Reveal hidden tray icons while the panel is open

Pressing a tray tile did nothing visible because the item was hidden
off-screen, so its menu opened where it could not be seen. Temporarily
put the icons back on the menu bar while the panel is open, so clicking
a tile opens that app's real menu in view.

💘 Generated with Crush

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

AGENTS.md

@@ -38,6 +38,14 @@ executable SwiftPM package, no external dependencies (all Apple frameworks).
   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.
+- Control Center is special: its extras menu bar lists **every module it owns**,
+  including ones not in the bar, which are parked off-screen at `y≈982`.
+  `enumerate()` drops items whose AX position `y > 60` and de-duplicates by
+  title per app, otherwise the tray fills with identical "Control Center" tiles.
+- Icons: every Control Center module shares the same app icon, so
+  `symbolName(for:)` maps titles (Wi‑Fi, Battery, Now Playing, …) to distinct SF
+  Symbols, falling back to the owning app's icon. Note the non-breaking hyphen
+  in "Wi‑Fi" (`\u{2011}`) is normalised before matching.
 - Reading another app's UI is the only TCC permission needed; there is no Screen
   Recording or Apple Events usage.
 
@@ -112,6 +120,34 @@ no control over this, so the app creates its own `NSStatusItem` and:
 `/tmp/simpletopbar-items.txt`; use it to verify the icon is not under the notch
 (x should be ~1200, not ~765).
 
+## Hiding other menu bar items
+
+`MenuBarHider` creates a zero-width spacer `NSStatusItem` at launch and grows its
+length to `hiddenLength` (10_000) to push the icons on its left off-screen. It is
+**on by default** (`hideMenuBarItems` defaults to true, then persisted). Its
+preferred position controls where the hidden/kept boundary lands:
+
+- Seed **250** (default) puts the boundary just left of Wi-Fi, so every
+  third-party app icon goes to x < 0 (cmux, Kapture, moomoo, WireGuard,
+  TextInputMenuAgent, Now Playing) while **Wi-Fi (x≈1173), Spotlight, Clock,
+  Battery, Control Center and our hamburger stay visible**.
+- Verified with `--diag-hide` across positions 100–400. Below ~200 Wi-Fi gets
+  hidden too; above ~300 app icons (Now Playing, TextInput) leak back.
+- `debug.spacerPos` (Double) overrides the seed for tuning without rebuilding.
+- Pressing a tray tile calls `MenuBarItemManager.press` (`kAXPressAction`, then
+  `kAXShowMenuAction`). Because a hidden item sits off-screen, its menu would
+  open off-screen; `AppDelegate` therefore calls `MenuBarHider.suspend()`
+  (`popoverWillShow`) to reveal items while the panel is open and `resume()`
+  0.6s after `popoverDidClose`. `suspend`/`resume` do not change the user's
+  `enabled` preference.
+- **Order matters**: `AppDelegate` must call `setupStatusItem()` *before*
+  `MenuBarHider.shared.prepare()`. If the hider contracts the bar first, the
+  hamburger is created into the collapsed space and lands off-screen.
+- **Wi-Fi/Spotlight/Clock/Battery/Control Center cannot be hidden**: macOS pins
+  them to the far right and a third-party item can never be inserted to their
+  right, so the spacer has nothing to push them with. This is a macOS
+  constraint, not a bug.
+
 ## Gotchas
 
 - `AppListModel` is `@MainActor`; the `NSWorkspace` observers hop back with

README.md

@@ -27,11 +27,26 @@ still works.
 
 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
+created at launch whose length is expanded to push the other icons off-screen so
-off-screen. This is reliable only when SimpleTopBar starts at login (its spacer
+they only live in this panel. It is **on by default** (the choice is
-then sits to the right of later-launched apps' items) and may need re-toggling
+remembered), always undone on quit, and if the app dies macOS removes the spacer
-after items move around. It is off by default and always undone on quit; if the
+automatically.
-app dies, macOS removes the spacer automatically.
+
+What it can and cannot hide:
+
+- It hides **other third-party apps' icons** (cmux, Kapture, WireGuard, input
+  source, Now Playing, …) so only your apps' icons leave the bar.
+- It **keeps Wi-Fi, Spotlight, Clock, Battery and Control Center**. The spacer's
+  boundary is tuned (preferred position 250) to fall just left of Wi-Fi, so the
+  Apple items on the right stay visible. macOS reserves that far-right area: a
+  third-party item can never be placed to the right of it, so those icons cannot
+  be pushed away even in principle. (Bartender and Ice hit the same wall and
+  cover the area with their own overlay bar instead.)
+- Newly launched apps are placed to the left of the spacer, so they are hidden
+  automatically.
+- Advanced: set `defaults write dev.tzgyn.simpletopbar debug.spacerPos -float <n>`
+  to move the boundary (larger = keep more icons; > ~400 starts leaking app
+  icons back into the bar).
 
