Supports Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, Ollama, and Apple Intelligence.

One thing I cared about: it uses macOS Services instead of Accessibility API, so it only ever sees the text you selected. That also meant I could ship it on the App Store rather than distributing outside it.

Paid, no subscription. First macOS app I've shipped as a hobby.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/inkeytool/id6759578471

reddit.com

u/Beginning_Fox_2468 — 13 days ago

▲ 6 r/AppBusiness

Just shipped InkeyTool, my first personal macOS app. Small utility that lets you select text anywhere, hit a keyboard shortcut, and run an AI action on it. Rewrite, translate, shorten, or your own custom prompt. Users connect their own API keys and subscriptions — Claude, Gemini, Ollama, Apple Intelligence, whatever they already use.

I priced it as a one-time purchase. No subscription.

There's no server on my end, no ongoing cost per user. They're already paying for the AI themselves. Charging recurring on top of that felt hard to justify. One-time seemed fair for a utility that does a specific thing well.

But I'm second-guessing it. Subscription means predictable revenue and a real incentive to keep improving. One-time means I'm dependent on new users rather than retaining existing ones.

For a simple productivity utility where users handle their own AI costs — is one-time the right call? Or am I leaving money on the table?

u/Beginning_Fox_2468 — 13 days ago