swiftbarBrowser & desktop

SwiftBar

An open-source macOS utility that turns scripts into custom menu bar items and supports the BitBar/xbar plugin format.

Frontend
Backend
DevOps
Automation
Productivity
Desktop
macOS
Runs locally

Open website View on GitHub

Popularity: 4.6k Stars; GitHub stars
Recent activity: 9/29/2026; Updated in the last 30 days
License: MIT; Permissive

Why it matters

We look beyond stars: what problem it solves, whether it creates real utility, and what makes its approach worth noticing.

Last 90 days

Problem

macOS users have limited status bar space and often need custom monitoring data or quick actions not provided natively, addressing the need to integrate script outputs into the system menu bar.

Practical value

Compatible with BitBar and xbar plugin ecosystems, supports script output in various programming languages, and provides refresh rate configuration along with rich text and visual parameter controls.

Innovation / differentiation

Its core concept inherits from existing BitBar and xbar projects, with primary contributions lying in the native macOS implementation and adaptation to newer features.

Leverage potential

Leveraging an existing large plugin repository, users can quickly deploy various system monitoring and productivity tools with high extensibility.

Why now

As a mature macOS status bar script host tool, updates primarily progress alongside macOS system version iterations.

Community activity

In the last 90 days there were 40 new issues and 41 pull requests; the bounded issue/PR samples include 23 issue authors and 7 PR contributors, with at least 7 releases.

Maintainer responsiveness

The 40-issue window sample had a 85% close rate, and the 41-pull-request sample had a 95% merge rate. Maintainer-response observations covered 100% of that issue sample, with a 45% response rate and median first response of 17.1 hours.

7 contributors in PR sampleAt least 7 releasesIssue response rate 45% · sample 40 (100% coverage)Median first response 17.1hPR merge rate 95% · 41 sampled in window

Key highlights

Render executable script output as macOS menu bar items and dropdown menus
Include a plugin repository and remain compatible with the BitBar/xbar plugin API
Set refresh intervals from milliseconds to days through plugin filenames

Quick start

How it is installed, how hard it is, and where to start.

Where it runs

Runs locally

Difficulty

Easy — follow the steps

Runs locally

01On macOS 12 or newer, download SwiftBar from GitHub Releases or run brew install swiftbar.
02Choose a Plugin Folder on first launch.
03Place an executable script using the documented filename format in that folder, or install an existing plugin from Get Plugins.

Best for

Developers who want to try it on their machine

More about it

SwiftBar turns the output of executable scripts into items and menus in the macOS menu bar. Users can write their own scripts in shell or another executable language or install existing plugins from the built-in plugin repository, and plugin filenames can define refresh intervals. The project is compatible with the BitBar/xbar plugin API and supports output parameters for styling, icons, and interactions, making it a lightweight way to expose system status, development information, or frequent actions from the menu bar.

Sources

Each field shows its status and source — expand to review.

11 · Expand

capability tags
Verified
automation, productivity
Source: manual_curator · README manually reviewed for release curation · 8/17/2026
Latest release
Verified
v2.1.1
Source: GitHub API · latest_release=v2.1.1 · 10/1/2026
License
Verified
MIT
Source: GitHub API · license.spdx_id=MIT · 10/1/2026
needs api key
Verified
No
Source: manual_curator · README manually reviewed for release curation · 8/17/2026
One-liner
Verified
{"en":"An open-source macOS utility that turns scripts into custom menu bar items and supports the BitBar/xbar plugin format.","zh":"通过脚本把自定义信息和操作放进 macOS 菜单栏的开源桌面工具，兼容 BitBar/xbar 插件格式。"}
Source: manual_curator · README manually reviewed for release curation · 8/17/2026
Platforms
Verified
macos
Source: manual_curator · README manually reviewed for release curation · 8/17/2026
Category hint
Inferred from materials
security
Source: Project README · hint=security · 8/17/2026
product forms
Verified
desktop
Source: manual_curator · README manually reviewed for release curation · 8/17/2026
role tags
Verified
frontend, backend, devops
Source: manual_curator · README manually reviewed for release curation · 8/17/2026
supports local
Verified
Yes
Source: manual_curator · README manually reviewed for release curation · 8/17/2026
supports self host
Verified
No
Source: manual_curator · README manually reviewed for release curation · 8/17/2026

Other verified projects matched by category, capabilities, and intended roles.

peerd

A browser-native AI agent runtime that drives tabs, executes sandboxed compute, and manages tasks directly within your browser via an extension.

Same Browser & desktop categoryBoth support Automation

PowerToys

A Microsoft-maintained set of Windows utilities for window layouts, keyboard shortcuts, file tasks, and everyday system workflows.

Same Browser & desktop categoryBoth support Productivity

Linguist

An open-source browser translation extension for pages, selections, inputs, and subtitles, with on-device offline translation and custom backends.

Same Browser & desktop categoryBoth support Productivity

Flare

A graph-first IDE for agentic coding featuring a live codebase map, integrated terminal, and MCP task collaboration.

Both support AutomationBoth fit Frontend

massing

Open-source, self-hosted, IFC-native AEC platform featuring in-browser BIM modeling, a general contractor portal, and development proforma tools.