Collect other apps' menu bar items into a hamburger panel

The menu bar icon is now a hamburger whose panel gathers every other
app's status item via the Accessibility API, so tray icons no longer
need to be hunted down across the menu bar. Items can be opened from
the panel, and a best-effort toggle pushes them off the real menu bar
so they only live there.

💘 Generated with Crush

Assisted-by: Crush:deepseek-v4.1-flash

AGENTS.md

@@ -14,12 +14,31 @@ executable SwiftPM package, no external dependencies (all Apple frameworks).
   splits them by `activationPolicy` into `regularApps` and `backgroundApps`
   (both sorted by name). Subscribes to the `NSWorkspace` launch/terminate/
   activate/hide/unhide notifications to refresh automatically.
-- `Sources/SimpleTopBar/TopBarView.swift` — the panel. `section(...)` renders
-  the regular apps; `backgroundSection` is the collapsible dropdown for
+- `Sources/SimpleTopBar/TopBarView.swift` — the panel. `menuBarSection` is the
+  hamburger tray of other apps' menu bar items; `section(...)` renders the
+  regular apps; `backgroundSection` is the collapsible dropdown for
   background apps. `AppRow` shows icon + name + active dot with a right-click
   Activate/Hide/Quit menu.
+- `Sources/SimpleTopBar/MenuBarItems.swift` — `MenuBarItemManager` enumerates
+  other apps' status items via the Accessibility API (`kAXExtrasMenuBarAttribute`
+  → `kAXChildrenAttribute`) and presses them (`kAXPressAction`, falling back to
+  `kAXShowMenuAction`). `MenuBarHider` owns the zero-width spacer `NSStatusItem`
+  used to push items off the menu bar. `AccessibilityPermission` wraps
+  `AXIsProcessTrusted` / `AXIsProcessTrustedWithOptions`.
 - `Sources/SimpleTopBar/SelfTest.swift` — `runSelfTest()` powers `--self-test`.
 
+## The menu bar tray (Accessibility)
+
+- Requires Accessibility permission. `MenuBarItemManager.refresh()` short-circuits
+  to an empty list when `AXIsProcessTrusted()` is false, and `TopBarView` shows a
+  "Grant Accessibility…" button in that state. Never assume permission.
+- Enumeration must be resilient: `AXUIElementCopyAttributeValue` can fail per-app
+  or per-element, so every helper returns `nil` instead of force-unwrapping. The
+  `enumerate()` routine is `nonisolated static` so `--self-test` can run it.
+- Items are keyed by `pid-index`; `MenuBarItem` equality ignores the AX element.
+- Reading another app's UI is the only TCC permission needed; there is no Screen
+  Recording or Apple Events usage.
+
 ## The background dropdown
 
 This is the core feature. Requirements:
@@ -68,7 +87,8 @@ version argument and pass the same version to `release.sh`.
   the single-instance guard terminates stale copies with the same bundle id.
 - Reading `activationPolicy` is reliable but must happen on the main thread;
   keep all `NSWorkspace` access inside the model.
-- Don't add Accessibility/Screen Recording permission code: this app only reads
-  the running-app list, which needs no TCC grants.
+- The menu bar tray needs Accessibility permission; do not add Screen Recording
+  or Apple Events usage. `MenuBarHider` must always be restored on quit, but
+  because a status item dies with its process, a crash cleans up on its own.
 - `.gitignore` covers `.build/`, `SimpleTopBar.app/`, `dist/` — build artifacts
   should never be committed.

