[OS] Cling 3.0 - instant fuzzy search millions of files, 10x less RAM usage, Spotlight-like search UI
Finding a specific file can be slow on macOS, especially if it's on an external drive or NAS where search takes ages, or if you can't remember the name exactly and you have to try words until you get it.
Spotlight doesn't index hidden files either so getting to a config file means you have to know the path.
Cling brings its own instant search custom index made specifically for the macOS filesystem, which allows you to fuzzy search any file that exists on your Mac.
Comparison:
- Spotlight can only find apps and files in the home directory and relies on word search. Apps that rely on its index like Alfred will have the same problem.
- Raycast has its own similar index since v2 but the search algorithm is not as fuzzy as I like it to be.
- ProFind, HoudahSpot, EasyFind, Tembo, Find Any File: these are a lot more capable than Cling in narrowing down a specific search based on file metadata, Cling is more for fast search by name.
- Cardinal is very similar and a great alternative, Cling comes with some more advanced features like a Spotlight-like UI, Quick Filters etc.
New Features in 3.0:
- New Index Engine, lowering the RAM usage from >1GB to <100MB
- Floating Search Bar similar to Spotlight + Control-Tab to switch between this and the normal table-based window
- the Everything index: can be toggled with Cmd-Shift-E to search, well.. everything. Even excluded files.
- File Server: fuzzy search, view, download and share your Mac files from your phone
- Drag and Drop with a hotkey: press ⌥ Option-Enter to have Cling drag and drop selected files into the active app
- Efficient live index that keeps track of every created or deleted file with close to zero CPU usage
- Search operators: 'word to search it literally, !word to exclude files containing word etc.
- MCP: ask an agent to create complex filters, write scripts to run on files, prune unwanted cruft from the index, figure out why a file isn't in the index and fix it
General Features:
- instant fuzzy search over the whole filesystem
- keyboard-centric UI
- easy file exclusion for removing unwanted files from the index
- external drive indexing, search while disk is disconnected
- QuickFilters for narrowing down results with a minimal typing
Pricing: €15 for a lifetime license on up to 5 Macs **(only €10 until October 23)**
There's a 14-day trial that starts automatically on launch. After the trial, the app keeps working in Free Mode where you can still fuzzy search files but only in Home and Applications.
Link: https://lowtechguys.com/cling
Source code: https://github.com/FuzzyIdeas/Cling
Limitations:
- only indexes file names and paths
- can't search by file content or metadata
- ... to be updated based on questions in the comments
173 points · 82 comments
Mentions
Mac 的 Spotlight 搜文件名，出来一堆邮件书签，真正那个排最后。 Cardinal 专做文件搜索：模糊匹配/通配符/正则，可按扩展名和大小过滤，相关度排序，可设全局热键，外接盘网络盘都能搜。 cardisoft/cardinal
[OS] Cling 3.0 - instant fuzzy search millions of files, 10x less RAM usage, Spotlight-like search UI Finding a specific file can be slow on macOS, especially if it's on an external drive or NAS where search takes ages, or if you can't remember the name exactly and you have to try words until you get it. Spotlight doesn't index hidden files either so getting to a config file means you have to know the path. Cling brings its own instant search custom index made specifically for the macOS filesystem, which allows you to fuzzy search any file that exists on your Mac. Comparison: - Spotlight can only find apps and files in the home directory and relies on word search. Apps that rely on its index like Alfred will have the same problem. - Raycast has its own similar index since v2 but the search algorithm is not as fuzzy as I like it to be. - ProFind, HoudahSpot, EasyFind, Tembo, Find Any File: these are a lot more capable than Cling in narrowing down a specific search based on file metadata, Cling is more for fast search by name. - Cardinal is very similar and a great alternative, Cling comes with some more advanced features like a Spotlight-like UI, Quick Filters etc. New Features in 3.0: - New Index Engine, lowering the RAM usage from >1GB to <100MB - Floating Search Bar similar to Spotlight + Control-Tab to switch between this and the normal table-based window - the Everything index: can be toggled with Cmd-Shift-E to search, well.. everything. Even excluded files. - File Server: fuzzy search, view, download and share your Mac files from your phone - Drag and Drop with a hotkey: press ⌥ Option-Enter to have Cling drag and drop selected files into the active app - Efficient live index that keeps track of every created or deleted file with close to zero CPU usage - Search operators: 'word to search it literally, !word to exclude files containing word etc. - MCP: ask an agent to create complex filters, write scripts to run on files, prune unwanted cruft from the index, figure out why a file isn't in the index and fix it General Features: - instant fuzzy search over the whole filesystem - keyboard-centric UI - easy file exclusion for removing unwanted files from the index - external drive indexing, search while disk is disconnected - QuickFilters for narrowing down results with a minimal typing Pricing: €15 for a lifetime license on up to 5 Macs **(only €10 until October 23)** There's a 14-day trial that starts automatically on launch. After the trial, the app keeps working in Free Mode where you can still fuzzy search files but only in Home and Applications. Link: https://lowtechguys.com/cling Source code: https://github.com/FuzzyIdeas/Cling Limitations: - only indexes file names and paths - can't search by file content or metadata - ... to be updated based on questions in the comments