Why is there a delay when using Automator to create a keyboard shortcut to open Terminal.app on macOS? Any faster alternatives?

Question

I'm trying to set up a keyboard shortcut to quickly open Terminal.app (or any other application) on macOS using Automator and the ~/Library/Services directory, but I've noticed a significant delay each time I press the shortcut. The shortcut works, but there seems to be a 1-2 second delay between pressing the keys and the Terminal opening.

Here's what I did:

1. Created a workflow in Automator:
   • I created a service (workflow) named Open Terminal.workflow that runs a simple AppleScript to open the Terminal app.
   • The script in Automator is as follows:

     tell application "Terminal"
         activate
     end tell
     

2. Assigned a custom keyboard shortcut:
   • I set up the keyboard shortcut Command + Control + Option + T to trigger the Automator service via System Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services.

The problem:

• The shortcut works, but there is a noticeable delay (1-2 seconds) each time I use it to launch Terminal.app.
• I want a faster way to open the Terminal without this delay. Ideally, I'd like an open-source, free solution to quickly launch Terminal or any other app without relying on Automator, as it seems slower.

What I've tried:

• Automator works, but the delay is quite noticeable.
• System Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts doesn't provide an option to directly map a shortcut to open an app, so I had to use Automator.
• I've also tested other workflows in Automator, but the delay persists.

What I'm looking for:

• A faster solution (ideally open-source and free) that allows me to quickly launch Terminal.app or other applications using a custom keyboard shortcut, without significant delay.
• If there are other tools or scripts that can do this more efficiently than Automator, I'd love to know about them.

Answer 1

I have not used this tool, so I do not know if it will meet your needs: SRHD, Simple Rust Hotkey Daemon is a minimal and lightweight key binding service for MacOS similar to skhd. It is FOSS.

https://github.com/sylvanfranklin/srhd

I use rcmd, a paid app: https://lowtechguys.com/rcmd/. I hold the right CMD key and press I, and this launches iterm.

And I suspect you are aware of application launchers such as Alfred. While relatively quick, they do require more than just a keyboard shortcut.