Show HN: What if your menu bar was a keyboard-controlled command center? (extrabar.app)
After DockFlow to manage my Dock and ExtraDock, which gives me more space to manage my apps and files, I decided to tackle the macOS big boss: the menu bar.
I spend ~40% of my day context-switching between apps — Zoom meetings, Slack channels, Code projects, and Figma designs. My macOS menu bar has too many useless icons I almost never use.
So I thought to myself, how can I use this area to improve my workflows?
Most solutions (Bartender, Ice) require screen recording permissions, and did not really solve my issues. I wanted custom menus in the apps, not the ones that the developers decided for me.
After a few iterations and exploring different solutions, ExtraBar was created. Instead of just hiding icons, what if the menu bar became a keyboard-controlled command center that has the actions I need? No permissions. No telemetry. Just local actions.
This is ExtraBar: Set up the menu with the apps and actions YOU need, and use a hotkey to bring it up with full keyboard navigation built in.
What you can do: - Jump into your next Zoom call with a keystroke - Open specific Slack channels instantly (no menu clicking) - Launch VS Code projects directly - Trigger Apple Shortcuts workflows - Integrate with Raycast for advanced automation - Custom deep links to Figma, Spotify, or any URL
Real-world example: I've removed my menu bar icons. Everything is keyboard- controlled: cmd+B → 2 (Zoom) → 4 (my personal meeting) → I'm in.
Why it's different: Bartender and Ice hide icons. ExtraBar uses your menu bar to do things. Bartender requires screen recording permissions. Ice requires accessibility permissions. ExtraBar works offline with zero permissions - (Enhance functionality with only accessibility permissions, not a must)
Technical: - Written in SwiftUI; native on Apple Silicon and Intel - Zero OS permissions required (optional accessibility for enhanced keyboard nav) - All data stored locally (no cloud, no telemetry) - Very Customizable with custom configuration built in for popular apps + fully customizable configuration actions. - Import/export action configurations
The app is improving weekly based on community feedback. We're also building configuration sharing so users can share setups.
Already got some great feedback from Reddit and Producthunt, and I can't wait to get yours!
Check out the website: https://extrabar.app ProductHunt: https://www.producthunt.com/products/extrabar
19 comments
[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 43.0 ms ] threadI'm also curious how this compares to other similar solutions -- QuickCMD, Raycast, Keyboard Maestro, Command Keeper, etc. It seems clear that its featureset is different, but it's hard to figure out which ones do which things. If you included a comparison features chart it might be helpful so potential customers can see what makes this one unique -- i.e. it's the only one that does X and Y and Z, because every other app only does 2 but not all 3.
Offtop: but is this the right question to ask?
Coming from Linux (involuntarily), the menu/tray implementation was one of the loudest UX issues I immediately discovered. Some functions can only be invoked from a system tray icon, and those actions can also be app/workspace-sensitive (like taking a screenshot with some special config using a screenshot tool). MacOS renders those functions inaccessible if the currently focused app has more than ~6 items in the menu.
Gosh, some apps even have menus so big, they don't fit on a single screen (btw, MacOS's solution is to compress the font, yeah, ask me how I know), leaving only the control center in the tray (which is completely useless in this scenario).
This is the first time I encounter a MacOS user who at least acknowledges the problem, albeit from a different angle: "you are displaying it wrong/your screen is too small".
I have a custom menu bar I wrote that integrates with Yabai and requires disabling SIP for full functionality, it works similarly to yours, but I love how simple and polished this one is.
How are you able to do that without OS permissions?
I work with Raycase + ExtraBar together.
ExtraBar is really good for managing different tasks in the same app, since there's no direct way to set this up in Raycast/Alfred, and it's also a good place to "bookmark" your favorite Raycast/Alfred actions without having to open the full app.
Raycast provides a deeplink for every action in the app. So I just take the actions that I use the most and put them in my ExtraBar.
I am working to build full macro creation inside ExtraBar, which will allow you to quickly run complex scripts that use different applications and actions in an easy, accessible way.
Let me know if you have any more question or wants to try it out
https://github.com/xiaogdgenuine/Doll
My perception (although I never tried it) is that it reduces the number of people actually trying it and avoids that you have to still pay for the payment platform fee when there is a refund, plus I presume there is also some dedication needed for handling the refund itself.
I speculate that there might be a sweet spot between the impulse purchase and the price level where you do not bother to ask for a refund, even if the tool does not work for you, but still it is counterintuitive for me why not to reach as many potential users as possible at a nearly zero marginal cost and sort of pray for conversion with a much higher user base.
In other words, at this price range with no recurring income, what is the percentage of users who actually to ask for a refund? Is it very low?
[1] https://bloomapp.club
[2] https://manytricks.com/witch/
That phrasing is so GPT coded. Same for other portions of the text.
Just feeling curious that the tone is there, not judging your usage of tools.