README.md

@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
 # SimpleTopBar
 
-A native macOS menu bar app that shows a compact top bar with every app that is
-running on your Mac, split into two sections:
+A native macOS menu bar app: a **hamburger menu** in the menu bar whose panel
+collects every other app's menu bar (tray) icons, plus every app running on your
+Mac, into three sections:
 
+- **Menu Bar** — a tray of all other apps' menu bar items, discovered through
+  the Accessibility API. Click one to open its real menu. Optionally **hide the
+  items from the menu bar** so they only live inside this panel (best-effort;
+  see below).
 - **Apps** — regular apps that live in the Dock.
 - **Background Apps** — accessory/agent apps without a Dock icon. This section
   is a **dropdown**: it stays collapsed to a single header, and when you expand
@@ -11,6 +16,23 @@ running on your Mac, split into two sections:
 
 Click any row to activate the app, or right-click for Activate / Hide / Quit.
 
+## Accessibility permission
+
+Collecting and opening other apps' menu bar items needs **Accessibility**
+permission (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility). The panel
+prompts for it; without it the Menu Bar section is empty and everything else
+still works.
+
+## Hiding menu bar items (best-effort)
+
+macOS has no public API to move another app's status item. The **Hide items from
+the menu bar** toggle uses the spacer technique: a zero-width status item is
+created at launch whose length is expanded to push the items to its left
+off-screen. This is reliable only when SimpleTopBar starts at login (its spacer
+then sits to the right of later-launched apps' items) and may need re-toggling
+after items move around. It is off by default and always undone on quit; if the
+app dies, macOS removes the spacer automatically.
+
 ## Install with Homebrew
 
 ```bash

Sources/SimpleTopBar/App.swift

@@ -7,8 +7,12 @@ struct SimpleTopBarApp: App {
     @NSApplicationDelegateAdaptor(AppDelegate.self) private var appDelegate
 
     var body: some Scene {
-        MenuBarExtra("SimpleTopBar", systemImage: "menubar.rectangle") {
-            TopBarView(model: AppListModel.shared)
+        MenuBarExtra("SimpleTopBar", systemImage: "line.3.horizontal") {
+            TopBarView(
+                model: AppListModel.shared,
+                menuBar: MenuBarItemManager.shared,
+                hider: MenuBarHider.shared
+            )
         }
         .menuBarExtraStyle(.window)
     }
@@ -31,6 +35,13 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
         }
 
         AppListModel.shared.start()
+        MenuBarItemManager.shared.start()
+        MenuBarHider.shared.prepare()
+    }
+
+    func applicationWillTerminate(_ notification: Notification) {
+        // Never leave the menu bar resized behind us.
+        MenuBarHider.shared.restore()
     }
 }
 

Sources/SimpleTopBar/MenuBarItems.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,184 @@
+import AppKit
+import ApplicationServices
+import Combine
+
+/// One live menu bar (status/tray) item discovered via the Accessibility API.
+struct MenuBarItem: Identifiable, Equatable {
+    let id: String
+    let pid: pid_t
+    let appName: String
+    let title: String
+    let appIcon: NSImage
+    let element: AXUIElement
+
+    static func == (lhs: MenuBarItem, rhs: MenuBarItem) -> Bool {
+        lhs.id == rhs.id && lhs.title == rhs.title
+    }
+}
+
+/// Enumerates every other app's menu bar items so they can be shown (and
+/// pressed) from SimpleTopBar's hamburger panel. Requires Accessibility
+/// permission; without it the list is empty.
+@MainActor
+final class MenuBarItemManager: ObservableObject {
+    static let shared = MenuBarItemManager()
+
+    @Published private(set) var items: [MenuBarItem] = []
+    @Published private(set) var authorized = AXIsProcessTrusted()
+
+    private var observers: [NSObjectProtocol] = []
+
+    private init() {}
+
+    func start() {
+        authorized = AXIsProcessTrusted()
+        refresh()
+        let center = NSWorkspace.shared.notificationCenter
+        let names: [Notification.Name] = [
+            NSWorkspace.didLaunchApplicationNotification,
+            NSWorkspace.didTerminateApplicationNotification,