 ## Install with Homebrew
 

Sources/SimpleTopBar/App.swift

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ struct SimpleTopBarApp: App {
 /// full menu bar, a brand new item lands under the notch and is invisible;
 /// writing `NSStatusItem Preferred Position <name>` into defaults puts it in a
 /// visible slot, and the autosave name lets the user's own drag persist.
-final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
+final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, NSPopoverDelegate {
     private var statusItem: NSStatusItem?
     private var popover: NSPopover?
 
@@ -43,8 +43,10 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
 
         AppListModel.shared.start()
         MenuBarItemManager.shared.start()
-        MenuBarHider.shared.prepare()
+        // Create the hamburger before the hider so it is placed in the visible
+        // part of the bar; the hider then contracts the space around it.
         setupStatusItem()
+        MenuBarHider.shared.prepare()
 
         if CommandLine.arguments.contains("--diag") {
             DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 2.5) {
@@ -53,6 +55,14 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
             return
         }
 
+        if CommandLine.arguments.contains("--diag-hide") {
+            MenuBarHider.shared.enabled = true
+            DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 3) {
+                dumpMenuBarItems()
+            }
+            return
+        }
+
         // The tray is empty without Accessibility permission, so surface the
         // system prompt once at launch instead of waiting for the user to open
         // the panel and find the button.
@@ -93,6 +103,7 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
         let popover = NSPopover()
         popover.behavior = .transient
         popover.animates = false
+        popover.delegate = self
         popover.contentViewController = NSHostingController(
             rootView: TopBarView(
                 model: AppListModel.shared,
@@ -103,6 +114,20 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
         self.popover = popover
     }
 
+    // Reveal the hidden menu bar items while the panel is open so pressing a
+    // tray icon opens that app's menu at its real, on-screen position.
+    func popoverWillShow(_ notification: Notification) {
+        MenuBarHider.shared.suspend()
+    }
+
+    func popoverDidClose(_ notification: Notification) {
+        // Small delay so a menu just opened from a tray tile is fully on screen
+        // before the bar contracts again.
+        DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.6) {
+            MenuBarHider.shared.resume()
+        }
+    }
+
     @objc private func togglePopover() {
         guard let popover, let button = statusItem?.button else { return }
         if popover.isShown {

Sources/SimpleTopBar/MenuBarItems.swift

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ struct MenuBarItem: Identifiable, Equatable {
     let pid: pid_t
     let appName: String
     let title: String
-    let appIcon: NSImage
+    let icon: NSImage
     let element: AXUIElement
 
     static func == (lhs: MenuBarItem, rhs: MenuBarItem) -> Bool {
@@ -68,17 +68,29 @@ final class MenuBarItemManager: ObservableObject {
             guard let bar = extrasMenuBar(of: axApp),
                   let children = children(of: bar) else { continue }
 
+            var seenTitles = Set<String>()
             for (index, child) in children.enumerated() {
+                // Control Center reports every module it owns, including the
+                // ones not in the menu bar, which are parked off-screen around
+                // y=982. Keep only items actually sitting in the bar.
+                if let position = pointAttribute(child, kAXPositionAttribute), position.y > 60 {
+                    continue
+                }
+
                 let title = stringAttribute(child, kAXDescriptionAttribute)
                     ?? stringAttribute(child, kAXTitleAttribute)
                     ?? app.localizedName
                     ?? "Item"
+                // Several Control Center modules share the generic title
+                // "Control Center"; show each distinct title once per app.
+                if !seenTitles.insert(title).inserted { continue }
+
                 found.append(MenuBarItem(
                     id: "\(pid)-\(index)",
                     pid: pid,
                     appName: app.localizedName ?? app.bundleIdentifier ?? "Unknown",
                     title: title,
-                    appIcon: app.icon ?? NSImage(named: NSImage.applicationIconName) ?? NSImage(),
+                    icon: Self.icon(forTitle: title, app: app),
                     element: child
                 ))
             }
@@ -101,6 +113,52 @@ final class MenuBarItemManager: ObservableObject {
         return AXUIElementPerformAction(item.element, kAXShowMenuAction as CFString) == .success
     }
 
