AirTouch is a native macOS application that turns your Mac's camera into a virtual air trackpad. By leveraging Apple's native Vision framework on Apple Silicon's Neural Engine (ANE), AirTouch tracks hand landmarks with 60 FPS precision, zero external dependencies, and minimal battery overhead.
It features a non‑intrusive floating HUD overlay (ignoresMouseEvents = true) so you can visually see your hand tracking and gestures in real time while your clicks and keystrokes pass directly through to whatever application you are working in.
To prevent accidental inputs, cursor jumping, or rapid‑fire misrecognitions:
- Transient Gesture Lockout – Whenever any gesture is executed (swipe, browser back/forward, click), AirTouch immediately freezes the cursor and locks out all other gestures while the gesture is active on screen. Return strokes and hand repositioning will never accidentally trigger other gestures.
- ✌️ Peace Sign Global Pause / Resume – Flash a Peace Sign ✌️ (Index + Middle extended in a V‑shape, thumb and other fingers curled) for ~0.3 s to toggle AirTouch PAUSED / RESUMED.
When paused (⏸️ Paused), all cursor movements, clicks, and swipes are completely frozen so you can type, rest, or talk with your hands without any interference. Show ✌️ again to resume (▶️ Resumed). - Strict Pointer Isolation – The cursor only moves when strictly the index finger is extended in a clear pointing stance. If multiple fingers are visible or transitioning, cursor motion instantly halts.
| Gesture | Action |
|---|---|
| Peace Sign ✌️ (hold 0.3 s) | Toggle Global Pause / Resume |
| Open Palm (5 fingers spread) ✋ | Clutch / Temporary Pause while held |
| Gesture | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Flick Left | Ctrl + → (next full‑screen app / space) |
| Flick Right | Ctrl + ← (previous full‑screen app / space) |
| Flick Up | Ctrl + ↑ (Mission Control) |
| Flick Down | Ctrl + ↓ (App Exposé / windows) |
| Gesture | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Flick Right | ⌘ + [ (Browser Back) |
| Flick Left | ⌘ + ] (Browser Forward) |
| Move Up / Down | Smooth vertical scrolling |
| Gesture | Action |
|---|---|
| Index Finger Pointing | Move cursor smoothly |
| Index + Thumb Pinch | Left click / tap |
| Pinch & Hold while moving | Click & drag |
| Middle + Thumb Pinch | Right click |
If you just want to try AirTouch right now, no building, no terminal, no extra tools are required.
-
Download the latest pre‑built release – go to the Releases page and download
AirTouch‑vX.Y.Z.zip(replaceX.Y.Zwith the current version):
https://github.com/NathN07/AirTouch/releases/latest -
Unzip the file – you’ll get an
AirTouch.appbundle. -
Launch the app – double‑click
AirTouch.app. -
Grant Accessibility permission (macOS asks automatically):
- macOS will show: “AirTouch would like to control this computer using accessibility features.”
- Click Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, press +, locate the extracted
AirTouch.app, and tick its checkbox.
-
The translucent HUD appears in the top‑right corner; start gesturing!
That’s all – you’re ready to control your Mac with your hands. 🎉
Note: The permission only needs to be granted once per binary. If you later rebuild the app, repeat step 4.
| Method | One‑liner | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Homebrew (cask) | brew install --cask airtouch |
Users who already use Homebrew and want a one‑command install. |
| Clone & Build | See Development section below | Developers who want to modify the source or run the latest unreleased code. |
All three options produce the same signed AirTouch.app; the only difference is how you obtain it.
# 1️⃣ Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/your-username/AirTouch.git
cd AirTouch
# 2️⃣ Install Xcode command‑line tools (once)
xcode-select --install
# 3️⃣ Build the app
chmod +x build.sh # only needed the first time
./build.sh # produces AirTouch.app in the repo root