Archy

Cross-platform floating window browser

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Archy opens any website or media in a small floating window that remains on top of all other applications. The window stays up all the time, keeping important content visible while you work on other tasks. Perfect for easy multitasking.

Inspired by Archytas's pigeon – the world's first self-propelled flying automaton, created around 400 BC.

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Features

• Always stays on top of any open applications
• Customizable opacity – gets out of your way while you work
• Multi-tab support with keyboard shortcuts
• Per-domain zoom control – persistent zoom levels (50%-300%)
• In-page search with match navigation (Cmd+F)
• Startup options – blank page, restore session, or custom URL
• Hide navbar mode – minimal distraction
• Menu bar icon – no dock clutter
• Detached mode for click-through
• Frameless window option
• Cross-platform – macOS, Windows, Linux
• Lean – minimal resource footprint

Installation

macOS

# Build from source
git clone https://github.com/ShenSheiBot/archy.git
cd archy
npm install
npm run build
npm run electron:build

The built app will be in dist/ directory.

Usage

Keyboard Shortcuts

Window & Tabs

• Global Toggle: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+0 – Show/hide window from anywhere
• New Tab: Cmd/Ctrl+T
• Close Tab: Cmd/Ctrl+W
• Next Tab: Ctrl+Tab
• Previous Tab: Ctrl+Shift+Tab

Navigation & View

• Focus URL: Cmd/Ctrl+L
• Refresh: Cmd/Ctrl+R
• Find in Page: Cmd/Ctrl+F
• Toggle Navbar: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+L

Zoom

• Zoom In: Cmd/Ctrl++
• Zoom Out: Cmd/Ctrl+-
• Reset Zoom: Cmd/Ctrl+0

Modes

• Detached Mode: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+D – Makes window non-interactive (click-through)
• Frameless Window: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F – Toggle window frame (requires restart)

Menu Bar

• Left-click: Toggle window visibility
• Right-click: Open context menu

Opacity Control

• Menu: View → Set Opacity (20%-100%)
• Shortcuts: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down – Increase/decrease by 10%
• Slider: Settings panel in navbar

Startup Options

Configure how Archy starts (via Settings panel):

• Blank Page – Start with empty tab
• Restore Session – Restore previous tabs (default)
• Custom URL – Open specific URL on startup

Use Cases

• AI Assistants – Keep ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI tools visible while working
• Videos with Danmaku – Watch Bilibili, Niconico, or other sites that don't support PiP
• Coding tutorials – Follow along while you code
• Documentation – Keep reference docs always visible
• Video courses – Watch demos without switching windows
• Live streams – Monitor streams while working
• UI development – See live output alongside code
• Dashboards – Keep monitoring tools in view
• Multi-tasking – Any content that needs to stay visible

Why "Archy"?

Named after Archytas of Tarentum (428–347 BC), a Greek mathematician, philosopher, and engineer who built the world's first self-propelled flying device – a wooden pigeon powered by steam or compressed air. Like his creation that stayed aloft above the ground, Archy keeps your windows floating above all other apps.

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run dev
npm run electron:dev

# Build for production
npm run build
npm run electron:build

Advanced Features

Detached Mode

When enabled (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+D), the window becomes non-interactive and lets all clicks pass through to apps below it. Perfect for overlay displays.

To exit detached mode:

• Click the menu bar icon
• Focus the window to re-enable mouse events

Video Embedding

For streaming sites (YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, etc.), Archy can show video-only pages using auto-generated embed links. Toggle via: Edit → Embed Videos

Note: Some YouTube videos may not work with embedding enabled due to user restrictions. Disable "Embed Videos" if needed.

Credits

Originally based on Pennywise by Kamran Ahmed.

License

MIT © See License

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Like Archytas's pigeon, Archy floats above it all