AlphaGrabApp runs silently in your system tray and allows you to capture screenshots and extract text from them with a simple click. Built with Avalonia UI and .NET 9.0, it provides a lightweight and efficient solution for screenshot-based text extraction.
- System Tray Integration: Runs quietly in the background with easy access from the menu bar
- Interactive Screenshot Capture: Uses macOS's native
screencaptureutility for precise selection - Text Extraction: OCR functionality to extract text from captured screenshots
- Temporary File Management: Automatic cleanup of screenshot files
- Cross-Platform UI: Built with Avalonia for modern, responsive interface
- macOS: Required for screenshot capture functionality
- .NET 9.0: Runtime required to run the application
- Screen Recording Permission: macOS will prompt for permission on first use
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Install .NET 9.0 SDK:
brew install dotnet
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Clone the repository:
git clone <repository-url> cd AlphaGrabApp
# Build the application
dotnet build
# Run the application
dotnet runFor development with hot reload:
dotnet watch run- Launch the application - it will appear in your system tray
- Click the tray icon and select "Grab Text"
- Use the interactive screenshot tool to select the area containing text
- The extracted text will appear in a popup window
- The temporary screenshot file is automatically deleted
- Avalonia UI: Cross-platform .NET UI framework
- ReactiveUI: Reactive programming patterns for UI interactions
- Native macOS Integration: Uses system screencapture utility
- Async/Await: Non-blocking screenshot processing
🚧 Work in Progress: The OCR functionality is currently a placeholder that returns the screenshot file path. Full text extraction will be implemented in future updates.
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch
- Make your changes
- Test on macOS
- Submit a pull request
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.