Surf

Use an Apple TV remote with your Mac.

Surf is a menu bar app for the Mac plugged into your TV. Swipe the remote to move the pointer, click to select something, or hold Siri to dictate into a text field. You can leave the keyboard on the coffee table.

You'll need macOS 14 Sonoma or later. The remote code was developed with the third-generation USB-C Siri Remote. Other remote models still need testing.

Download Surf, open the DMG, and drag Surf into Applications. Then open Surf from Applications. It lives in your menu bar, so look there to pair your remote and change settings.

If you use Homebrew, you can install it from Terminal:

brew install --cask fcjr/fcjr/surf
open -a Surf

Surf checks for updates automatically. You can also click Updates… in its menu to check yourself.

The remote can only be paired with one host at a time. Pairing it with your Mac takes it away from your Apple TV.

1. Put the Apple TV to sleep so it doesn't keep grabbing the remote back.
2. Hold Back + Volume Up for five seconds. The remote should appear under Nearby in Surf's menu.
3. Click Pair, then Connect. If it times out, hold the buttons again and retry.

Once paired, Surf shows the remote's connection status and battery level.

To switch back to the Apple TV, click Forget… in Surf. This opens Bluetooth settings, where you can remove the remote. Then hold it near the Apple TV and press Back + Volume Up again.

Enable Touch surface moves the pointer in Surf's menu. You'll need to allow Surf in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

• Swipe with one finger to move the pointer. Slow movements give you finer control.
• Swipe with two fingers to scroll. Lift your fingers to let it coast; touch again to stop.
• Press the center to click. Keep it pressed while moving to drag.

Adjust the Speed slider if the pointer feels too slow or too twitchy.

These are the defaults:

Pressing the ring sends an arrow key rather than a mouse click. If you're already dragging, moving onto the ring keeps the drag going.

Click Customize… to change a button. The picture of the remote lights up as you press the real buttons. You can assign a key or a recorded shortcut, choose an action like Mission Control, or make a button do nothing. Reset to defaults puts it all back.

Enable Hold Siri to dictate, then hold the Siri button and speak. Text appears in the focused field as you talk and finishes when you release the button. The first time you enable it, Surf downloads a speech model. Wait for that to finish before trying it.

One catch: Surf uses your Mac's microphone, not the one in the remote. A display, webcam, or external mic also works if it's your Mac's default input.

Dictation currently recognizes English. Speech recognition runs locally through FluidAudio. Surf downloads the model and checks GitHub for app updates, but it doesn't upload your audio for transcription.

Dictation needs Microphone and Accessibility access. Without Accessibility access, the transcript goes to the clipboard instead. Surf also uses the clipboard when macOS secure input is active.

• Nothing under Nearby? Hold Back + Volume Up for the full five seconds and make sure the Apple TV is asleep. If the remote appeared and disappeared, try again.
• The remote still remembers another host? Sleep the Apple TV, put the remote back in pairing mode, and retry.
• Paired, but no touch surface? Press a button to wake the remote and give it a moment to connect. Touch input can take a little longer than the buttons.
• No pointer movement or typed text? Check Surf's Accessibility permission. After rebuilding or replacing the app, you may need to remove its old entry and add it again.

Touch input uses Apple's private MultitouchSupport framework. It may need fixes after macOS updates.

See docs/development.md for build commands and the release process.

MIT, copyright 2026 Left Shift Logical, LLC. See LICENSE. Adapted code and dependencies retain their own licenses; their notices are in Surf/Resources/Licenses and included in the app.