+            NSWorkspace.didActivateApplicationNotification,
+            NSWorkspace.didHideApplicationNotification,
+            NSWorkspace.didUnhideApplicationNotification,
+        ]
+        for name in names {
+            observers.append(center.addObserver(forName: name, object: nil, queue: .main) { [weak self] _ in
+                Task { @MainActor in self?.refresh() }
+            })
+        }
+    }
+
+    func refresh() {
+        authorized = AXIsProcessTrusted()
+        guard authorized else {
+            items = []
+            return
+        }
+        items = Self.enumerate()
+    }
+
+    nonisolated static func enumerate() -> [MenuBarItem] {
+        let ownPID = ProcessInfo.processInfo.processIdentifier
+        var found: [MenuBarItem] = []
+
+        for app in NSWorkspace.shared.runningApplications {
+            let pid = app.processIdentifier
+            if pid == ownPID { continue }
+            let axApp = AXUIElementCreateApplication(pid)
+            guard let bar = extrasMenuBar(of: axApp),
+                  let children = children(of: bar) else { continue }
+
+            for (index, child) in children.enumerated() {
+                let title = stringAttribute(child, kAXDescriptionAttribute)
+                    ?? stringAttribute(child, kAXTitleAttribute)
+                    ?? app.localizedName
+                    ?? "Item"
+                found.append(MenuBarItem(
+                    id: "\(pid)-\(index)",
+                    pid: pid,
+                    appName: app.localizedName ?? app.bundleIdentifier ?? "Unknown",
+                    title: title,
+                    appIcon: app.icon ?? NSImage(named: NSImage.applicationIconName) ?? NSImage(),
+                    element: child
+                ))
+            }
+        }
+
+        return found.sorted { a, b in
+            let byApp = a.appName.localizedCaseInsensitiveCompare(b.appName)
+            if byApp == .orderedSame { return a.title.localizedCaseInsensitiveCompare(b.title) == .orderedAscending }
+            return byApp == .orderedAscending
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Opens the real menu bar item by pressing its accessibility element, so
+    /// its menu/popover appears at its true screen location.
+    @discardableResult
+    func press(_ item: MenuBarItem) -> Bool {
+        if AXUIElementPerformAction(item.element, kAXPressAction as CFString) == .success {
+            return true
+        }
+        return AXUIElementPerformAction(item.element, kAXShowMenuAction as CFString) == .success
+    }
+
+    // MARK: - AX helpers
+
+    nonisolated static func extrasMenuBar(of app: AXUIElement) -> AXUIElement? {
+        var value: CFTypeRef?
+        guard AXUIElementCopyAttributeValue(app, kAXExtrasMenuBarAttribute as CFString, &value) == .success,
+              let value,
+              CFGetTypeID(value) == AXUIElementGetTypeID() else { return nil }
+        return (value as! AXUIElement)
+    }
+
+    nonisolated static func children(of element: AXUIElement) -> [AXUIElement]? {
+        var value: CFTypeRef?
+        guard AXUIElementCopyAttributeValue(element, kAXChildrenAttribute as CFString, &value) == .success else {
+            return nil
+        }
+        return value as? [AXUIElement]
+    }
+
+    nonisolated static func stringAttribute(_ element: AXUIElement, _ attribute: String) -> String? {
+        var value: CFTypeRef?
+        guard AXUIElementCopyAttributeValue(element, attribute as CFString, &value) == .success,
+              let string = value as? String,
+              !string.isEmpty else { return nil }
+        return string
+    }
+}
+
+/// Best-effort menu bar item hiding. A zero-width spacer status item is created
+/// at launch; expanding its length to a huge value pushes the items to its left
+/// off the visible menu bar, so they can only be reached through SimpleTopBar's
+/// panel. Reliable only when SimpleTopBar starts at login (its spacer then sits
+/// to the right of later-launched apps' items). Always restored on quit.
+@MainActor
+final class MenuBarHider: ObservableObject {
+    static let shared = MenuBarHider()
+
+    /// Width that pushes the neighbouring items off the visible menu bar.
+    static let hiddenLength: CGFloat = 10_000
+
+    @Published private(set) var isHiding = false
