LingoKey is a small system-level window for developers who think in Chinese, work with English AI coding tools, and want less copy-paste friction.
The current 0.3.4 app keeps the product narrow: prompt polishing before you send, instant explanation after you read, settings that match your workflow, and local history for reuse.
Turn Chinese or mixed-language drafts into direct, natural prompts for Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, or any AI coding assistant.
Select unfamiliar English from AI output and open a lightweight explanation with meaning, context, and alternate phrasing.
Copied and confirmed results are saved locally so useful phrasing, explanations, and favorites stay close at hand.
Press the main hotkey. A compact always-on-top window opens with the input already focused.
Write in Chinese, English, or a mix. LingoKey rewrites it into your configured learning language while preserving technical intent.
Copy the result into your AI coding assistant. Confirmed results are added to local history for quick reuse.
When AI output contains an unfamiliar phrase, select it and press the explain hotkey for native-language context.
Main, explain, and settings shortcuts are customizable. The app also supports theme, opacity, always-on-top, auto-start, language pair, and provider settings.
LingoKey is open source and free. It works with OpenAI-compatible APIs, defaults to DeepSeek, and keeps your API key in local settings.