Rewritr

Languages: English | 简体中文 | 繁體中文 | 日本語

Project site: https://lifeplayer.space/rewritr/

Rewritr comes from Rewriter, a real English word for someone who revises writing into a better form. The missing letter e keeps the name small, light, and a little playful, just like the app itself.

Rewritr is a privacy-first, native macOS menu bar app for non-native English speakers who want selected English to sound smoother, more natural, and more native-like.

It is intentionally small: select text in another app, trigger Rewritr, and replace the selected text with a clearer version. Rewritr preserves meaning and avoids academic, thesis-style, overly formal, slangy, or filler-heavy English.

Screenshots

Settings	Permission setup
macOS Accessibility permission

Download

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases.

New releases provide the same macOS app in two formats:

• DMG (recommended): Open the DMG, then drag Rewritr.app to the Applications shortcut.
• ZIP: Unzip the archive, then move Rewritr.app somewhere stable, such as /Applications.

Older releases may provide only the ZIP. Both formats contain the same unsigned and unnotarized app. Download only from this project's GitHub Releases page and verify the SHA-256 checksum published beside your chosen file if you need to confirm the download.

Install and approve the unsigned app

Two macOS approvals may be needed: Open Anyway because Rewritr is unsigned and unnotarized, and Accessibility so Rewritr can automate copy and paste for your selected text.

1. Install Rewritr.app in its final location, preferably /Applications.
2. Try to open Rewritr. If macOS blocks it, open System Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll to Security, click Open Anyway, then confirm Open.
3. Open Rewritr again and grant Accessibility permission when prompted.
4. Configure your OpenAI-compatible provider in Settings. Cloud providers usually require an API key; local providers may not.

The Open Anyway approval is normally needed only once. Accessibility permission is tied to the exact app bundle path, so moving the app afterward may require granting it again.

How It Works

1. Select English text in any editable app.
2. Press Control+Option+R.
3. Rewritr copies the selected text with macOS automation.
4. Rewritr sends it to your configured OpenAI-compatible Chat Completions provider.
5. Rewritr either previews the rewrite or replaces the selected text instantly.

Rewritr supports two rewrite behaviors:

• Preview before replacing: show the rewrite first, then choose Replace, Copy, Retry, or Dismiss.
• Replace instantly: replace the selected text as soon as the provider returns, with a small floating status HUD while Rewritr works.

The menu bar icon shows lightweight progress:

• hourglass: rewriting or replacing
• checkmark.circle: replaced successfully
• exclamationmark.triangle: failed

Privacy

Your privacy matters, and it should stay in your hands. Rewritr has no backend service and stores no selected text, rewrite history, analytics, or account data.

• Only the text you explicitly select is sent, and only to the provider endpoint you configure.
• If you use a local OpenAI-compatible model, selected text can stay inside your own machine or network.
• Non-sensitive settings are stored in UserDefaults.
• Provider API keys, when needed, are stored locally in macOS Keychain after a successful provider test.
• Clipboard automation temporarily uses the macOS pasteboard and restores previous clipboard contents where safe.

Compatibility

Rewritr works in most macOS apps and browser text fields that support normal copy and paste. There are important limits:

• You must explicitly select text before triggering rewrite.
• The target app must support normal Command-C and Command-V behavior for selected text.
• Secure fields such as password inputs should not be rewritten.
• Terminal support is limited because selected terminal text often refers to output/history rather than editable input.
• Remote desktops, virtual machines, browser-based IDEs, and apps with unusual focus handling may behave inconsistently.
• Clipboard managers may observe temporary clipboard changes even when Rewritr restores the clipboard afterward.

Development Requirements

• macOS 15 or newer
• Xcode with macOS app build support

Development

Open Rewritr.xcodeproj in Xcode and build the Rewritr scheme.

Build locally:

xcodebuild -project Rewritr.xcodeproj -scheme Rewritr -configuration Debug -destination 'platform=macOS' -derivedDataPath /tmp/rewritr-dev-derived build CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO

Build tests:

xcodebuild -project Rewritr.xcodeproj -scheme Rewritr -configuration Debug -destination 'platform=macOS' -derivedDataPath /tmp/rewritr-dev-derived build-for-testing CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO

Run tests:

xcodebuild -project Rewritr.xcodeproj -scheme Rewritr -configuration Debug -destination 'platform=macOS' -derivedDataPath /tmp/rewritr-dev-derived test CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for release notes.

Release

Releases are built by GitHub Actions when a v* tag is pushed, or manually through the Release workflow. The workflow packages Rewritr.app as both a DMG and a ZIP, verifies both packages, and attaches both files and their SHA-256 checksums to the GitHub Release.