+    @Published var enabled = false {
+        didSet {
+            guard enabled != oldValue else { return }
+            apply(enabled)
+        }
+    }
+
+    private var spacer: NSStatusItem?
+
+    private init() {}
+
+    /// Create the spacer early (at launch) so it lands as far right as possible.
+    func prepare() {
+        guard spacer == nil else { return }
+        let item = NSStatusBar.system.statusItem(withLength: 0)
+        item.button?.isHidden = true
+        spacer = item
+    }
+
+    private func apply(_ hiding: Bool) {
+        prepare()
+        spacer?.length = hiding ? Self.hiddenLength : 0
+        isHiding = hiding
+    }
+
+    /// Put the menu bar back the way we found it. Called on quit.
+    func restore() {
+        spacer?.length = 0
+        isHiding = false
+        enabled = false
+    }
+}
+
+enum AccessibilityPermission {
+    static var isGranted: Bool { AXIsProcessTrusted() }
+
+    static func request() {
+        let options = [kAXTrustedCheckOptionPrompt.takeUnretainedValue() as String: true] as CFDictionary
+        _ = AXIsProcessTrustedWithOptions(options)
+    }
+}

Sources/SimpleTopBar/SelfTest.swift

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import AppKit
+import ApplicationServices
 
 /// Headless verification for `swift run SimpleTopBar --self-test`.
 /// Exercises the background-app overflow helpers and reports the live split
@@ -45,6 +46,25 @@ func runSelfTest() {
     print("running=\(running.count) regular=\(regular) background=\(background)")
     check(regular + background == running.count, "every running app is classified")
 
+    // Menu bar item discovery degrades gracefully when it cannot read another
+    // app's UI (accessibility not granted, or the element has no extras bar).
+    let systemWide = AXUIElementCreateSystemWide()
+    check(MenuBarItemManager.extrasMenuBar(of: systemWide) == nil, "no extras bar on a non-app element")
+    check(MenuBarItemManager.children(of: systemWide) == nil, "no children on a non-app element")
+
+    let element = AXUIElementCreateSystemWide()
+    let first = MenuBarItem(id: "1-0", pid: 1, appName: "A", title: "T", appIcon: NSImage(), element: element)
+    let same = MenuBarItem(id: "1-0", pid: 1, appName: "A", title: "T", appIcon: NSImage(), element: element)
+    let different = MenuBarItem(id: "1-1", pid: 1, appName: "A", title: "T", appIcon: NSImage(), element: element)
+    check(first == same, "menu bar items compare by id and title")
+    check(first != different, "different ids are not equal")
+
+    let authorized = AXIsProcessTrusted()
+    print("accessibility authorized=\(authorized)")
+    if authorized {
+        print("menu bar items discovered=\(MenuBarItemManager.enumerate().count)")
+    }
+
     print(failures == 0 ? "ALL PASS" : "\(failures) FAILURE(S)")
     exit(failures == 0 ? 0 : 1)
 }

Sources/SimpleTopBar/TopBarView.swift

@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 import SwiftUI
 import AppKit
 
-/// The top bar panel shown from the menu bar icon.
+/// The top bar panel shown from the menu bar hamburger icon.
 struct TopBarView: View {
     @ObservedObject var model: AppListModel
+    @ObservedObject var menuBar: MenuBarItemManager
+    @ObservedObject var hider: MenuBarHider
 
     var body: some View {
         VStack(spacing: 0) {
@@ -11,6 +13,10 @@ struct TopBarView: View {
             Divider()
             ScrollView {
                 VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 0) {
+                    menuBarSection
+
+                    Divider().padding(.vertical, 4)
+
                     section(title: "Apps", apps: model.regularApps, emptyText: "No apps running")
 
                     Divider().padding(.vertical, 4)
@@ -19,23 +25,28 @@ struct TopBarView: View {
                 }
                 .padding(.vertical, 4)
             }
-            .frame(maxHeight: 360)
+            .frame(maxHeight: 420)
 
             Divider()
             footer
         }
         .frame(width: 320)
+        .onAppear {
+            model.refresh()
+            menuBar.refresh()
+        }
     }
 
     private var header: some View {
         HStack(spacing: 8) {
-            Image(systemName: "menubar.rectangle")
+            Image(systemName: "line.3.horizontal")
