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By Aryaman Sharda —

Backtick: Code Formatter

In Beta

If you write about code in chat, you’ve probably experienced this:

You’re explaining something in Slack or Notion, focused on the idea you’re trying to get across — and only after you send it do you notice nothing’s formatted. Or you remember halfway through and start going back to wrap things in backticks.

Or you forget entirely and just hope the other person figures it out.

It’s not hard, and it makes your message more readable, but it pulls you out of the flow every time.

After doing this for years, I finally got annoyed enough to fix it. So, I built - Backtick - a lightweight macOS menu bar app that automatically wraps code-like text in Markdown backticks.

Select the text you want to format — or leave nothing selected to format the whole message — press the keyboard shortcut, and Backtick automatically identifies and formats:

  • functionNames
  • variableNames
  • --cli-flags
  • /file/paths
  • SCREAMING_CONSTANTS
  • environment variables, versions, commands, and much more

With just one (customizable) keyboard shortcut (⌥⌘B by default), all of the code terms in your text are automatically identified and formatted:

GitHub
Slack

Backtick works at the system level via the macOS Accessibility APIs, so you can use it in all of the apps you normally use:

  • Slack, Discord, Teams
  • Notion, Bear, Obsidian
  • Notes, TextEdit
  • Websites like GitHub, Linear, etc

Most common code patterns are handled automatically, without any setup. But, if there are a few terms you want formatted differently, you can fine-tune it with simple allow and never-format lists (within the "Custom Words" section).

Menu Bar App

Getting Started

  1. Download Backtick
  2. Move the application to the Applications folder.
  3. Launch and grant Accessibility permissions (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility).
  4. Write normally
  5. Press ⌥⌘B
  6. Stop thinking about backticks

Click here to download:

Backtick: Automatic Markdown Backticks
macOS utility • One-time purchase • BetaIf you write about code in chat, you’ve probably noticed how backtick formatting always shows up as an afterthought — something you fix after you send the message, or sometimes forget entirely. It’s not hard, but it pulls you out of the flow every time.Backtick is a lightweight macOS menu bar app that ends that little annoyance. It automatically wraps code-like text in Markdown backticks with a single shortcut, so your messages look the way you meant them to without the extra thinking.🛠 What Backtick DoesSelect the text you want to format (or select nothing to format everything), press the shortcut (⌥⌘B by default), and Backtick automatically identifies and formats things like: functionNames variableNames --cli-flags /file/paths SCREAMING_CONSTANTS environment variables, versions, commands, and more Because it works at the system level using macOS accessibility APIs, it functions in all the places you normally write: Slack, Discord, Notion, browser fields, Notes, TextEdit, and more.📈 Works Well Right AwayBacktick handles the common patterns you use every day without any setup. Most code-like text gets formatted automatically and correctly the first time you use it.If you want to tune it to your habits, Backtick includes simple customization: Always-format list — terms you always want wrapped Never-format list — terms you never want wrapped Toggle built-in tools on or off But customization is optional. For most people, Backtick just works from day one.🚀 Getting Started Download Backtick.app and move it to the Applications folder Grant Accessibility permissions in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility Write normally Press ⌥⌘B Stop thinking about backticks ❓ FAQInternet required?No — everything runs locally.Already formatted text?Backtick skips text that’s already wrapped.Multi-line code blocks?Detected and wrapped in triple backticks, with language hints where possible.Is it perfect?No. It’s a time-saver, not a mind reader — but it gets most things right out of the box.System requirements?macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or newer.💰 Price$10 — one-time purchaseNo subscriptions. Future improvements included.Perfect for anyone who talks about code — in chat, docs, issues, PR comments, or notes.Feedback or questions? Message me at [email protected]

FAQ

Internet required?
No. Everything runs locally.

Already formatted text?
Skipped automatically.

Multi-line code?
Detected and wrapped in triple backticks with language hints.

Is it perfect?
Not quite. It’s a time-saver, not a mind reader — it gets most things right out of the box. It's currently still in Beta.

System requirements?
macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or newer.

Feedback? Email me at [email protected]

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