Getting started

Abbrio is a native macOS interface for Espanso; it is not the text-expansion engine. You need a separate Espanso installation and a configuration folder before Abbrio can show and edit your sets.

Before you begin

• Use a Mac running macOS 14 or later.
• Install Espanso separately and make sure you know where its configuration folder is.
• Abbrio’s public repository and release links are not configured on this website yet. When a release is offered, use the instructions supplied with that release; this guide does not promise that a signed or notarized download is available.

Abbrio works with Espanso’s files and command-line tool. It does not bundle Espanso, so the engine must be available on your Mac for expansions that need Espanso to run.

First launch

Open Abbrio and let it look for Espanso and its configuration. The main window has a sidebar of sets, an item list, and a details pane. If the toolbar status says Espanso or its configuration was not found, open Settings and check the Espanso binary and configuration-folder locations before continuing.

The status pill can also report that Espanso is not running, paused, or in Secure Input. Those states describe the engine; they do not mean the Abbrio editor itself is unavailable. Use the separate engine controls only when you intend to change Espanso’s running state.

macOS access

Quick Search uses macOS interaction to read a selection when available and has a simulated-copy fallback. If macOS requests Accessibility access for an Abbrio action, review the request and enable Abbrio in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility only if you want to use that action. Permission prompts and behavior can vary with the macOS version and the action being used.

Try a first expansion

1. Make sure Espanso is running and the status pill reports Running.
2. In another text field that you control, open Quick Search with Control-Command-S. You can also open Quick Search from the menu-bar menu.
3. Search for a trigger you already recognize from one of your enabled sets, select its result, and press Return.
4. Confirm the result in that text field. Command-Return opens the selected item in Abbrio instead; Escape closes the panel.

Quick Search can paste plain-text expansions itself. Items that use Espanso features are sent through the separate engine, so they require Espanso to be running. Do not use a test field that could submit, send, or otherwise act on the inserted text.