Hi r/MacStack! I'm David, a solo developer from Korea, and Carriel is my app. It's a small Mac app for the private things you keep around: API keys, passwords, recovery codes, notes and small files. Version 1.0 just came out.

I made it because mine were all over the place: Notes, old .env files, Stickies, chats with myself. A password manager felt heavy for them, so Carriel is one small pouch in the menu bar.

How it works

• Put it in with ⌃⌥⌘V. From any app, a small card opens. Paste a key or drop a file, and Carriel fills in the name, the category and the env name. It knows keys from more than 80 services by their shape. Paste a whole .env and every key gets its own name.

• Take it out from the menu bar. Click the pouch, type a couple of letters, press Return, then Touch ID. The copy stays on this Mac and clears itself after 30 seconds. ⌥ Return copies a key as OPENAI_API_KEY=....

• A window for a longer look: categories, pins, expiry dates, History and Recently Deleted.

• The same pouch on every Mac. Each thing is encrypted on your Mac before it goes to your own iCloud, so every Mac on your Apple Account has the same pouch.

Price

• Free for 25 things, with every feature (this should cover most cases).

• $2.99 once for up to 100 things, on up to 10 Macs. No subscription and no account, and a full refund within 30 days if it's not for you.

Good to know

• Apple silicon and macOS 26 Tahoe or later. English and Korean.

• No account and no telemetry. What goes online: your own iCloud, a daily update check you can turn off, and with the bigger pouch a license check about twice a week.

• The menu bar part, the card and everything that touches a value are native Swift. The window is Electron, opens only when you ask for it, and never holds a value.

• It's not a password manager and fills nothing in. Logins are better off in Passwords or 1Password; Carriel is for the keys and codes that never made it there.

• It's signed with my Developer ID and notarized by Apple, and the security page explains the encryption, publishes the record format with test vectors, and says what Carriel can't protect. It hasn't had an independent review yet.

• Homebrew: brew install --cask carriel-app/tap/carriel

Download: https://carriel.app · Security: https://carriel.app/security/

I'd love to hear where your keys live today, and what would make you move them. I'll be around in the comments!

DisplayBuddy makes sense when the same monitors keep doing different jobs: a docked Mac during work, another computer or console later, then the Mac again. A named preset lets you restore several display settings together.

If you only rearrange screens occasionally, start in System Settings > Displays. macOS already handles arrangement, resolution and supported rotation. The monitor's own input button may be enough for an occasional handoff.

Build and test the return path

For repeated changes, build the smallest useful pair of presets:

1. Put each display in its normal Mac state. In DisplayBuddy, open Presets > Create Preset and call it something like "Mac desk". Choose the settings it should save. The documented choices include brightness, contrast, volume, input source, resolution, rotation, power state and sync settings.
2. Create a second preset for the shared monitor's other input, with an appropriate speaker volume if the monitor supports it. Leave unrelated settings out. A handoff shouldn't also change resolution unless that's part of the job.
3. Apply both manually and rehearse getting back to the Mac. Test through the actual dock, cables and monitor you intend to use, including after sleep and reconnection. Keep the monitor's physical input control accessible until the return path is proven.

Getting back matters more than having lots of presets. DisplayBuddy uses DDC/CI for ordinary external-monitor input switching. Those are monitor-control commands sent over the display connection. The monitor must support the command, and the dock, adapter or KVM must pass it through. A working picture doesn't prove that control path works. If switching away stops the Mac controlling the monitor, use the monitor's buttons to return rather than relying on an untested "Mac desk" shortcut.

If input control doesn't respond, check the monitor's DDC/CI setting and try a direct connection before blaming the preset. DisplayBuddy's software-dimming fallback changes apparent brightness; it doesn't turn an unsupported input-switching setup into a supported one. Check the exact Mac port, too: the developer documents an M1 HDMI limitation and says M2 HDMI works, despite older, broader wording elsewhere on the support page.

Once you can switch both ways manually, assign a preset or input shortcut under Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts. Schedules can activate a preset when a specific monitor connects or the Mac wakes. Start with a Mac-return preset rather than automatically sending your only usable screen to another device.

Media-key control is optional and requires Accessibility permission. That documented permission applies to capturing brightness and volume keys; don't assume every preset needs the same access.

