Alfred Workflow for Surge

Switching Surge modes always felt clunky: mouse to the menu bar, click, click again. AppleScript GUI automation was an option but too cumbersome. When Surge Mac 4.0 shipped with an HTTP API, I saw my chance to automate it via Alfred. Thirty minutes later, I had a workflow.

Pricing

I skipped my old upgrade path and bought a fresh single-device license for Surge Mac 4.0 ($39.99, with a limited-time 20% discount at the time). Full pricing lives on the official site.

Building Blocks

1. Surge Mac 4.0.0 / iOS 4.4.0 introduced the HTTP API.
2. Alfred workflows can run shell scripts; I used Node.js for convenience.

Implementation

1. Enable the HTTP API in Surge:

   http-api = examplekey@0.0.0.0:6171
   

2. Call the API from the workflow with JavaScript/Node.

Demo

Download the workflow here.

• No more mousing around—keyboard-driven toggles feel right at home.
• The author hinted at even more APIs coming; can’t wait.

Limitations

• The API is still growing. For instance, there’s no endpoint (yet) to query the active profile.

Closing Thoughts

With this setup I can flip Surge modes instantly—perfect for keyboard-centric workflows.