NoShortcut

A lightweight macOS menu bar app that temporarily disables selected keyboard shortcuts using profiles.

Features

• Menu bar icon with quick toggle on/off
• Runs silently in the background (no Dock icon)
• Create multiple profiles with different sets of shortcuts to block
• Switch between profiles instantly
• Pre-populated useful default profiles
• Global low-level key interception (requires Input Monitoring permission)

Requirements

• macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later
• Xcode 14+ (only required if building from source)

Download & Installation

You can download the pre-compiled application directly from the GitHub Releases page.

1. Download the latest NoShortcut.dmg file.
2. Double-click the .dmg to open/mount it, then drag NoShortcut to your /Applications folder.
3. Launch NoShortcut and configure permissions.

Setup & Build

1. Install full Xcode from the Mac App Store (Command Line Tools alone is not enough).

2. Open the Xcode project:

   • Double-click NoShortcut.xcodeproj in the project root to open it in Xcode.

3. Build & Run (⌘R):

   • Choose the NoShortcut scheme and your Mac as the run destination.
   • Press ⌘R (or click the Run button) to build and launch the app.

Note

The project is fully configured:

• Deployment Target: macOS 13.0
• LSUIElement: Set to YES (making it an accessory/agent app with no Dock icon).
• App Sandbox: Disabled (as session-level event taps for key interception are not supported inside the sandbox).

Permissions

On first run (or when you turn on "Disable Shortcuts"), the app needs Input Monitoring permission:

1. The app will fail silently to block if permission is missing.
2. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring
3. Click the lock to unlock.
4. Add/check "NoShortcut" (it may appear after first attempt to tap).

You can also add a button inside the app (in the manager) that opens the correct pane:

x-apple.systempreferences:com.apple.preference.security?Privacy_ListenEvent

Usage

1. Click the menu bar icon (keyboard symbol).
2. Toggle Disable Shortcuts — this activates blocking for the currently selected profile.
3. Use the Profile menu to switch between different sets of blocked shortcuts.
4. Click Manage Profiles... to:
   • Create / rename / delete profiles
   • For each profile choose "Block only the shortcuts I pick" or "Block ALL shortcuts"
   • When using "Block only the shortcuts I pick":
     • You get a categorized list of common macOS shortcuts with checkboxes
     • One-click "Select Recommended for Wine Gaming" button (perfect for Wine/Whisky/CrossOver)
     • Freely toggle any common shortcut
     • You can still Add Custom (record any combination manually)
     • The "Active in this profile" list lets you remove any shortcut (predefined or custom)
   • When using "Block ALL", every ⌘ / ⌥ / ⌃ combination + F-keys are blocked (normal typing still works)
5. The blocking applies system-wide immediately.

How It Works

• Uses CGEventTap at the session level (kCGSessionEventTap) to intercept keyDown and flagsChanged.
• When blocking is active for the current profile, matching key combinations are consumed (never reach apps or the system).
• Profiles are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/NoShortcut/profiles.json.
• State (last profile + enabled) is restored on launch.

Limitations & Notes

• Some deeply integrated system shortcuts (full-screen Mission Control gestures, certain Fn keys, Touch Bar, Stage Manager) may not be fully blockable via event tap.
• Cmd+Tab / app switching is partially suppressible; the OS Dock may still show UI in some cases.
• Text input (letters without modifiers) is never blocked.
• Copy/paste (⌘C / ⌘V) will only be blocked if you explicitly added them to the active profile.
• The app is intentionally minimal — no cloud sync, no iCloud, plain local JSON.

Default Profiles (auto-created on first launch)

Default profiles (all use "Block only specific shortcuts" mode):

• Safe (No Quit): ⌘Q, ⌘⇧Q
• Focus Mode: ⌘Q, ⌘W, ⌘Tab, ⌘`, ⌘Space, ⌘⇧Tab
• Wine Gaming: A sensible starting set of the most common macOS shortcuts that break input in Wine/Whisky/CrossOver games (⌘Tab, ⌘Space, ⌘Q, F3/F4 etc.)

You can also create profiles with "Block ALL shortcuts" mode (blocks everything with modifiers or F-keys).

Feel free to edit or add your own.

Development Tips

• While developing in Xcode, the app may appear in the Dock. Set activation policy in AppDelegate to experiment.
• To force-quit during testing: Activity Monitor or killall NoShortcut.
• Logs (print statements) appear in Xcode console.

Future Ideas

• Hotkey to toggle (e.g. a secret combo that is never blocked)
• Import/export profiles
• Better visual key recorder (show pressed modifiers live)
• Per-app exceptions
• Launch at login (using SMAppService)

Inspiration & Acknowledgements

• Inspired by other excellent open-source macOS menu bar utilities like stats.

Support the Project

If you find this app useful, consider supporting its development by buying me a pint!

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.

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Built for the "no-shortcut" use case. Enjoy distraction-free or presentation-safe macOS sessions!

Quick Xcode Setup Checklist (TL;DR)

1. New Project → macOS App (SwiftUI)
2. Delete default ContentView.swift and replace NoShortcutApp.swift
3. Copy all .swift files + Info.plist from this folder
4. In target settings:
   • macOS Deployment Target ≥ 13.0
   • Add LSUIElement = YES (or reference the provided Info.plist)
   • Turn off App Sandbox
5. Add @NSApplicationDelegateAdaptor(AppDelegate.self) (already in the provided NoShortcutApp.swift)
6. Build → Run
7. Grant Input Monitoring permission the first time you enable blocking
8. Click the menu bar keyboard icon → toggle & enjoy!

Project Files (all provided)

File	Purpose
NoShortcutApp.swift	@main SwiftUI App + scenes
AppDelegate.swift	Sets .accessory policy + behavior
ProfileStore.swift	Observable state + persistence
ShortcutDisabler.swift	CGEventTap implementation
Models.swift	Shortcut, Profile, defaults, mapper
MenuBarView.swift	Menu bar contents & quick actions
ProfileManagerView.swift	Sidebar + detail UI for editing
ShortcutRecorderView.swift	Captures new shortcuts live
Info.plist	Reference (LSUIElement etc)
NoShortcut.entitlements	Placeholder
README.md	This file

Happy coding!