Ghostmoon.app – A Swiss Army Knife for your macOS menu bar

https://www.mgrunwald.com/ghostmoon/

by mgrunwald_ • 4 months ago

147 117 4 months ago

mgrunwald.com

subdomain• 4 months ago

Seems really useful -- I love the website design!

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

I'm very glad you like it! Thanks!

vivid242• 4 months ago

Lovely! Would appreciate a release via the App Store / notarization or so… is there a newsletter so I could get notified?

woadwarrior01• 4 months ago

This reminds of a similar windows shareware system tray app from ~25 years ago called Genius.

jofzar• 4 months ago

Interestingly to me this is what raycast actually is for me now. Most of my common workflows are just raycast keybinds now or quickly typed in.

An example is I have my airpods bound to ctrl+alt+b to connect via Bluetooth. This is to have it yank back control from my android phone.

nehal3m3• 4 months ago

Hmm, green account, no comments or submissions, generated website for an unsigned app with power user features. That’s a no from me dawg.

xattt• 4 months ago

There are only two donors, and one of them sounds like an Amazon review?

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

The donors are 100% real, early supporters of the app.

menno-dot-ai• 4 months ago

I'm getting an invalid SSL certificate too to complete the bingo card

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

The SSL certificate is issued through Cloudflare. What issues are you having?

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

Understandable! This is a pre-release of the app. You can come back later when everything is in place and the app is officially released, signed and notarized :)

nehal3m3• 4 months ago

The idea seems cool so I’ll keep an eye on it, but as a paranoid sysadmin I’ll wait for the flags to turn green.

p_j_w• 4 months ago

Will you be releasing source?

virajk_31• 4 months ago

That should not be a problem. I also used to just skim through posts and comments here without really interacting.

nehal3m3• 4 months ago

It’s not a show stopper on it’s own, but taking everything together raises my eyebrows

andersonpico2• 4 months ago

and if you published software here it would also be suspicious

gsibble2• 4 months ago

Yep, this is a no from me.

foltik4• 4 months ago

You forgot closed source. It’s a closed source dropdown menu.

bigyabai2• 4 months ago

If I had a nickle for every time a Mac user paid for the privilege of using a proprietary toolbar app...

ctmnt• 4 months ago

This looks cool enough, but it’s starting to drive me crazy how people are in such a rush to put out their macOS apps they can’t be bothered to get a developer account and run a one line command. It’s not hard.

I used to be sympathetic to complaints about not wanting to pay the developer account fee. But when you’re vibe coding, you’re probably paying a good chunk of change to your LLM supplier of choice every month, and the yearly developer account fee seems minor in comparison

Also, it’s just such a bad security precedent. This page describes the error you get as “the typical macOS Gatekeeper warning”, as though it were just another piece of corporate silliness, like clicking through a EULA.

71bw3• 4 months ago

The truth is that Gatekeeper should go the way of the devil.

It is my machine and I paid for it, why does the OS care about what I do with it? The only thing this leads to is making sure your customers grow into good little lemmings.

newsclues• 4 months ago

I want to be a power user on my Mac, I don’t want my mom’s Mac to function like my devbox.

People like and need the apple sandbox. Others need an unlocked *nix machines

jacobrast• 4 months ago

So that you don't accidentally run malware. MacOS is not iOS, you can run unsigned code if you really want to, but it will make you jump through a few hoops.

piva002• 4 months ago

You can do whatever you want if you are a power user, the tools are there to get around Gatekeeper.

For everyone else it's probably sane to have it, works as a decent filter so someone not tech-savvy don't get hurt by installing malware disguised as an app, one would just need to state incredible features that almost any normal user would like to have, and make them click to install. Gatekeeper diminishes that risk by a lot unless you learn how to bypass it, which requires you having decent skills and probably wouldn't fall for the bullshit that malware apps try to bait people with.

leshenka• 4 months ago

I really don't understand what the issue is? Gatekeeper is merely a warning that introduces a minimal friction if what are you trying to run is created by an entity that chose not to present itself. It only happens once per application, not per launch. I've spent more time reading this thread than I have removing quarantine flags in the last five years.

