⚡ zap

A terminal UI for launching Windows apps. Built with Go and Charm.

Features

• Fuzzy search — type to instantly filter all installed apps
• Web search — prefix with / to search DuckDuckGo
• Three sources — merges Start menu entries, registry install locations, and .lnk shortcut files (works without explorer.exe)
• Ghost filtering — hides stale cached entries for uninstalled apps
• Single binary — ~3 MB, zero runtime dependencies

Install

From source

go install github.com/AlexandrosLiaskos/zap@latest

Manual

git clone https://github.com/AlexandrosLiaskos/zap
cd zap
go build -ldflags="-s -w" -o zap.exe .

Add an alias in your PowerShell profile:

Set-Alias -Name "zap" -Value "C:\path\to\zap.exe"

Usage

zap

• Type to filter apps
• ↑ / ↓ to navigate
• Enter to launch
• /query to search DuckDuckGo (opens in Chromium)
• Esc to quit

How it works

1. Queries Get-StartApps for Start menu entries (UWP + desktop shortcuts)
2. Scans the Windows registry for apps with an InstallLocation
3. Walks .lnk files in Start Menu folders (works without explorer.exe as shell)
4. Merges and deduplicates by display name
5. Filters out ghost entries (uninstalled apps cached by Windows)
6. Launches via shell:AppsFolder\{AppID}, shortcut, or install directory

Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• PowerShell 5.1+ (for Get-StartApps)

See also

• yeet — TUI uninstaller (companion tool)

License

MIT