+    // MARK: - Icons
+
+    /// Picks an icon for a menu bar item. Control Center owns many unrelated
+    /// modules, and they all share the Control Center app icon, so map their
+    /// titles to distinct SF Symbols for readability. Anything unknown falls
+    /// back to the owning app's icon.
+    nonisolated static func icon(forTitle title: String, app: NSRunningApplication) -> NSImage {
+        if let symbol = symbolName(for: title),
+           let image = NSImage(systemSymbolName: symbol, accessibilityDescription: title) {
+            image.isTemplate = true
+            return image
+        }
+        return app.icon ?? NSImage(named: NSImage.applicationIconName) ?? NSImage()
+    }
+
+    /// Keyword table mapping a menu bar item's title/description to an SF Symbol.
+    nonisolated static func symbolName(for title: String) -> String? {
+        // Control Center uses a non-breaking hyphen in "Wi‑Fi".
+        let text = title.lowercased()
+            .replacingOccurrences(of: "\u{2010}", with: "-")
+            .replacingOccurrences(of: "\u{2011}", with: "-")
+        let table: [(matches: [String], symbol: String)] = [
+            (["wi-fi", "wifi"], "wifi"),
+            (["battery"], "battery.100"),
+            (["clock", "time"], "clock"),
+            (["now playing"], "play.circle"),
+            (["focus"], "moon.fill"),
+            (["sound", "volume", "audio"], "speaker.wave.2"),
+            (["airdrop"], "dot.radiowaves.left.and.right"),
+            (["bluetooth"], "dot.radiowaves.left.and.right"),
+            (["mirroring"], "rectangle.on.rectangle"),
+            (["search", "spotlight"], "magnifyingglass"),
+            (["siri"], "waveform"),
+            (["keyboard"], "keyboard"),
+            (["stage manager"], "rectangle.3.group"),
+            (["brightness", "display"], "sun.max"),
+            (["control center"], "switch.2"),
+            (["notification"], "bell"),
+            (["vpn"], "lock.shield"),
+        ]
+        for entry in table where entry.matches.contains(where: { text.contains($0) }) {
+            return entry.symbol
+        }
+        return nil
+    }
+
     // MARK: - AX helpers
 
     nonisolated static func extrasMenuBar(of app: AXUIElement) -> AXUIElement? {
@@ -139,10 +197,10 @@ final class MenuBarItemManager: ObservableObject {
 }
 
 /// 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
+/// at launch; expanding its length to a huge value pushes the other apps' icons
 /// 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
+/// panel. On by default; the choice is persisted. Always restored on quit, and
-/// to the right of later-launched apps' items). Always restored on quit.
+/// a crash cleans up automatically because status items die with the process.
 @MainActor
 final class MenuBarHider: ObservableObject {
     static let shared = MenuBarHider()
@@ -150,37 +208,71 @@ final class MenuBarHider: ObservableObject {
     /// Width that pushes the neighbouring items off the visible menu bar.
     static let hiddenLength: CGFloat = 10_000
 
+    private static let defaultsKey = "hideMenuBarItems"
+
     @Published private(set) var isHiding = false
-    @Published var enabled = false {
+    @Published var enabled: Bool {
         didSet {
             guard enabled != oldValue else { return }
+            UserDefaults.standard.set(enabled, forKey: Self.defaultsKey)
             apply(enabled)
         }
     }
 
     private var spacer: NSStatusItem?
 
