Raycast + Reflect (getting started)

Raycast becomes genuinely useful for Reflect once the Reflect extension is installed—after that, daily-note actions can be triggered from anywhere via Command Space, without switching apps. The setup starts with downloading Raycast for Mac, then opening Raycast with the Command Space shortcut. Out of the box, typing “reflect” only launches the Reflect app, which is convenient but largely redundant because macOS Spotlight can do the same job.

The practical upgrade is adding the Reflect extension from Raycast’s Extensions store. After installation, the Reflect extension appears in Raycast settings, and the “reflect” command expands into a set of Reflect-specific actions. Before using them, the extension requires connecting and authorizing a Reflect account, then selecting the target graph for note operations. Once authorized, users can append to a daily note directly from Raycast—no need to open Reflect at all. A key feature demonstrated is automatic timestamp prepending for daily logs, including the ability to set a time format (the demo uses a 12-hour clock) and submit the entry in a single flow.

The workflow is designed for speed and context switching. The transcript emphasizes that this approach avoids the mental “fuzziness” that comes from bouncing between screens—an Etch A Sketch analogy for forgetting what you were doing. Instead, a user can be in a browser tab or Slack, trigger Raycast, and log an entry immediately. The example daily log entry (“went on a early morning walk…”) shows how the timestamp and action text land in Reflect as a structured daily note item.

Voice can extend the same idea. The transcript pairs Raycast’s Reflect append action with Super Whisper, using voice to capture a longer, more detailed daily log in less time. After recording, the text is pasted into the Reflect append flow, and the timestamp option is applied—resulting in richer context than typing alone.

Beyond “append to daily note,” the extension includes “quick append,” which writes directly without navigating to a daily note page, and requires an ID to route the entry correctly. Another highlighted command is “search notes,” which jumps straight into Reflect’s search interface, letting users navigate to meetings, ideas, or notes pulled from books and articles—especially with Reflect’s advanced search capabilities. The extension also supports creating new notes and opening daily notes directly.

The takeaway is straightforward: install the Reflect extension, authorize it, and start with the core commands—append, quick append, search, and note creation—before moving on to more complex AI-driven workflows and multi-extension setups in later sessions. For users focused on keyboard-first efficiency, the combination of Raycast’s command palette and Reflect’s note graphs turns daily logging and retrieval into a near one-line operation.