Close the panel when a tray item is selected

Selecting a tile opened the app's menu while SimpleTopBar's own panel
stayed on top of it, and could leave menus such as Spotlight stranded
behind it. Dismiss the panel first so the selected menu is unobstructed.

💘 Generated with Crush

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

AGENTS.md

@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ executable SwiftPM package, no external dependencies (all Apple frameworks).
   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.
 
@@ -119,7 +123,8 @@ no control over this, so the app creates its own `NSStatusItem` and:
 ## 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. 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
@@ -129,6 +134,23 @@ preferred position controls where the hidden/kept boundary lands:
 - 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`. A hidden item sits
+  off-screen, and its menu opens off-screen too (verified with `--diag-press`:
+  the menu window lands at negative x). So press briefly `suspend()`s the hider,
+  waits ~0.2s for the layout to settle, performs the accessibility action
+  (`kAXPressAction`, then `kAXShowMenuAction`), and `resume()`s ~0.1s later. The
+  menu is its own window anchored at the item's on-screen spot, so it survives
+  re-hiding.
+- `press` first calls `onWillPress`, which `AppDelegate` wires to close the
+  popover. Without it the panel stays open on top of the menu that opens and can
+  leave menus (e.g. Spotlight) stranded behind it.
+- **Cannot reveal a single icon.** The spacer hides a contiguous block to its
+  left, so a press can only reveal the whole block. Isolating one item would
+  need either per-item ordering control (not available) or covering the icons
+  with an overlay window instead of moving them off-screen.
+- **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

README.md

@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ 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).
+  the Accessibility API. It is split into **Apps** and **System** sections.
+  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
@@ -28,8 +28,9 @@ 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 other icons off-screen so
-they only live in this panel. It is off by default and always undone on quit; if
-the app dies, macOS removes the spacer automatically.
+they only live in this panel. It is **on by default** (the choice is
+remembered), always undone on quit, and if the app dies macOS removes the spacer
+automatically.
 
 What it can and cannot hide:
 

Sources/SimpleTopBar/App.swift

@@ -43,8 +43,31 @@ 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-press") {
+            DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 2.0) {
+                MenuBarHider.shared.suspend()
+            }
+            DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 2.25) {
+                if let item = MenuBarItemManager.enumerate().first(where: {
+                    $0.title.lowercased().contains("wireguard")
+                }) {
+                    NSLog("diag-press: pressing \(item.appName) after brief reveal")
+                    _ = AXUIElementPerformAction(item.element, kAXPressAction as CFString)
+                }
+            }
+            DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 2.45) {
+                MenuBarHider.shared.resume()
+            }
+            DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 4.5) {
+                dumpWindows()
+            }
+            return
+        }
 
         if CommandLine.arguments.contains("--diag") {
             DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 2.5) {
@@ -109,6 +132,14 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
             )
         )
         self.popover = popover
+
+        // Selecting a tray item must dismiss our panel, otherwise it stays on
+        // top of the menu that opens (and can strand menus behind it).
+        Task { @MainActor [weak self] in
+            MenuBarItemManager.shared.onWillPress = {
+                self?.popover?.performClose(nil)
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     @objc private func togglePopover() {

Sources/SimpleTopBar/MenuBarItems.swift

@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ struct MenuBarItem: Identifiable, Equatable {
     let pid: pid_t
     let appName: String
     let title: String
-    let appIcon: NSImage
+    let icon: NSImage
+    /// True for Apple's own items (Control Center, Spotlight, …).
+    let isSystem: Bool
     let element: AXUIElement
 
     static func == (lhs: MenuBarItem, rhs: MenuBarItem) -> Bool {
@@ -28,6 +30,9 @@ final class MenuBarItemManager: ObservableObject {
 
     private var observers: [NSObjectProtocol] = []
 
