Snippet Expansion

SuperCmd’s snippet system lets you create reusable text templates with dynamic placeholders for dates, clipboard content, and custom variables.

Overview

Snippets in SuperCmd provide:

Quick text expansion - Type keyword, get full text
Dynamic placeholders - Insert current date, time, clipboard, etc.
Custom variables - Prompt for user input when expanding
Import/Export - Share snippets or backup
Search & organize - Pin favorites, search by name/content

Snippets are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/SuperCmd/snippets/snippets.json and sync automatically.

Quick Start

Open Snippet Manager

Press SuperCmd hotkey, search for “Snippet Manager” or use Cmd+Shift+S.

Create Snippet

Click Create New or press Cmd+N.

Set Name & Content

Name: Display name (e.g., “Email Signature”)
Keyword: Optional trigger (e.g., “sig”)
Content: Your text with optional placeholders

Use Snippet

In Snippet Manager, select snippet and press Enter to copy, or Cmd+Enter to paste directly.

Snippet Manager UI

Implemented in src/renderer/src/SnippetManager.tsx:

Views

Search View
Create/Edit View

40/60 split layout:

Left: Snippet list with search
Right: Live preview with placeholder resolution

Actions: Copy, Edit, Delete, Duplicate, Pin

Snippet Organization

Snippets are sorted automatically (src/main/snippet-store.ts:101):

function getAllSnippets(): Snippet[] {
  return snippets.sort((a, b) => {
    // Pinned snippets first
    if (a.pinned !== b.pinned) return a.pinned ? -1 : 1;
    
    // Then by last updated (newest first)
    return b.updatedAt - a.updatedAt;
  });
}

Placeholders

Dynamic content insertion:

Built-in Placeholders

Placeholder	Output	Example
`{clipboard}`	Current clipboard text	”Hello, world!”
`{date}`	Current date (locale format)	“3/2/2026”
`{time}`	Current time (locale format)	“2:30 PM”
`{date:YYYY-MM-DD}`	Formatted date	”2026-03-02”
`{time:HH:mm:ss}`	Formatted time	”14:30:00”
`{random:UUID}`	Random UUID v4	”a3bb189e-8bf9-…”
`{cursor-position}`	Empty (marks cursor position)	-

Date/Time Formatting

Supported format tokens (src/main/snippet-store.ts:308):

function formatDate(date: Date, format: string): string {
  // YYYY - 4-digit year (2026)
  // MM   - 2-digit month (03)
  // DD   - 2-digit day (02)
  // HH   - 24-hour (14)
  // mm   - Minutes (30)
  // ss   - Seconds (45)
}

Examples:

{date:YYYY-MM-DD} → “2026-03-02”
{date:MM/DD/YYYY} → “03/02/2026”
{time:HH:mm} → “14:30”
{date:YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss} → “2026-03-02 14:30:45”

Custom Variables (Arguments)

Prompt for user input when expanding:

Hello {argument name="Name"},

Your order #{argument:OrderID default="12345"} is ready.

Thank you!

When expanded, SuperCmd prompts:

“Name” field (required)
“OrderID” field (defaults to “12345”)

After filling in values, the snippet expands:

Hello John,

Your order #67890 is ready.

Thank you!

Argument Syntax (src/renderer/src/SnippetManager.tsx:35)

// Full syntax
{argument name="FieldName" default="DefaultValue"}

// Short syntax
{argument:FieldName}

// Examples:
{argument name="Email"}                    // Required field
{argument name="Country" default="USA"}    // Optional with default
{argument:FirstName}                       // Short form

Arguments are extracted and sorted for the prompt. The same argument name can appear multiple times in the snippet.

Snippet Keywords

Optional trigger phrases for quick expansion:

Setting Keywords

Edit snippet
Set Keyword field (e.g., “addr”)
Save snippet

Using Keywords

Currently, keywords are used for searching in Snippet Manager. Future versions will support inline expansion (type keyword → snippet expands).

Keyword Rules

Invalid characters are rejected (src/main/snippet-store.ts:27):

const INVALID_SNIPPET_KEYWORD_CHARS = /["'`]/;

if (INVALID_SNIPPET_KEYWORD_CHARS.test(keyword)) {
  throw new Error('Snippet keyword cannot include ", \', or ` characters.');
}

Keywords cannot contain quotes (”, ’, `) to prevent parsing issues.

Import & Export

Exporting Snippets

Open Snippet Manager

Navigate to the Snippet Manager view.

Export Action

Click the menu icon and select Export Snippets.