                 .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
             Text("SimpleTopBar")
                 .font(.headline)
             Spacer()
             Button {
                 model.refresh()
+                menuBar.refresh()
             } label: {
                 Image(systemName: "arrow.clockwise")
             }
@@ -46,6 +57,69 @@ struct TopBarView: View {
         .padding(.vertical, 8)
     }
 
+    /// The hamburger tray: every other app's menu bar item lives here.
+    private var menuBarSection: some View {
+        VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 0) {
+            HStack(spacing: 6) {
+                Text("MENU BAR")
+                    .font(.caption2)
+                    .fontWeight(.semibold)
+                    .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+                Spacer()
+                Text("\(menuBar.items.count)")
+                    .font(.caption2)
+                    .foregroundStyle(.tertiary)
+                    .padding(.horizontal, 6)
+                    .padding(.vertical, 1)
+                    .background(Capsule().fill(Color.secondary.opacity(0.15)))
+            }
+            .padding(.horizontal, 12)
+            .padding(.top, 4)
+            .padding(.bottom, 4)
+
+            if !menuBar.authorized {
+                VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 4) {
+                    Text("Grant Accessibility to collect and open menu bar items.")
+                        .font(.caption)
+                        .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+                    Button("Grant Accessibility…") {
+                        AccessibilityPermission.request()
+                        menuBar.refresh()
+                    }
+                    .buttonStyle(.borderedProminent)
+                    .controlSize(.small)
+                }
+                .padding(.horizontal, 12)
+                .padding(.vertical, 4)
+            } else if menuBar.items.isEmpty {
+                Text("No menu bar items found")
+                    .font(.caption)
+                    .foregroundStyle(.tertiary)
+                    .padding(.horizontal, 12)
+                    .padding(.vertical, 4)
+            } else {
+                LazyVGrid(columns: [GridItem(.adaptive(minimum: 34), spacing: 6)], spacing: 6) {
+                    ForEach(menuBar.items) { item in
+                        MenuBarTile(item: item, menuBar: menuBar)
+                    }
+                }
+                .padding(.horizontal, 12)
+            }
+
+            if menuBar.authorized {
+                Toggle(isOn: $hider.enabled) {
+                    Text("Hide items from the menu bar")
+                        .font(.caption)
+                }
+                .toggleStyle(.switch)
+                .controlSize(.mini)
+                .padding(.horizontal, 12)
+                .padding(.top, 6)
+                .help("Best-effort: pushes the real items off the menu bar so they only live here. Reliable when SimpleTopBar starts at login.")
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     private func section(title: String, apps: [RunningApp], emptyText: String) -> some View {
         VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 0) {
             Text(title.uppercased())
@@ -163,6 +237,28 @@ struct TopBarView: View {
     }
 }
 
+private struct MenuBarTile: View {
+    let item: MenuBarItem
+    @ObservedObject var menuBar: MenuBarItemManager
+
+    var body: some View {
+        Button {
+            menuBar.press(item)
+        } label: {
+            Image(nsImage: item.appIcon)
+                .resizable()
+                .frame(width: 20, height: 20)
+                .padding(6)
+                .background(
+                    RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 6)
+                        .fill(Color.secondary.opacity(0.12))
+                )
+        }
+        .buttonStyle(.plain)
+        .help("\(item.appName) — \(item.title)")
+    }
+}
+
 private struct AppRow: View {
     let app: RunningApp
     @ObservedObject var model: AppListModel

build-app.sh

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 cd "$(dirname "$0")"
 
-VERSION="${1:-0.1.0}"
+VERSION="${1:-0.2.0}"
 
 swift build -c release