Apple has a lot to be criticized for but gatekeeper (and SIP) isn't that.

0x3f6• 4 months ago

If you don't want your name, address, phone number on public display you need to either set up a company or set up some forwarding. If you set up a company, you'll need to get a DUNS number. If you haven't done it before and don't know about the secret shortcut way to do that, it is very annoying to get one.

Anyway, I don't see a problem with getting it out the door. People can just choose not to install it if they don't like it. I mean that's the whole idea of being early anyway, isn't it? Don't like a crappy bodged together UI? Don't like a lack of support? Don't like an unsigned app? You can wait until it has those things according to your preferences. In the meantime, the creator gets real users and feedback ASAP.

throwaway290• 4 months ago

It's free so why not just publish it on github then so that people could read the code and compile it themselves.

Right now it's closed source binary with a big fat "DOWNLOAD FOR FREE" button and instructions casually telling you to disable the last barrier between your system and persistent malware. Nobody should recommend this to anybody

vyaa2• 4 months ago

Secret shortcut?!?

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

Thank you for saying this! As stated on the website, this is a pre-release. Those who are not sure, absolutely do not have to install this and can wait for the official, notarized release. In the meantime, the app gets tested in the real world.

moralestapia• 4 months ago

secret shortcut

I see vagueposting has found its way into HN.

mcjiggerlog• 4 months ago

You don't need to do any of that to sign and notarize an app that you are distributing yourself.

jrmg• 4 months ago

don't want your name, address, phone number on public display

Where are these displayed?

coffeecantcode• 4 months ago

Still unbelievable that they require a DUNS number and not a simple EIN, that fact alone set our app launch back weeks.

malshe2• 4 months ago

I just recently did all of this but the experience was not as bad as you are describing here. I got my DUNS number in 10 minutes. The only challenging part was using a Google Voice number for the account because there was an issue with the way I had created the business Apple account.

bennyp101• 4 months ago

"don't know about the secret shortcut way to do that, it is very annoying to get one"

Is that a US thing? Because in the UK you just get one for free - Companies House sends the info over to them, and a couple of days later it is available to search

glitchc• 4 months ago

What's the secret shortcut way to set up a company in your jurisdiction?

eviks• 4 months ago

and the yearly developer account fee seems minor in comparison

Do you not realize that spending money on other useful services makes it harder, not easier, to waste on dev fees?

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

Gatekeeper and notarization are not silliness. They exist for a reason. I thought it would be a good idea to release the app during development when I am sure that it works correctly and then maybe get some feedback from early users.

s3p• 4 months ago

I guess OP's point is still pretty valid though, what's the harm in signing and notarizing it?

LatencyKills• 4 months ago

Ex-Apple macOS/Xcode dev here.

I just downloaded your app and ran it through hopper. There is a LOT of embedded Apple Script. I would never run an app like this with SIP disabled or without an active network blocker.

Your app requires direct access to major OS components: code signing, even during alpha should be a requirement.

pdntspa3• 4 months ago

They aren't silliness, they are levers of control and loss of freedom

user39393822• 4 months ago

Gatekeeper is a travesty and assault on user freedom. Apple should not be in charge of what you run on your computer, at all. Any exception to this should be opt in. If a user wants to insert a third party between themselves and a programmer they can elect to do that.

Let’s not forget when Apple’s certificate server was down and suddenly you couldn’t launch apps on macOS, to say nothing of the abuse of user rights.

hspmn• 4 months ago

you're saying security should be optional and up to users?

lol

drfloyd51• 4 months ago

Users used their freedom to choose macOS. Gatekeeper is a desirable feature. They opted-in with their purchase.

karimf• 4 months ago

Totally agree. There are significantly more new apps being released. I've been visiting the /r/macapps subreddit and they're having trouble filtering new submissions. I generally like the direction that they're taking https://www.reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/1ryaeex/rmacapps_m...

Even though it's more troublesome to submit apps to App Store, it's one signal that the app is not a malware.

g947o• 4 months ago

Wow, this subreddit looks like the apocalypse of vibe coded projects/apps. Kind of similar to what happened to "show HN". Too many ideas, not enough problems to solve, and likely bad implementations. The result is that nobody uses any of the apps.