Save File

Choose location and save as snippets.json.

Export Format (src/main/snippet-store.ts:352)

{
  "version": 1,
  "app": "SuperCmd",
  "type": "snippets",
  "exportedAt": "2026-03-02T14:30:00.000Z",
  "snippets": [
    {
      "name": "Email Signature",
      "content": "Best,\n{argument:Name}\n{argument:Title}",
      "keyword": "sig",
      "pinned": false
    }
  ]
}

Importing Snippets

Import Action

Click menu icon > Import Snippets.

Select File

Choose a snippets.json file (SuperCmd or Raycast format).

Review Results

Toast shows: “Imported X snippets, skipped Y duplicates”.

Import Deduplication (src/main/snippet-store.ts:439)

for (const item of snippetsToImport) {
  // Skip if duplicate by name (case-insensitive)
  const exists = snippets.some((s) => 
    s.name.toLowerCase() === item.name.toLowerCase()
  );
  
  // Or skip if duplicate by keyword
  const exists = snippets.some((s) =>
    s.keyword && item.keyword && 
    s.keyword.toLowerCase() === item.keyword.toLowerCase()
  );
}

Duplicate snippets (by name or keyword) are skipped during import to prevent conflicts.

Raycast Compatibility

SuperCmd can import Raycast snippet exports (src/main/snippet-store.ts:423):

// Raycast uses "text" field, SuperCmd uses "content"
const content = item.content ?? item.text ?? '';

Both formats are supported automatically.

Snippet Actions

Available operations:

Action	Shortcut	Description
Copy to Clipboard	`Enter`	Resolve placeholders and copy
Paste Directly	`Cmd+Enter`	Copy and paste to frontmost app
Edit Snippet	`Cmd+E`	Open edit view
Duplicate	`Cmd+D`	Create copy of snippet
Pin/Unpin	`Cmd+P`	Pin to top of list
Delete	`Cmd+Delete`	Remove snippet
Clear All	`Cmd+Shift+Delete`	Delete all snippets

Placeholder Resolution

Processing pipeline (src/main/snippet-store.ts:261):

Resolution Order

Extract arguments - Find all {argument:...} placeholders
Prompt user - If arguments exist, show input form
Resolve placeholders:
- Replace {argument:X} with user input
- Replace {clipboard} with current clipboard
- Replace {date} / {time} with current date/time
- Replace {random:UUID} with generated UUID
Return final text

Example Resolution

Snippet:

Meeting Notes - {date:YYYY-MM-DD}

Attendees: {argument:Attendees}
Topic: {clipboard}

Action Items:
- 

With inputs:

Attendees: “Alice, Bob”
Clipboard: “Q1 Planning”
Current date: 2026-03-02

Resolved:

Meeting Notes - 2026-03-02

Attendees: Alice, Bob
Topic: Q1 Planning

Action Items:
- 

Inline Argument Fields

When a snippet has 3 or fewer arguments, they appear inline in the snippet list (src/renderer/src/SnippetManager.tsx:33):

const MAX_INLINE_SNIPPET_ARGUMENTS = 3;

// If snippet has ≤3 arguments:
// - Show input fields directly in list
// - Press Enter to expand with filled values
// - No separate prompt dialog

Keep arguments to 3 or fewer for the best inline expansion experience.

Best Practices

Use Descriptive Names

Name snippets clearly: “Email Signature” not “sig1”

Set Keywords

Add keywords for frequently used snippets

Pin Favorites

Pin your most-used snippets to the top

Test Placeholders

Preview snippets before saving to verify placeholders

Common Use Cases

Email Templates

Hi {argument:Name},

Thank you for reaching out. I'll get back to you by {date:MM/DD/YYYY}.

Best,
{argument name="Your Name" default="John Doe"}

Code Snippets

// TODO({argument:Author}): {clipboard}
// Created: {date:YYYY-MM-DD}
// Priority: {argument name="Priority" default="Medium"}

Meeting Notes

# Meeting - {date:YYYY-MM-DD}

## Attendees
{argument:Attendees}

## Agenda
{clipboard}

## Notes


## Action Items
- [ ] 

Bug Report Template

**Bug ID:** {random:UUID}
**Date:** {date:YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm}
**Reporter:** {argument:Reporter}