+    /// Called just before pressing an item so the owner can close its panel.
+    var onWillPress: (() -> Void)?
+
     private init() {}
 
     func start() {
@@ -90,7 +95,8 @@ final class MenuBarItemManager: ObservableObject {
                     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),
+                    isSystem: Self.isSystemBundle(app.bundleIdentifier),
                     element: child
                 ))
             }
@@ -103,16 +109,97 @@ final class MenuBarItemManager: ObservableObject {
         }
     }
 
-    /// 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 {
+    /// Opens the real menu bar item, so its menu/popover appears.
+    ///
+    /// A hidden item sits off-screen, and its menu would open off-screen too.
+    /// So briefly reveal the items, let the layout settle, press the item, then
+    /// hide again shortly after. The reveal is momentary rather than lasting the
+    /// whole time the panel is open.
+    func press(_ item: MenuBarItem) {
+        // Close our own panel first, otherwise it stays open on top of the
+        // menu that is about to appear (and can leave menus behind it).
+        onWillPress?()
+
+        let hider = MenuBarHider.shared
+        let needsReveal = hider.isHiding
+        guard needsReveal else {
+            _ = performPress(item)
+            return
+        }
+        hider.suspend()
+        DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.2) {
+            _ = self.performPress(item)
+            // The menu is its own window, positioned at the item's on-screen
+            // spot, so the bar can be re-hidden almost immediately.
+            DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.1) {
+                hider.resume()
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    private func performPress(_ item: MenuBarItem) -> Bool {
         if AXUIElementPerformAction(item.element, kAXPressAction as CFString) == .success {
             return true
         }
         return AXUIElementPerformAction(item.element, kAXShowMenuAction as CFString) == .success
     }
 
+    // MARK: - Classification
+
+    /// Apple's own menu bar items (Control Center, Spotlight, the input-source
+    /// agent, …) live under `com.apple.*` bundles; everything else is a third
+    /// party app.
+    nonisolated static func isSystemBundle(_ bundleID: String?) -> Bool {
+        guard let bundleID else { return false }
+        return bundleID.hasPrefix("com.apple.")
+    }
+
+    // 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? {
@@ -151,10 +238,10 @@ 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
-/// to the right of later-launched apps' items). Always restored on quit.
+/// panel. On by default; the choice is persisted. Always restored on quit, and
+/// a crash cleans up automatically because status items die with the process.
 @MainActor
 final class MenuBarHider: ObservableObject {
     static let shared = MenuBarHider()
@@ -162,17 +249,24 @@ 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() {
@@ -191,19 +285,35 @@ final class MenuBarHider: ObservableObject {
         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

@@ -1,5 +1,28 @@
 import AppKit
 import ApplicationServices
+import CoreGraphics
+
+/// Diagnostic used by `open SimpleTopBar.app --args --diag-press`. Presses a
+/// hidden item's accessibility element without revealing it and dumps the
+/// resulting high-level windows, to see where its menu actually opens.
+func dumpWindows() {
+    var lines: [String] = []
+    if let list = CGWindowListCopyWindowInfo([], kCGNullWindowID) as? [[String: Any]] {
+        for window in list {
+            let layer = window[kCGWindowLayer as String] as? Int ?? -1
+            guard layer > 20 else { continue }
+            let owner = window[kCGWindowOwnerName as String] as? String ?? "?"
+            let bounds = window[kCGWindowBounds as String] as? [String: Any] ?? [:]
+            let x = bounds["X"] as? Double ?? 0
+            let y = bounds["Y"] as? Double ?? 0
+            let width = bounds["Width"] as? Double ?? 0
+            let height = bounds["Height"] as? Double ?? 0
+            lines.append("\(owner) layer=\(layer) frame=\(Int(x)),\(Int(y)) \(Int(width))x\(Int(height))")
+        }
+    }
+    try? lines.joined(separator: "\n").write(toFile: "/tmp/simpletopbar-windows.txt", atomically: true, encoding: .utf8)
+    exit(0)
+}
 
