Quick-access, always-on-top windows for the tools you use most.
Stay focused. Stay productive.
"Handbook was created to assist me in my development process, providing quick-access tools in the most efficient manner while coding. Some of my favorites include ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Notion, WhatsApp, and even YouTube."
Ever need to quickly check something — a chat message, an AI response, a doc — without leaving your workflow? Handbook gives you lightweight, always-on-top windows that float over everything, even fullscreen apps. One shortcut to show, one to hide. That's it.
- Switching to a browser kills your focus
- Too many open tabs waste RAM
- Alt-tabbing through windows is slow and disruptive
Handbook creates single-purpose overlay windows (called Pages) that are:
- Always on top — even over fullscreen content
- Instantly toggleable — show/hide with a global shortcut
- Lightweight — one Chromium instance per page, minimal RAM
- Fully customizable — opacity, size, position, shortcuts, and more
Handbook lives in your system tray. Right-click to access pages, settings, and more. Click to toggle the current page.
Each page is a dedicated overlay window. Keep your AI open while coding, check WhatsApp without switching windows, or watch a tutorial on the side.
Instantly switch between pages with a searchable command palette. Type to filter, press Enter to switch. No mouse needed.
Configure window opacity for focused and blurred states. Windows become semi-transparent when you're not interacting with them, letting you see your work underneath.
A minimal 40px navigation bar provides essential controls: back, forward, reload, URL display, mute toggle, and find-in-page — without the bloat of a full browser. The navigation bar can also be disabled by turning off the frame in the "Preferences".
Add, reorder, and customize your pages. Set a URL, give it a label, assign a session, and choose whether the page should persist in memory when switching.
Pages with the same Session ID share cookies, cache, and login state. Log into Google once and access Gmail, Drive, and YouTube without re-authenticating. Use different sessions for personal and work accounts.
Fine-tune how your windows look and behave:
- Position — 9 preset screen positions (corners, edges, center)
- Size — Custom default width and height
- Opacity — Separate focus and blur opacity levels
- Frame — Show or hide the native window frame
- Shortcuts — Global hotkeys to toggle visibility from anywhere
- Shared bounds — All pages share the same window size and position
Export your configuration as a JSON file or sync it to a GitHub Gist for cloud backup and cross-device sync.
Control permissions per page — clipboard, geolocation, camera, microphone, notifications, and more. Grant, deny, or prompt on a per-URL, per-session basis.
- Themes: System, Light, and Dark
- Languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese (BR & PT), and Russian
- Tray icon themes: Light, Dark, and Gray
- Download the latest release for your OS from the Releases page
- Install following the Installation Guide
- Add pages — The settings window opens automatically on first launch
- Configure a shortcut — Set a global hotkey in Window Settings to toggle visibility
- Start using it — Click the tray icon or press your shortcut to show/hide pages
For detailed installation instructions for macOS, Linux, and Windows, see the Installation Guide.
git clone https://github.com/ECRomaneli/Handbook.git
cd Handbook
npm install
npm startFor the full build guide, artifact creation, and distribution targets, see the Build Guide.
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Installation Guide | Detailed setup instructions for macOS, Linux, and Windows |
| Configuration Guide | Pages, window settings, sessions, permissions, and sync |
| Build Guide | Building from source and creating distribution artifacts |
| Troubleshooting | Common issues and solutions |
| Contributing | How to contribute to Handbook |
Handbook is open-source and contains no malicious code. However, the app is currently not code-signed, which may trigger security warnings on some operating systems. You can verify the source code and build it yourself for full code integrity assurance. See the Troubleshooting Guide for instructions on bypassing OS security warnings.
Created by Emerson Capuchi Romaneli (@ECRomaneli).