In AI conversations, people often forget that at the end of a day, an actual human needs to use your stuff.

foltik4• 4 months ago

Except it is just another piece of corporate silliness.

Why don’t you purchase your own developer account and sign it yourself if you trust it? Or are you saying them paying Apple $100/yr in perpetuity is what will make you trust it?

IncRnd2• 4 months ago

A signed executable isn't for trusting the app. It's for knowing the provenance of the app. Sure, there are some application checks that happen before listing a store app, but those checks are minimal.

thisislife22• 4 months ago

they can’t be bothered to get a developer account and run a one line command

I applaud that they didn't kowtow to Apple's attempt to exercise control over their app and extort money from them. Why should we accede to policies that are designed to exploit us developers?

We developers add the real value to a platform. Don't believe me? Look up on how popular Sailfish OS or Windows Mobile OS is and why they failed or struggle. Apple should be grateful to this developer that they seek to add value to their platform instead of trying to figure out money grubbing ways on how to control and exploit them. (Of course, ultimately it is the users of the platform who are exploited - all charges by Apple are ultimately bore by them when they purchase an app through the App Store).

It's just sad that whether you are a user or a developer, Apple Fanbois would rather (ignorantly) place Apple's interest over their own consumer rights.

fredoliveira2• 4 months ago

It's just sad that whether you are a user or a developer, Apple Fanbois would rather (ignorantly) place Apple's interest over their own consumer rights.

You think notarizing an app is "placing Apple's interest over" our own?

seany2• 4 months ago

Gatekeeper should be banned. It's my machine, let me use it

IncRnd2• 4 months ago

You can just click to run the app. Gatekeeper doesn't stop you from running apps.

If you really want to ban Gatekeeper you can. sudo spctl --master-disable

As the saying goes about being careful, measure twice and cut once.

jasonvorhe• 4 months ago

The fewer apps make me depend on proprietary app stores the better. Just make it a homebrew cask and you're good to go. If I were to develop macOS apps (vibed or not, whatever) I wouldn't want to pay Apple either nor jump through KYC and review hoops.

whimblepop2• 4 months ago

Perhaps the feeling is (at least sometimes, if not here) mutual. Some free software developers make apps for themselves and don't particularly want users (and least of all non-technical users that they'll be expected to support). They may not be interested in participating in Apple's system of obstructing software installation, especially if they just write their software for themselves.

I've never ended up with undesired software on my system except for under two circumstances: either (a) it's installed by the OS vendor, or (b) some proprietary indie software I used got bought by a shady company who now wants to spy on me and sell my data. Systems like Gatekeeper don't protect against either.

Also, it’s just such a bad security precedent. This page describes the error you get as “the typical macOS Gatekeeper warning”, as though it were just another piece of corporate silliness, like clicking through a EULA.

It mostly is another piece of corporate silliness. For most people it rarely does something useful. But I agree; if you're courting normie users you should just pony up and get your code signed and notarized. Otherwise just tell people that if they don't already know what Gatekeeper is and understand the risks of bypassing it as well as how to do so, your software isn't for them.

pdntspa3• 4 months ago

as though it were just another piece of corporate silliness,

It IS another piece of corporate silliness. Though silliness is an extremely charitable word for what it really is

Cheering on the loss of autonomy and control over our own computers under the guise of 'silliness' is disgusting

apples_oranges• 4 months ago

Nice, but, and this is not personal, I would not trust this app with my computer internals. Probably also asks for sudo from time to time.. but I might ask Claude to make something similar for myself.. (sorry but just being honest)

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

Understandable. Yes, it asks for sudo from time to time, but it is designed to be as safe as possible in what it does.

vladde• 4 months ago

the website design is cool as h*ck

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

Thanks!

gsibble2• 4 months ago

Yeah, I'm not trusting some app like that randomly on my computer.

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

Understandable! You can come back later when everything is in place and the app is officially released, signed and notarized :)

qn9n• 4 months ago

This is cool but most of this stuff for me is just set and forget, I rarely need to change those things so frequently I need it in my menu bar.