-    private init() {}
+    private init() {
+        // Hide by default: the menu bar then shows only SimpleTopBar's hamburger
+        // plus the Apple items macOS will not let us move.
+        enabled = UserDefaults.standard.object(forKey: Self.defaultsKey) as? Bool ?? true
+    }
 
     /// Create the spacer early (at launch) so it lands as far right as possible.
     func prepare() {
         guard spacer == nil else { return }
+        let name = "SimpleTopBarHider"
+        let key = "NSStatusItem Preferred Position \(name)"
+        // The boundary between "hidden" and "kept" falls just left of Wi-Fi at
+        // ~250, so the other apps hide while Apple's Wi-Fi/Clock/Battery/Control
+        // Center/Spotlight stay visible. `debug.spacerPos` overrides the seed.
+        if let override = UserDefaults.standard.object(forKey: "debug.spacerPos") as? Double {
+            UserDefaults.standard.set(override, forKey: key)
+        } else if UserDefaults.standard.object(forKey: key) == nil {
+            UserDefaults.standard.set(250.0, forKey: key)
+        }
         let item = NSStatusBar.system.statusItem(withLength: 0)
+        item.autosaveName = name
         item.button?.isHidden = true
         spacer = item
+        apply(enabled)
     }
 
     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.
+    /// Temporarily reveal the items (e.g. while the panel is open) so pressing
+    /// a tray icon opens its menu at its real, on-screen position. Keeps the
+    /// user's `enabled` preference untouched.
+    func suspend() {
+        guard enabled else { return }
+        spacer?.length = 0
+        isHiding = false
+    }
+
+    /// Restore hiding after a `suspend()`.
+    func resume() {
+        guard enabled else { return }
+        spacer?.length = Self.hiddenLength
+        isHiding = true
+    }
+
+    /// Put the menu bar back the way we found it. Called on quit. Leaves the
+    /// user's preference intact.
     func restore() {
         spacer?.length = 0
         isHiding = false
-        enabled = false
     }
 }
 

Sources/SimpleTopBar/SelfTest.swift

@@ -80,12 +80,20 @@ func runSelfTest() {
     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 first = MenuBarItem(id: "1-0", pid: 1, appName: "A", title: "T", icon: NSImage(), element: element)
-    let same = 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", icon: NSImage(), element: element)
-    let different = MenuBarItem(id: "1-1", pid: 1, appName: "A", title: "T", appIcon: NSImage(), element: element)
+    let different = MenuBarItem(id: "1-1", pid: 1, appName: "A", title: "T", icon: NSImage(), element: element)
     check(first == same, "menu bar items compare by id and title")
     check(first != different, "different ids are not equal")
 
+    // Control Center items map to distinct symbols instead of one shared icon.
+    check(MenuBarItemManager.symbolName(for: "Wi\u{2011}Fi, connected, 3 bars") == "wifi", "wi-fi maps to wifi symbol")
+    check(MenuBarItemManager.symbolName(for: "Battery") == "battery.100", "battery maps to battery symbol")
+    check(MenuBarItemManager.symbolName(for: "Now Playing") == "play.circle", "now playing maps to play symbol")
+    check(MenuBarItemManager.symbolName(for: "Control Center") == "switch.2", "control center maps to switch symbol")
+    check(MenuBarItemManager.symbolName(for: "Search") == "magnifyingglass", "search maps to magnifier symbol")
+    check(MenuBarItemManager.symbolName(for: "cmux") == nil, "unknown titles fall back to the app icon")
+
     let authorized = AXIsProcessTrusted()
     print("accessibility authorized=\(authorized)")
     if authorized {

Sources/SimpleTopBar/TopBarView.swift

@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ struct TopBarView: View {
                 .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.")
+                .help("Best-effort: pushes other apps' icons off the menu bar so they only live here. Apple's Wi-Fi, Spotlight, Clock, Battery and Control Center stay visible; macOS won't let any third-party app move them.")
             }
         }
     }
@@ -245,8 +245,11 @@ private struct MenuBarTile: View {
         Button {
             menuBar.press(item)
         } label: {
-            Image(nsImage: item.appIcon)
+            // Preserve the symbol's aspect ratio: forcing wide symbols like the
+            // battery into a square stretches them into a blocky shape.
+            Image(nsImage: item.icon)
                 .resizable()
+                .scaledToFit()
                 .frame(width: 20, height: 20)
                 .padding(6)
                 .background(

build-app.sh

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 cd "$(dirname "$0")"
 
-VERSION="${1:-0.2.2}"
+VERSION="${1:-0.2.3}"
 
 swift build -c release