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hovancik/stretchly

A cross-platform Electron desktop app that runs in the tray and reminds you to take short and long breaks while working at your computer.

Open-source alternative to:Time OutWorkrave

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What is it?

Stretchly is a break reminder for desktop computers, built with Electron and running on macOS, Windows and Linux. It sits in the system tray and shows a break window at set intervals: short mini breaks every 10 minutes by default and longer breaks every 30 minutes, with a countdown and a break idea on screen.

Breaks can be postponed or skipped, and the app pauses automatically when you are idle or when Do Not Disturb is on. Most settings are available in the Preferences window, and a JSON preferences file exposes further options such as custom break ideas with limited HTML, custom sounds, strict mode, shortcuts, and app-based pause or resume rules.

The app can be installed through Homebrew, Chocolatey, winget, Flathub, Snap or the Microsoft Store, or run from source with Node.js. It also includes a command-line interface for controlling a running instance.

Key features

  • 01Scheduled mini breaks and long breaks with countdown and break ideas
  • 02Postpone or skip breaks, with configurable limits and shortcuts
  • 03Pauses automatically when idle or when Do Not Disturb is enabled
  • 04Strict mode, custom sounds, themes and multi-monitor break display
  • 05Command-line control and JSON-based advanced configuration

Use cases

  • Developers or writers who sit at a computer for long stretches and want regular stretch reminders
  • Users who want break timing to pause during meetings or idle time
  • Teams or organizations that need a preinstalled break reminder with hidden update or preference options

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install on macOS with Homebrew

    brew install --cask hovancik/stretchly/stretchly
  2. 2

    Install on Windows with Chocolatey

    choco install stretchly
  3. 3

    Or install from source: clone the repo, then run npm install

    npm install
  4. 4

    Start Stretchly from source

    npm start

Things to know

  • Official installers cover macOS, Windows and Linux, but some Linux setups need extra packages or sysctl changes.
  • macOS builds are only ad-hoc signed, so the first launch needs a Gatekeeper workaround.
  • Some preferences are marked as not reliable and may break the app.

In collections

Desktop GUI apps & toolkits

Topics

#electron#reminder#health#productivity#desktop-app#cross-platform#breaks#bsd#linux#longer-breaks

FAQ

What is stretchly?
A cross-platform Electron desktop app that runs in the tray and reminds you to take short and long breaks while working at your computer. Stretchly is a break reminder for desktop computers, built with Electron and running on macOS, Windows and Linux. It sits in the system tray and shows a break window at set intervals: short mini breaks every 10 minutes by default and longer breaks every 30 minutes, with a countdown and a break idea on screen.
Is stretchly free to use? What license does it have?
stretchly is open source under the BSD-2-Clause license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is stretchly still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to stretchly was on Nov 5, 2026.
What can I use stretchly for?
Developers or writers who sit at a computer for long stretches and want regular stretch reminders Users who want break timing to pause during meetings or idle time Teams or organizations that need a preinstalled break reminder with hidden update or preference options
How do I install stretchly?
Install on macOS with Homebrew: brew install --cask hovancik/stretchly/stretchly Install on Windows with Chocolatey: choco install stretchly Or install from source: clone the repo, then run npm install: npm install Start Stretchly from source: npm start
Where can I get stretchly?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/hovancik/stretchly

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