⚡ Alfred & Spotlight

Jump to any feature, create entries, and trigger actions without touching the mouse

What It Does

Alfred (also called Spotlight in some contexts) is Benji's command palette—a keyboard-first launcher that lets you navigate between features, create new entries, and run quick actions from anywhere in the app. Instead of clicking through menus or hunting for buttons, press Cmd/Ctrl + K and type what you need.

Opening Alfred

Desktop: Press Cmd + K (Mac) or Ctrl + K (Windows/Linux)
Mobile: Tap the search icon in the header or use the quick actions menu

Once open, start typing to filter the command list. Alfred searches command names, feature names, and shortcuts, so you can type partial matches to find what you need quickly.

What You Can Do

Alfred exposes hundreds of actions across Benji. Here are the main categories:

Jump directly to any feature page (e.g., "Habits", "Journal", "Trips")
Open specific lists, projects, or collections by name
Navigate to settings panels without clicking through tabs

Quick Creation

Every major feature offers a create command:

"Create a new habit"
"Log food"
"Add problem"
"Create a new trip"
"Start a pomodoro"

These commands open the same forms you'd reach from the feature page, but prefill context automatically when possible (like today's date or the current list).

Templates & Shortcuts

Features that support templates (Food, Hydration, Routines) expose them directly in Alfred:

Type the template name to trigger it instantly
Alfred lists your saved templates alongside standard commands
Selecting a template opens the form prefilled with stored values

Multi-Step Actions

Some commands bundle multiple steps:

"Create multiple new todos" lets you paste a list and bulk-add tasks
"Convert todo list to project" transforms structure in one click
"Generate with AI" (for Habits) drafts suggestions using Benji AI

Tips

Partial matches work: Type "hab" to find "Create a new habit"
Recent commands surface first: Alfred learns which actions you use most
Context-aware: When you're inside a list or project, Alfred includes commands scoped to that container
Escape closes it: Press Esc to dismiss Alfred without running a command

Where Alfred Appears in the Docs

Every feature page includes an "⚡ Alfred & Quick Actions" section listing the commands specific to that feature. This guide covers the mechanics; those sections catalog what's available.