I was switching browser tabs 50+ times a day to talk to AI. Here's how I fixed it.

#showdev #ai #productivity #swift

I counted yesterday: 47 times hunting Chrome tabs for the right AI. 37 times typing cd in terminal to start Claude Code. That's 84 context switches — each one just a few seconds, but enough to derail a train of thought.

So I built GroAsk — a macOS menu bar app that puts all your AIs behind one hotkey.

The problem

Web AI friction: I'm subscribed to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and more. Every time I need one: switch to Chrome → find the tab → navigate → start chatting. As a developer, my time is split across IDE, terminal, docs. Context-switching to the browser every time kills flow.

Claude Code friction: Best coding AI I've used, but the launch sequence is: open terminal → cd to project → type claude. I have dozens of projects. I can't remember those paths. cd, cd, cd — dozens of times a day.

What GroAsk does

Press ⌥Space from anywhere. A launcher pops up. Type your question, hit Enter. Done.

One hotkey, all AIs. Tab switches between ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, and others.
Select text + hotkey = instant query. Highlight text in your editor, press the hotkey, it goes straight to your selected AI.
Claude Code without cd. Pick a project folder from the launcher, Claude Code opens right there.
100% local. GroAsk uses AppleScript to bridge your local browser and terminal. No data proxied, nothing stored.

The build

Native Swift + AppKit (not Electron). ~30MB RAM. Two weeks, solo, with Claude Code as co-pilot.

The web AI channel works by injecting JavaScript into Chrome tabs via AppleScript — each AI site has its own injection script that adapts to the DOM. These scripts update from the server, so when ChatGPT changes their interface, I push a fix without shipping a new app version.

The CLI channel detects your local terminal (Terminal.app or iTerm2), constructs the cd + claude command, and executes it via AppleScript.

Who it's for

Heavy AI users who talk to multiple AIs daily and want zero friction between thought and query.
Claude Code newcomers who want a graphical launcher instead of memorizing terminal paths.

Free to use. macOS only.

Free, under 5MB download, no signup: groask.com

How do you manage your AI workflow? Still tab-hunting, or have you found a better way? Would love to hear in the comments.