Reimagining File Actions on macOS
A privacy-first native Mac utility that converts and acts on files where they already live, using a Shift-drag radial menu in Finder.
Overview
Working with files on macOS usually involves clumsy workflows: opening a browser tab to convert an image or PDF, uploading private documents to unknown cloud servers, downloading the converted file, and dragging it back into Finder.
Fettle was built to solve this friction entirely on-device. By introducing a native Shift-drag radial menu directly into the Finder flow, common transformations and conversions happen beside your cursor in seconds.
The Core Interaction: Radial Drag
Rather than opening a separate utility window or wading through multi-level context menus:
- Grab any file in Finder.
- Hold Shift while dragging.
- A radial wheel blooms beneath your cursor with relevant context actions:
- Convert images (WebP, PNG, JPEG, SVG)
- Compress and extract archives
- Extract audio or transcode video
- Optimize PDFs
- Drop on the action, and the output file is saved safely right beside the original.
Architectural Principles
1. 100% Local Processing & Privacy
Every conversion uses native macOS APIs (AVFoundation, ImageIO, CoreGraphics, PDFKit). No file bytes ever leave the user's Mac, making it secure for sensitive client deliverables and private documents.
2. Native macOS Feel
Built with pure Swift and SwiftUI, with AppKit bridging for low-level window management, global event monitoring, and seamless cursor tracking across multiple displays.
3. Minimal Footprint
Fettle idles silently in the menu bar with negligible CPU usage and under 30MB of RAM, ensuring it never slows down daily workflows.
Status & Roadmap
Fettle is actively maintained with frequent updates. Recent releases added automated batch conversions, quick image resize presets, and customizable shortcut actions.