MoePeek is a lightweight, native macOS menu bar translator designed for quick text selection translation. It targets macOS users seeking a privacy-focused, efficient tool with on-device translation capabilities and a minimal footprint. The primary benefit is instant translation without stealing focus, leveraging Swift 6 for a native, performant experience.

How It Works

Built with pure Swift 6, MoePeek offers a native macOS experience without Electron or WebViews, resulting in a small ~5MB install size and ~50MB memory usage. It supports multiple translation services, including on-device Apple Translation for enhanced privacy (macOS 15+). Text grabbing employs a tiered approach: Accessibility API, AppleScript, and a Clipboard fallback, ensuring broad compatibility across applications.

Quick Start & Requirements

Installation involves downloading the latest .dmg or .zip from GitHub Releases and dragging MoePeek.app to /Applications. On first launch, users must grant Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions. PopClip integration is available via a dedicated extension.

Highlighted Details

• Supports a wide array of translation services including Google, DeepL, OpenAI, Apple Translation (on-device), Bing, Baidu, and local LLM options like Ollama and LM Studio.
• Features smart language detection and auto-direction flipping across 14 languages.
• Non-activating floating panels ensure the user's current application focus is maintained.
• Fully customizable keyboard shortcuts for core actions like Translate Selection, OCR Screenshot, Manual Input, and Clipboard Translation.

Maintenance & Community

MoePeek is described as a personal, "AI vibe-coded" side project. While issues and pull requests are welcome, response times may be delayed due to the developer's day job, with batch processing typically occurring on weekends. The project is inspired by Easydict and Bob.

Licensing & Compatibility

The project is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Derivative works must also be open-source under the same license. This may impose restrictions on linking with closed-source applications.

Limitations & Caveats

MoePeek is not a polished, production-grade tool and may miss edge cases in text selection and window handling that commercial alternatives have addressed. Users requiring a more robust solution are directed to alternatives like Clicknow or PopClip. macOS Gatekeeper may block the app on first launch due to a lack of Apple notarization, requiring a Terminal command to bypass.