 /// Diagnostic used by `open SimpleTopBar.app --args --dump-items`. Writes the
 /// live Accessibility view of the menu bar to /tmp so it can be inspected
@@ -12,7 +35,7 @@ func dumpMenuBarItems() {
     lines.append("count=\(items.count)")
     for item in items {
         let pos = MenuBarItemManager.pointAttribute(item.element, kAXPositionAttribute)
-        lines.append("\(item.appName) | \(item.title) | pid=\(item.pid) | id=\(item.id) | pos=\(pos.map { "\(Int($0.x)),\(Int($0.y))" } ?? "?")")
+        lines.append("\(item.appName) | \(item.title) | pid=\(item.pid) | id=\(item.id) | system=\(item.isSystem) | pos=\(pos.map { "\(Int($0.x)),\(Int($0.y))" } ?? "?")")
     }
     let own = MenuBarItemManager.enumerate(includeOwn: true).filter {
         $0.pid == ProcessInfo.processInfo.processIdentifier
@@ -80,12 +103,25 @@ 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 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)
+    let first = MenuBarItem(id: "1-0", pid: 1, appName: "A", title: "T", icon: NSImage(), isSystem: false, element: element)
+    let same = MenuBarItem(id: "1-0", pid: 1, appName: "A", title: "T", icon: NSImage(), isSystem: false, element: element)
+    let different = MenuBarItem(id: "1-1", pid: 1, appName: "A", title: "T", icon: NSImage(), isSystem: false, 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")
+
+    // Tray sections: Apple bundles are "system", everything else is an app.
+    check(MenuBarItemManager.isSystemBundle("com.apple.controlcenter"), "apple bundles classify as system")
+    check(!MenuBarItemManager.isSystemBundle("com.cmux.app"), "third-party bundles classify as apps")
+    check(!MenuBarItemManager.isSystemBundle(nil), "unknown bundles are treated as apps")
+
     let authorized = AXIsProcessTrusted()
     print("accessibility authorized=\(authorized)")
     if authorized {

Sources/SimpleTopBar/TopBarView.swift

@@ -60,23 +60,6 @@ struct TopBarView: View {
     /// 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.")
@@ -98,12 +81,9 @@ struct TopBarView: View {
                     .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)
+                trayGroup(title: "Apps", items: appTrayItems)
+                Divider().padding(.vertical, 2)
+                trayGroup(title: "System", items: systemTrayItems)
             }
 
             if menuBar.authorized {
@@ -120,6 +100,52 @@ struct TopBarView: View {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Third-party apps' menu bar icons.
+    private var appTrayItems: [MenuBarItem] {
+        menuBar.items.filter { !$0.isSystem }
+    }
+
+    /// Apple's own menu bar items (Control Center, Spotlight, …).
+    private var systemTrayItems: [MenuBarItem] {
+        menuBar.items.filter { $0.isSystem }
+    }
+
+    private func trayGroup(title: String, items: [MenuBarItem]) -> some View {
+        VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 0) {
+            HStack(spacing: 6) {
+                Text(title.uppercased())
+                    .font(.caption2)
+                    .fontWeight(.semibold)
+                    .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+                Spacer()
+                Text("\(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 items.isEmpty {
+                Text("None")
+                    .font(.caption)
+                    .foregroundStyle(.tertiary)
+                    .padding(.horizontal, 12)
+                    .padding(.bottom, 4)
+            } else {
+                LazyVGrid(columns: [GridItem(.adaptive(minimum: 34), spacing: 6)], spacing: 6) {
+                    ForEach(items) { item in
+                        MenuBarTile(item: item, menuBar: menuBar)
+                    }
+                }
+                .padding(.horizontal, 12)
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     private func section(title: String, apps: [RunningApp], emptyText: String) -> some View {
         VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 0) {
             Text(title.uppercased())
@@ -245,8 +271,11 @@ 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="${1:-0.2.3}"
+VERSION="${1:-0.4.3}"
 
 swift build -c release