RicDan• 4 months ago

Interesting how posts like these seem to be catapulted to #1 spot so quickly

geerlingguy• 4 months ago

Along with a number of posts praising the "website design". Besides novel designs (I think of Acko.net) it's not often I see comments on that here.

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

As the original poster and creator I am actually a little surprised, too!

pieterhg• 4 months ago

Awesome. Can you add extra bright mode like Vivid? I'd love to get rid of Vivid cause it's so buggy and never re-enables after I close my MacBook Pro

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

I'm glad you like it!

I might consider adding this in a future release, although at this point I'm focusing on keeping the app's footprint minimal, so every feature addition has to be carefully considered :)

antryu• 4 months ago

The pricing debate is interesting. I'm running a similar service and found that giving away as much as possible for free helps build initial trust — getting people to actually try it once is the hardest part.

Pre-release feedback from the community is definitely valuable though. I didn't know this part is the most diffcult.

fouc• 4 months ago

in your "demo" image the menu bar is completely missing.. this seems like a very confusing choice. I can barely make out the menu bar icon against the background image.

alsetmusic4• 4 months ago

I get that there's a market to put command line preferences in a GUI wrapper, but wasn't HN going to limit posts from new accounts? Oh, it's not in Show HN. They found a loophole.

Meanwhile, I'm running Claude Code and asking it to make me stupid bespoke things that only I want and I'm not spamming the internet with those tools because they aren't novel or useful for most people and you can have Claude Code build a version for the way that you work.

Go away, green accounts. Everyone is pretty tired of your presence.

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

Not really just command line preferences. The app has many more features that use native macOS APIs. But thanks for your comment!

fredoliveira2• 4 months ago

Go away, green accounts. Everyone is pretty tired of your presence.

I get the frustration with the overload of new vibe-coded tools, but this particular attitude towards new people - can we not?

alsetmusic4• 4 months ago

I have no issue with new users contributing to thoughtful conversations. People spamming vibe-coded apps are not that. Firm pushback is appropriate, just as with OSS projects rejecting AI submissions.

sosuke• 4 months ago

Unrelated to the app but I dig your website design.

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

Thanks!

lukifer• 4 months ago

Cool! Disappointing there's so much focus on the non-sandboxing, I think it's a reasonable trade-off to release early, and follow up with signing later.

- Website looks great overall, but the fixed and overlaid header title is awkward and hurts readability for not much benefit.

- Battery Health on my M3 Max MBP reads as "1%", when System Report shows Condition: Normal, Maximum Capacity: 100%. What is this reading from?

- Handy password generator is great; any chance of an option for "correct horse" [0] style passwords? I find these are preferable for reasonably secure passwords which can still be remembered or hand-typed as needed.

Looking forward to seeing how the app evolves!

[0] https://www.correcthorsebatterystaple.net

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

Thanks for the comment, I'm glad you like it!

Yes, the pre-release is intended for testing purposes, so thanks for bringing the battery health issue to my attention. It is calculated from the the battery's reported design capacity and current capacity, but the reported values seem to be unreliable across different systems.

The password generator suggestion is interesting, but I intentionally gave the user only one password generator option in the base version of the app - the most secure one :)

andersonpico2• 4 months ago

vibe coded bullshit; also why is it top of the front page? are we botting votes now?

mgrunwald_15• 4 months ago

I understand your skepticism, but as the original poster and creator of this I am actually a little surprised, too!

incanus77• 4 months ago

A similar app in this space that I discovered recently is Supercharge.

https://sindresorhus.com/supercharge

I was skeptical that I’d find it useful since I can do all of these shell commands and such, but one feature I like is being able to effectively pare the feature set down to just what you need, making for a small but very useful menu.

deepfriedbits• 4 months ago

Sindre makes high quality apps. Big fan of what he's put out.

heavyshark• 4 months ago

This looks cool but I'd probably always prefer Raycast over this. The menubar gets crowded enough even with Ice, Bartender etc...

attila_miklosi• 4 months ago

this looks pretty great!

hosteur• 4 months ago

We no longer use Show HN?

zarigani• 4 months ago

use raycast

Ghostmoon.app – A Swiss Army Knife for your macOS menu bar

Related Stories