SketchyBar

Scriptable status bar

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Console’s review

· Reviewed by David Mytton

What we like

Fully customizable - fonts, colors, positions, notch size, animations. Can subscribe to general events e.g. space change as well as OS notification events e.g. Spotify track changed, to trigger scripts. Supports graphing arbitrary values. Items can be linked to spaces. Can pull in items from the macOS status bar e.g. Control Center or WiFi.

Tradeoffs

Config file is a bit fiddly to work with. Community plugins could be more structured - currently just config files + scripts shared in a GitHub discussion thread.

Is SketchyBar a fit?

Based on Console’s review published on 2023-01-05. Summary updated .

Who it’s for

Developers who want a customizable status bar should consider SketchyBar

Why consider it

SketchyBar allows for full customization of the status bar

Keep in mind

The config file can be difficult to work with

Console is a free weekly newsletter with short reviews of developer tools, covering strengths and tradeoffs. This review reflects Console’s assessment at publication on 2023-01-05. Features and limitations may have changed since the review date. Read our selection criteria and learn about Console.

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