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Learn what AI writes for you. A system-wide tech dictionary for macOS — select any term, press a shortcut, get an instant explanation at your level.

4 starsSwift

Quill – A system-wide tech dictionary for the AI coding era

Name: Quill – A system-wide tech dictionary for the AI coding era
Availability: InStock
Author: c3nx

by c3nx·Feb 22, 2026·2 points·0 comments

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AI Analysis

●●●BangerSolve My ProblemCozy

Instant context-preserving definitions for AI-generated jargon—outpaces googling and ChatGPT threads.

Strengths

•System-wide accessibility API + zero context switching is genuinely better UX than tabs or new ChatGPT threads
•Multi-level explanations (ELI5 to Pro to Code Samples) match real need—devs have different depths of knowledge
•Disk cache + drill-down Wikipedia-style navigation scales to power-user workflows

Weaknesses

•macOS-only severely limits reach; Windows/Linux devs excluded
•Requires free API key friction; reliance on Gemini Flash or Claude means ongoing costs

Post Description

I built Quill because I kept nodding along while AI generated code with terms I half-understood. WebSocket,nginx reverse proxy, Docker compose — I'd copy the term, open a browser, google it, get lost in 5 tabs. Or ask the AI in a new thread and lose my flow. Quill sits in your menu bar. Select any term in any app — terminal, IDE, browser — press ⌃⌥Q, and a floating panel appears with an instant explanation. No context switching.

What makes it different:

- Pick your level: ELI5, ELI15, Pro, Code Samples, or Resources - Drill down: explanations highlight related terms, click to go deeper (like a Wikipedia rabbit hole for tech) - Works everywhere: system-wide via Accessibility API, not just in one app - TL;DR + resource links to official docs - Disk cache so repeated lookups are instant

Uses Gemini Flash by default — you'll need a free API key from Google AI Studio (takes 30 seconds). Also supports Claude API and Claude CLI.

Written in Swift, ~3K LOC, hexagonal architecture. Not sandboxed (Accessibility API requires it) so can't go on the App Store — DMG download and source available.

macOS 14+, Apple Silicon or Intel.