Knock: Knock on your MacBook to control your Mac

Knock turns taps on your MacBook into instant actions. Switch tabs, change desktops, play/pause music, open apps, run custom scripts, or take screenshots - all with a simple knock. Tap the desk beside your laptop or knock on the MacBook’s chassis (not the trackpad). Knock uses the built-in accelerometer in Apple Silicon MacBooks to trigger customizable shortcuts.

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Hey everyone! I’m Will, the creator of Knock. The idea started pretty simply. I noticed Apple Silicon MacBooks have a built-in accelerometer, but nothing really uses it. I started experimenting with it and realized you could actually detect taps or knocks on the laptop. That turned into a simple idea: what if you could control your Mac just by knocking on it? Knock lets you trigger actions like switching tabs, changing desktops, play/pause, launching apps, running custom scripts, or taking screenshots - just by tapping the desk beside your MacBook or knocking on the chassis. One of the trickiest parts was making the detection reliable enough to feel natural. I ended up building a live “Knock Test” tool inside the app so users can tune sensitivity and see exactly what the sensor is picking up. This is the first public release, so I’d love feedback from the community - especially on gestures, actions, or ideas for new features. Thanks for checking it out 🙏