Tres application

Artem Konovalov — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:36:54 +0000

Apple came up with a gesture I use dozens of times a day.
And didn’t add it to its own mouse.
So I had to build it myself.

I often read texts in languages that aren’t my native language. First it was English. Now it’s Portuguese.
On a MacBook trackpad, there’s a handy gesture: triple-tap a word to open its definition in the system Dictionary.
No context switching: word → definition → keep reading.

At my desk, I use an Apple Magic Mouse. It has a touch-sensitive surface too, but for some reason, this gesture doesn’t work.
That surprised me. The gesture already exists in macOS, Dictionary already exists, and Magic Mouse supports gestures. Why not just connect the dots?

That’s how "tres" was born.

"Três" means "three" in Portuguese.

Tres adds triple-tap support to Apple Magic Mouse and triggers the same native Dictionary lookup.
It behaves just like the trackpad gesture and works in any app where macOS supports Look Up: browsers, Preview, Notes, Mail, and more.

The app is free and open source.
You can install it directly or via Homebrew.
The official website

On the first launch, you’ll need to give the app access under:
System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility

Hope it makes your daily reading a little easier.

DEV Community: Artem Konovalov

Tres application