Raycast is a macOS launcher that replaces Spotlight (Cmd+Space). Its AI features make it the fastest way to access AI assistance anywhere on your Mac — no browser tab switching, no copy-paste into ChatGPT. After a week, you stop noticing you’re using AI and start experiencing it as just “how my computer works.”
What Raycast AI Does
Press Cmd+Space, type your question, get an AI response — all within the same launcher interface you use for opening apps, searching files, and running shortcuts. The AI can answer questions, translate text, summarize clipboard content, and run custom “AI commands” you define. It stays in your keyboard workflow rather than requiring a context switch to a browser.
Research-Specific Uses
Translate any selected text to English: select German text in a PDF, press Cmd+Space, type “translate selection.” Summarize clipboard: copy a paper abstract, press Cmd+Space, type “summarize clipboard.” Define a technical term you just read: Cmd+Space, type “define [term] in context of [your field].” These take 10 seconds instead of 60 seconds of app switching and paste operations.
Custom AI Commands
Raycast lets you create custom AI shortcuts. Create a “Research Note” command: takes selected text as input and outputs a formatted Zotero note template with the text, source placeholder, and your standard note fields. Create a “Literature Gap” command: takes a paper abstract and asks Claude what gaps in the literature this paper suggests. Save these as Raycast commands and run them with 3 keystrokes.
Raycast + Claude API
Raycast Pro allows using your own Claude API key rather than Raycast’s built-in AI credit system. For researchers who already pay for Claude API access, this costs nothing additional and provides full Claude Sonnet or Opus quality. Configure in Raycast Settings → AI → Model → Custom API.
Alternatives for Windows
Windows users: PowerToys Run with an AI plugin provides similar functionality. Wox and Flow Launcher also support AI integrations. The workflow concept is the same; the specific tool differs by platform.
