、
Wrong punctuation
The physical slash produces the Chinese enumeration comma.
KEYCODE 44
Slash Saver
Press slash. Continue in English.
A tiny native macOS utility for Chinese input users who move between chat, search, code, and agent prompts. One physical key selects your ASCII input source without changing focus.
One workflow
Chat
English search
Code
Vibe coding
One key creates three kinds of friction.
The failure is small enough to repeat all day. A slash becomes Chinese punctuation, the command stays inside pinyin composition, or Return commits extra text before the intended action can match.
/pinyin
Mixed input state
The slash appears, but the English letters after it remain in composition.
↵ + text
Command misses
Return commits unwanted text instead of matching a command or skill.
Treat slash as intent, not text.
A physical slash is a reliable signal that the next interaction belongs in an ASCII context. Slash Saver acts before the original event reaches the focused app, then gets out of the way.
01 / keyDown
See physical slash
Ignore Command, Control, Option, and key repeat.
02 / TIS
Select ASCII source
Use the source you chose from the system list.
03 / pass
Keep the original key
No synthetic slash, no swallowed event, no focus change.
App-wide switching is too large a rule.
The same app can contain a Chinese conversation, an English search, and a command field minutes apart. The container does not reveal the next input intent. The slash does.
App switcher
Predicts one language for an entire app or website, then changes state whenever focus moves.
Manual shortcut
Adds a decision and a keystroke at the exact moment you are trying to express an action.
Slash Saver
Uses one explicit intent signal, never switches back automatically, and ignores every other moment.
Native, quiet, and deliberately small.
There is no Dock icon and no menu bar item. Choose an ASCII input source, grant Input Monitoring, enable login launch, and let the app recede into the background.
- Runtime
Swift + AppKit - Monitor
CGEventTap.listenOnly - Login
SMAppService.mainApp - Minimum
macOS 13
0
characters stored.
No app names, documents, analytics, network calls, or input history. Non-slash key metadata is ignored immediately. The app never posts synthetic keyboard events.
Configure once. Keep your flow.
Slash Saver is a universal macOS app for Apple silicon and Intel Macs. Reopen it whenever you want to change settings.
01
Move
Unzip and move Slash Saver to Applications.
02
Open
Control-click once and choose Open if Gatekeeper asks.
03
Allow
Choose the input source and grant Input Monitoring.
Release note
The build is Apple Development signed but not notarized. First-launch Gatekeeper handling may be required.