NtfyBar

A native macOS menu-bar client for ntfy — notifications, popups that don't get missed, rules, commands and sandboxed plugins, for ntfy.sh or your own server.

ntfy lets any script, server or service send you a push notification with one HTTP request. NtfyBar puts those messages on your Mac: it subscribes to your topics, keeps a searchable history, and lets each topic decide what happens — a normal notification, a popup that stays until you act, a copy to the clipboard, a shell command, or rules and plugins.

Features

• Topics on ntfy.sh or your own server — several servers, with username/password or access-token sign-in. Live streaming with automatic reconnect; messages sent while your Mac was asleep or offline are fetched and summed up in one notification instead of a flood.
• Per topic, one plan by priority: nothing, a macOS notification, NtfyBar's popup or a plugin card, how long it stays, which sound — plus copy to clipboard, download attachments (and copy the file, e.g. a shared photo; popup buttons Copy file · Download · Open folder), run your own shell command.
• Popups that don't get missed — float above your windows (optionally above full-screen apps) without stealing focus, stack neatly, show priority as colour and icon and word, render markdown, and carry the message's own action buttons (open a link, send an HTTP request). Urgent ones can stay until you dismiss them (Close the popup after: Stays).
• Rules — exceptions to a plan: when a message matches (priority, text, regex, tags, JSON, …) also or instead do something (popup, copy, open a URL, run a command or Shortcut, publish a reply, play a sound). Edit them in Settings or in rules.json.
• Plugins — JavaScript conditions, actions and popups in a sandbox with permissions you approve one by one (marketplace).
• History — every message, searchable, per topic, with read/unread.
• Calm by design — flood guard (a burst of messages becomes one notice and one counting popup), pause for 15 min / 1 h / until resumed, quiet hours for anything NtfyBar sends.
• Private — no account, no telemetry; everything stays on your Mac. NtfyBar asks once (on its second launch) whether to check for updates automatically; with your yes it checks once a day by downloading the release feed from GitHub, which sends nothing about you.

Requirements

• macOS 14 Sonoma or later
• Apple Silicon and Intel (universal app)
• An ntfy topic — on ntfy.sh (free, no account) or a self-hosted server

Install

Homebrew

brew install --cask roypadina/tap/ntfybar

NtfyBar is signed with a self-signed identity (not notarized), so on first launch macOS may block it. Right-click NtfyBar in /Applications and choose Open, or run once:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/NtfyBar.app"

Updating

NtfyBar asks once whether to check for updates automatically; with your yes it checks once a day and asks before installing a new version (Check for Updates… in the About window or Settings → About checks now). An in-app update needs no xattr step. Homebrew users can also run brew upgrade --cask ntfybar.

Build from source

Needs Xcode 16 or later (Swift 6).

git clone https://github.com/roypadina/NtfyBar.git
cd NtfyBar
swift test
Scripts/package_app.sh          # builds dist/NtfyBar.app

Move dist/NtfyBar.app to /Applications and open it from there. More in the wiki.

Usage

1. Click the bell in the menu bar → Settings… › Topics › +.

2. Give the topic a label, pick the server and enter the topic name — the same one you use in the ntfy phone app or in your scripts. Random makes an unguessable one.

3. Set the plan: what you see, how long a popup stays and which sound; switch on Handle important messages differently for priority 4 and up. Then Save and Send Test Message (it shows on your other devices — NtfyBar ignores its own messages).

4. Send yourself something:

   curl -H "Title: Backup done" -H "Tags: white_check_mark" -d "3.1 GB, no errors" ntfy.sh/<your topic>
   

This is the beginning of the README. Read the rest at the original. Read the full README ↗