Pot is a cross-platform desktop application for text translation and optical character recognition built with Tauri.
The tool addresses the need for quick, context-aware translation and text recognition while working across different applications. It operates through several modes: selecting text and pressing a hotkey triggers immediate translation, a dedicated input window allows manual text entry for translation, and clipboard monitoring automatically translates copied content. The application also supports screenshot-based OCR and screenshot translation, where users frame a region to extract and translate text directly from images. It integrates multiple translation and OCR services in parallel, allowing users to query several providers simultaneously and compare results.
Pot suits developers and knowledge workers who frequently encounter text in foreign languages or need to extract text from images during their workflow. The tool's strength lies in its keyboard-driven workflow and support across Windows, macOS, and Linux, including Wayland environments. It includes a plugin system for extensibility, text-to-speech synthesis across multiple services, and the ability to export translations to vocabulary lists. External application integration allows other software to invoke Pot's translation capabilities programmatically.
The project maintains active development with regular updates addressing platform-specific issues and feature enhancements. Contributors regularly add support for new translation and OCR services, expand language support through community translation efforts, and refine the user experience across different desktop environments. The codebase shows ongoing attention to cross-platform compatibility, particularly for emerging display servers and Linux desktop variants.