**Description:**
{clipboard}

**Steps to Reproduce:**
1. 

**Expected:** 
**Actual:** 

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Open Snippet Manager	`Cmd+Shift+S`
Create New	`Cmd+N`
Search	`Cmd+F`
Edit Selected	`Cmd+E`
Duplicate	`Cmd+D`
Pin/Unpin	`Cmd+P`
Copy Snippet	`Enter`
Paste Snippet	`Cmd+Enter`
Delete	`Cmd+Delete`
Save (in edit view)	`Cmd+S`
Cancel (in edit view)	`Escape`

Troubleshooting

Placeholders not resolving

Check placeholder syntax: {date} not {Date}
Verify format string: {date:YYYY-MM-DD} not {date:yyyy-mm-dd}
For arguments: use {argument:Name} not {Name}
Preview snippet before saving to test

Import failed

Verify JSON format is valid
Check file has “snippets” array
Ensure no duplicate names/keywords with existing snippets
Try exporting a snippet first to see correct format

Snippet not appearing in list

Check search query isn’t filtering it out
Verify snippet was saved (check edit view)
Look for the snippet in All filter (not type-specific)
Restart Snippet Manager

Arguments not prompting

Verify syntax: {argument name="Field"}
Check no invalid characters in argument name
Ensure snippet content includes the placeholder
Try removing and re-adding the argument

Performance

Search Performance

Snippet search is fast even with hundreds of snippets (src/main/snippet-store.ts:111):

export function searchSnippets(query: string): Snippet[] {
  const lowerQuery = query.toLowerCase();
  return snippets.filter((s) => 
    s.name.toLowerCase().includes(lowerQuery) ||
    s.content.toLowerCase().includes(lowerQuery) ||
    (s.keyword && s.keyword.toLowerCase().includes(lowerQuery))
  );
}

Storage

JSON format: Human-readable, easy to backup
File size: ~1KB per snippet
1000 snippets: ~1MB file size
Load time: Less than 50ms on app startup

Advanced Features

Nested Placeholders

Placeholders can reference each other:

Report for {date:YYYY-MM-DD}
Generated at {time:HH:mm:ss}
ID: {random:UUID}

Author: {argument:Author}
Data: {clipboard}

Multi-line Arguments

Arguments support multi-line input:

{argument name="Meeting Notes" default="No notes provided"}

When prompted, text area allows line breaks.

Preview with Highlighting

Preview panel highlights resolved placeholders (src/renderer/src/SnippetManager.tsx:64):

function renderSnippetPreviewWithHighlights(content, values) {
  // Argument values shown in emerald color
  // Other placeholders in muted color
  // Static text in default color
}

Use the preview panel to verify your snippet resolves correctly before copying.

Get Started

Core Features

Configuration

Extensions

​Overview

​Quick Start

​Snippet Manager UI

​Views

​Snippet Organization

​Placeholders

​Built-in Placeholders

​Date/Time Formatting

​Custom Variables (Arguments)

​Argument Syntax (src/renderer/src/SnippetManager.tsx:35)

​Snippet Keywords

​Setting Keywords

​Using Keywords

​Keyword Rules

​Import & Export

​Exporting Snippets

​Export Format (src/main/snippet-store.ts:352)

​Importing Snippets

​Import Deduplication (src/main/snippet-store.ts:439)

​Raycast Compatibility

​Snippet Actions

​Placeholder Resolution

​Resolution Order

​Example Resolution

​Inline Argument Fields

​Best Practices

Use Descriptive Names

Set Keywords

Pin Favorites

Test Placeholders

​Common Use Cases

​Email Templates

​Code Snippets

​Meeting Notes

​Bug Report Template

​Keyboard Shortcuts

​Troubleshooting

​Performance

​Search Performance

​Storage

​Advanced Features

​Nested Placeholders

​Multi-line Arguments

​Preview with Highlighting

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Quick Start

Snippet Manager UI

Views

Snippet Organization

Placeholders

Built-in Placeholders

Date/Time Formatting

Custom Variables (Arguments)

Argument Syntax (src/renderer/src/SnippetManager.tsx:35)

Snippet Keywords

Setting Keywords

Using Keywords

Keyword Rules

Import & Export

Exporting Snippets

Export Format (src/main/snippet-store.ts:352)

Importing Snippets

Import Deduplication (src/main/snippet-store.ts:439)

Raycast Compatibility

Snippet Actions

Placeholder Resolution

Resolution Order

Example Resolution

Inline Argument Fields

Best Practices

Common Use Cases

Email Templates

Code Snippets

Meeting Notes

Bug Report Template

Keyboard Shortcuts

Troubleshooting

Performance

Search Performance

Storage

Advanced Features

Nested Placeholders

Multi-line Arguments

Preview with Highlighting