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                                      Q7-LAUNCHER

A minimal, fast cross-platform launcher for Linux and Windows, built in Rust using eframe/egui. Features fuzzy search, file search, configurable web prefixes, and theme switching for a snappy desktop experience.

? search g query yt video so question gh repo f filename theme

Download Pre-built Binaries

Download from GitHub Releases:

Linux: q7-launcher-linux-x86_64.tar.gz

Windows: q7-launcher-windows-x86_64.zip

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/quadeer2003/q7-rust-launcher.git
cd q7-rust-launcher
cargo build --release

# Run
./target/release/q7-launcher              # Linux
target\\release\\q7-launcher.exe         # Windows

Requires Rust toolchain. Linux: optional fd and rsvg-convert for enhanced features.

Setup Hotkeys

Configure a global hotkey to launch Q7 Launcher instantly from anywhere on your system. Common choice: Super + Space

Linux

i3 / sway

Add to your i3/sway config:

bindsym $mod+space exec --no-startup-id /absolute/path/to/q7-launcher/target/release/q7-launcher

# Optional: Floating window rules
for_window [title="^q7 launcher$"] floating enable, focus, move position center, sticky enable, border pixel 0

GNOME (via gsettings)

Create a custom keybinding:

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys custom-keybindings "['/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/q7launcher/']"
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/q7launcher/ name 'q7 Launcher'
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/q7launcher/ command '/home/you/bin/q7-launcher'
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/q7launcher/ binding '<Super>space'

KDE Plasma

System Settings → Shortcuts → Custom Shortcuts → Add Command:

Trigger: Meta+Space

Action: /path/to/q7-launcher

XFCE

Settings → Keyboard → Application Shortcuts → Add:

/path/to/q7-launcher/target/release/q7-launcher

Bind to Super+Space or your preferred combination

Windows

AutoHotkey (Recommended)

Create q7-hotkey.ahk:

; Launch q7 launcher with Win+Space
#Space::
Run, C:\\Path\\To\\q7-launcher.exe
return

Run AutoHotkey and double-click the script. For autostart, place in %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Windows Shortcut

Alternative method:

1. Create a shortcut to q7-launcher.exe

2. Right-click → Properties → Set "Shortcut key" (e.g., Ctrl+Alt+Space)

Note: Windows reserves Win+Space for layout switching

Usage

App Search

Simply type the name of any installed application. Use fuzzy search - type partial names and Q7 will find matching apps.

File Search

Prefix with f to search files:

f document.pdf - Find document.pdf

f *.txt - Find all text files

Web Search

Use built-in search prefixes:

? rust programming - DuckDuckGo

g rust programming - Google

yt rust tutorial - YouTube

gh rust-lang/rust - GitHub

so rust error - Stack Overflow

w rust language - Wikipedia

Themes & Commands

Type theme to browse and switch between built-in color schemes. Any unrecognized input will be executed as a system command.

Custom Search Engines

Configuration

Create ~/.config/q7-launcher/config.json to define custom search engines:

{
  "search_engines": [
    { "name": "DuckDuckGo", "prefix": "?",  "url": "https://duckduckgo.com/?q=%s" },
    { "name": "Google",     "prefix": "g ", "url": "https://www.google.com/search?q=%s" },
    { "name": "StackOverflow","prefix": "so ","url": "https://stackoverflow.com/search?q=%s" },
    { "name": "Rust Docs",  "prefix": "rs ", "url": "https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/?search=%s" }
  ]
}

The %s placeholder is replaced with your search term. First matching prefix wins.

Features

• Cross-platform app launcher: Linux (.desktop entries) + Windows (Start Menu shortcuts)

• Fuzzy search over app names with intelligent matching

• File search: Linux (fd) + Windows (PowerShell scan)

• Web search prefixes: ?, g, yt, w, gh, so and more

• Theme switching: Type theme to browse built-in color schemes

• Minimal UI: Borderless, always-on-top, with icon caching for speed

Screenshot

Single input bar with fuzzy search and keyboard navigation

Troubleshooting & Tips

Performance Tips

• Always build with --release flag for optimal speed
• On Linux, install fd (fd-find) for faster file search
• Install rsvg-convert for better SVG icon rendering
• Consider stripping debug symbols to reduce binary size

Window Positioning Issues (Linux)

If the launcher window doesn't center properly, check the window title:

xprop | grep -E 'WM_NAME|_NET_WM_NAME'

Update your window manager rules to match the actual title if needed.

Windows Notes

• Start Menu scan happens at startup - large environments may see slight delay
• Icon extraction for .exe files is planned but not yet implemented
• PowerShell search depth is limited for performance - adjust in source if needed

Requirements

Mandatory:

• Rust toolchain (rustup.rs)

Optional (Linux):

• fd (fd-find) for enhanced file search
• rsvg-convert for SVG icon rendering

Source code: github.com/quadeer2003/q7-rust-launcher

Q7 Launcher — Fast Rust-based Linux and Windows App Launcher and App Menu