About aiMenu2
aiMenu2 is a Mac utility that calls an AI assistant with a single shortcut key on text you select in any app, such as Mail, a browser, an editor, or a spreadsheet. It comes with menus such as “Translate”, “Look up”, “Proofread”, and “Summarize”, and you can add your own prompts freely.
aiMenu2 sends your requests through OpenRouter. With one account, you can choose from more than 300 models, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, DeepSeek, and Grok, to fit your purpose and budget.
Download on the Mac App StoreYou can try aiMenu2 free for 7 days after installing it (pricing).
Features
Works from any app
Select text and press the shortcut key to send a prompt with that text to AI. You can also use the Services menu or the menu bar.
Prompt templates
Save the prompts you use often as templates and call them from a hierarchical menu. Macros automate inserting the clipboard, copying or reading out the response, and more.
300+ models and Auto
Pick a model from the list. With “Auto”, OpenRouter chooses a suitable model for each question. You can also tell OpenRouter to prefer the lowest price or the highest speed.
Fusion (ask several AIs)
Several models answer the same question while searching the web, an analyst compares their answers, and the model you selected combines them into one response. You can also check each model's answer and the analysis.
Image generation and editing
Ask an image model to “draw ...” and the image appears in the response. You can keep asking for changes, such as “make it blue”. Click an image to save it.
Read aloud and voice input
Responses can be read aloud with macOS voices or high-quality OpenRouter voices. Voice input turns what you say into text and adds it to the prompt each time you pause.
Image and PDF attachments
Attach images or PDFs to a prompt. For models that cannot read PDFs directly, OpenRouter converts the PDF to text.
Cost display
Each response ends with the model name and its cost in dollars and yen. You can also check the total for each topic, monthly totals, and your credit balance.
Topic history and archives
Conversations are saved as topics so you can continue them later. Keep important conversations in the archives. Save them to iCloud to share them between Macs.
Getting Started
To use aiMenu2, you need an OpenRouter account and credits (prepaid AI usage fees).
- Create an account at OpenRouter and buy credits on the Credits page.
- In aiMenu2, open Settings > General and click “Log in to OpenRouter…” above the API key field.
- OpenRouter opens in your browser. Log in and authorize aiMenu2. When you return to aiMenu2, the API key is set automatically.
- Choose a model from the menu at the bottom of the chat window. If you are not sure, choose “Auto”.
You can also create an API key on OpenRouter's Keys page and paste it into the API key field in Settings.
Setting a Shortcut Key
Select text in another app, right-click it (or click while holding control), and choose “aiMenu2...” in the Services menu to open aiMenu2's prompt menu. If you assign a shortcut key to this Services menu item, you can open the menu just by pressing the key.
1. Turn on the Services menu item
- Open System Settings > Keyboard and click “Keyboard Shortcuts…”.
- Select “Services” in the list on the left, and turn on “aiMenu2...” under “Text”.
2. Assign a shortcut key
- In the same window, select “App Shortcuts” in the list on the left and click “+”.
- Leave “Application” set to “All Applications”.
- Enter
aiMenu2...as the “Menu title”. It must match the Services menu item exactly, so type three periods. - Click the “Keyboard shortcut” field, press the key you want to use (for example, F2), and click “Done”. Choose a key that does not conflict with other shortcuts.
The assigned key appears in “Shortcut for Services Menu” in aiMenu2's Settings > General. Click “Change” next to it to open the keyboard shortcuts in System Settings.
More convenient ways
- If your mouse has extra buttons, assign aiMenu2's shortcut key to one of them to open the prompt menu with a single click. The scroll wheel button works well.
- If you use a trackpad, a utility such as BetterTouchTool lets you assign the shortcut key to a gesture, such as a three-finger tap.
How to Use
For details on all features, see the aiMenu2 Help (manual). The same content is also available as a PDF from Help > aiMenu2 Help in the app.
Template macros
Write these macros in a template prompt to insert text or change how the request is handled. You can also insert them from the context menu of the template editor.
| Macro | What it does |
|---|---|
{{clipboard}} | Replaced with the text on the clipboard (the text you selected). |
{{copy response}} | Copies the response to the clipboard. |
{{speech response}} | Reads the response aloud. |
{{hide thinking}} | Hides the thinking process of reasoning models. |
{{effort high}} | Sets the reasoning effort. You can use none, low, medium, high, or max. |
{{fusion}} | Uses Fusion for this template only. |
{{compact window}} | Makes the chat window compact ({{minimize window}} does the same). |
{{normal window}} | Returns the chat window to the normal layout. |
Fusion
Click the people icon (Fusion button) at the bottom of the chat window to turn it orange, and your next questions use Fusion. Each model's answer and the analysis appear, collapsed, at the top of the response.
- In Settings > General, “Fusion panel” lets you choose Quality (larger models) or Speed (lighter models).
- Because several models are asked, Fusion costs about 4–5 times as much as a normal request, and a response can take a minute or two.
Voice input
- Click the microphone button, or press the control key twice, to start recording.
- Two seconds after you stop speaking, that part is turned into text and added to the prompt, and recording continues.
- While recording, click or press control once to split right away.
- Double-click or press control twice to stop recording.
Checking costs
- Each response ends with the cost of that request. From the second response on, the topic total is shown too.
- File > Usage and Costs… shows your OpenRouter credit balance, the API key's usage today, this week, and this month, and the monthly totals recorded by aiMenu2.
FAQ
- Are there costs besides the aiMenu2 subscription?
- Yes. AI usage fees are deducted from your OpenRouter credits for each request. Prices vary widely by model, and some models are free.
- I get no response to my question.
- Check your OpenRouter credit balance and any limit or expiration date on your API key. File > Usage and Costs… shows them all. Trying another model or a new topic may also help.
- Voice input does not work.
- Allow aiMenu2 to use the microphone in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone.
- How do I share my history between Macs?
- Turn on “Save Topics to iCloud” in Settings > General. Version 1.05 uses a new storage format, so new and older versions of aiMenu2 keep separate histories. Update aiMenu2 on all your Macs.
Pricing
aiMenu2 is available as a monthly or yearly subscription. The price is shown in the App Store for your country. You can try aiMenu2 free for 7 days after installing it.
Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel at any time in the App Store or in System Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. See the Terms of Use for details.
AI usage fees are paid to OpenRouter separately.
System Requirements
- macOS 13.5 or later
- Apple silicon or Intel processor
- An internet connection and an OpenRouter account
Support
Please report bugs, request features, or ask questions on GitHub Issues.
Create an issue See existing issuesIssues are public. Do not include personal information such as API keys or email addresses. You need a GitHub account to create an issue.