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FelixKratz

FelixKratz/SketchyBar

A highly customizable macOS status bar replacement, configured with shell scripts and driven by events.

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What is it?

SketchyBar replaces the default macOS menu bar with a custom status bar whose items can be added, removed, and restyled at any time. The bar is configured through a shell-style rc file and plugin scripts, so users can build their own widgets around system data, commands, or external events.

The bar supports a dynamic animation system, an event and scripting system, interactive mouse input, on-demand popup menus, and drawing arbitrary graphs. It can also display macOS menu bar apps through aliases.

The project was forked from spacebar and rewritten, and it is commonly paired with the yabai tiling window manager. Community setups and plugins are collected in the project's discussions.

Key features

  • 01Every bar item can be added, removed, or changed at runtime.
  • 02Event-driven scripting drives updates to the bar.
  • 03Animation system for item transitions.
  • 04Interactive mouse support and on-demand popup menus.
  • 05Can draw arbitrary graphs.
  • 06Displays macOS menu bar apps via aliases.

Use cases

  • Customizing the macOS top bar to show workspace, system, or custom script output.
  • Building a status bar that reflects a tiling window manager's state, such as with yabai.
  • Creating interactive bar widgets with shell scripts.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Follow the installation guide in the documentation

  2. 2

    Start from the default sketchybarrc and plugin scripts in ~/.config/sketchybar/

Things to know

  • Works only on macOS, as it replaces the macOS status bar.
  • Licensed under GPL-3.0, a copyleft license that requires derivative works to remain open source.
  • Configuration is done through shell scripts, so it suits users comfortable with scripting.

In collections

Open-source Mac apps

Topics

#macos#status-bar#shell-scripts#customization#tiling-window-manager#ui#bar#darwin#ricing#sketchybar

FAQ

What is SketchyBar?
A highly customizable macOS status bar replacement, configured with shell scripts and driven by events. SketchyBar replaces the default macOS menu bar with a custom status bar whose items can be added, removed, and restyled at any time. The bar is configured through a shell-style rc file and plugin scripts, so users can build their own widgets around system data, commands, or external events.
Is SketchyBar free to use? What license does it have?
SketchyBar is open source under the GPL-3.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is SketchyBar still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to SketchyBar was on Oct 18, 2026.
What can I use SketchyBar for?
Customizing the macOS top bar to show workspace, system, or custom script output. Building a status bar that reflects a tiling window manager's state, such as with yabai. Creating interactive bar widgets with shell scripts.
How do I install SketchyBar?
Follow the installation guide in the documentation Start from the default sketchybarrc and plugin scripts in ~/.config/sketchybar/
Where can I get SketchyBar?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/FelixKratz/SketchyBar

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