Raycast AI

Raycast AI is the AI layer inside Raycast, a macOS productivity launcher. While Raycast started as a Spotlight/Alfred replacement for quickly launching apps, searching files, and running shortcuts, Raycast AI makes it a persistent AI assistant accessible from anywhere on your Mac with a keyboard shortcut.

AI Chat: A floating chat window accessible system-wide via keyboard shortcut (typically Option+Space) that connects to multiple AI models — Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini, and others — depending on your settings. Unlike opening a browser tab for ChatGPT, the chat floats above whatever you're working on and remembers context within a session.

AI Commands: Pre-built and custom AI commands apply AI transformations to selected text or the current clipboard. Built-in examples: "Improve Writing," "Fix Spelling and Grammar," "Translate to French," "Summarize Web Page," "Explain Code," and "Ask AI." Users can create custom commands with their own prompts — saved and triggered via keyboard shortcut.

Browser integration: The Raycast browser extension enables AI actions on any webpage — summarize an article, ask questions about the content, extract information, or translate selected text.

Extensions ecosystem: The Raycast extension store includes AI-enhanced extensions from third-party developers for specific tools — GitHub, Linear, Notion, Slack, Jira — with AI actions built into the workflow (e.g., generate a PR description from commits, summarize Slack threads).

Code tools: Raycast AI includes code explanation, generation from natural language, and refactoring suggestions for selected code, accessible from any editor via the global shortcut.

Model selection: Users can choose which AI model to use per-session, switching between Claude and GPT-4o based on the task.

Pricing: Raycast itself is free for individuals. Raycast Pro ($8/month) is required for AI features. Teams plans add shared snippets, central extension management, and admin controls.