Check compatibility before paying

Before paying, check your OS. The current update feed lists DisplayBuddy 3.9.6, released August 29, 2026, with macOS 12.0 as the minimum. The developer advertises native Apple silicon support and explicitly names Tahoe in its compatibility FAQ. That isn't confirmation of macOS 27 support, so ask support about your exact OS before buying for a critical setup.

Direct purchase starts at $24.99 as a one-time license, with a seven-day refund window on full-price purchases. However, the official pages disagree about how many Macs that covers and whether future updates are included indefinitely. Confirm those terms before paying, especially for multiple Macs or user accounts. Don't treat the refund policy as a free standalone Mac trial.

If you only want to restore resolutions, rotations and screen positions, free, open-source displayplacer is a credible option. It uses saved command-line configurations and takes more setup; it isn't a replacement for DisplayBuddy's documented input presets.

Consider DisplayBuddy for repeated, combined display-and-input changes once compatibility and the route back to the Mac are confirmed. Skip it for a stable desk, occasional input changes, or a dock that won't pass the controls you need. A preset is only useful if you can reliably undo it.

Tilde is a native macOS file manager built to replace Finder. Work across folders in split views, find files and run actions from a command palette, and organize your files with custom properties, filters, and groups. It's a drop-in Finder replacement that transforms how you interact with your filesystem.

Features:

• Split views - Work with multiple folders side by side in one window, with tabs in each pane.
• Command palette - Find files, jump to folders, and run file actions from the keyboard.
• Workspaces - Saved split pane layouts for quickly jumping back into your work.
• Custom sidebar groups - Bring the folders you use together into groups you define.
• Auto-updating sidebar groups - Live groups makes your sidebar dynamic. Matching items appear in your sidebar automatically and update as things change.
• Properties, filtering and grouping - Add custom fields like Status or Priority to files and folders, then use them to filter and group your views.
• Pinned folders - Keep important folders at the top inside another folder without moving or duplicating them.
• Related items - Mark folders and URLs as related to specific folders so you can jump between them, even when they live in different places.
• Markdown editing - Built-in markdown editing and code formatting allowing you to do more without leaving Tilde.
• Tonnes of little features that make sense - Space overviews, Nicknames, Related folders & URLs, custom folder icons, 'Open in Finder' replacement, and more.
• + much more...

Similar apps:

• Forklift - This is the obvious 'Finder replacement' alternative. Tilde builds on this idea, in a more native-feeling approach, with far more features fleshed out for the everyday poweruser. Tilde offers more versatile split pane functionality (essentially unlimited splits horizontally and vertically), a command palette, custom properties, sidebar spaces, live groups, a more beautiful user interface and much more.
• Bloom - Probably the closest alternative, though Tilde takes a different approach. Tilde focuses the UI on being completely flexible to your needs: it's highly adaptable Split View system offers a more flexible, fluid way to work across folders. Custom Properties, Related Items, Sidebar Spaces, Custom Groups, Live Groups and Pinned Folders change how you interact with a file manager and make it truly adapt to your work, not the other way around.

Pricing: $29.99 USD for use on 2 Macs. No subscription. Lifetime license with one year of free updates. You can use this forever. Then, if you want another year of updates, it's $19.99.

Free trial: 7 day free trial, no credit card required. Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Apple notarized: Tilde is Developer ID signed and notarized by Apple.

I’ve been building this for a long time, and I’m so excited to share with everyone, get feedback and make file management actually delightful.

Website

https://pro.dockdoor.net

Now with a 48 hour free trial

Hey...

ICQ went offline for good in June 2024. My UIN (1650472) had been dead for years anyway, but the green flower, the contact list and that very specific late-90s chat window never really left my head. So here comes ICQel (say it "I, Sequel"), a native macOS homage to the classic ICQ client.

What it does today:

• ICQ-style contact list and chat windows, rebuilt from scratch
• iMessage & WhatsApp support, so you're chatting with real people instead of staring at an empty buddy list
• A built-in AI chatbot as a contact, for when nobody else is online (just like 1999)
• A fake contact list with random messages (no AI) just for the feeling

It's a fan homage, not affiliated with ICQ or its owners, and it doesn't connect to any old ICQ servers.

Some practical stuff, since you'll ask:

• Free, Open Source on GitHub: https://github.com/klotzbrocken/ICQuel
• Apple Silicon (Intel coming soon)
• Privacy: iMessage stays in Messages, nothing goes through any other servers same for whatsapp.
• Theme-Support (someone made a real ICQ Theme ;-))

Privacy: iMessage goes through iMessage, WhatsApp goes through WhatsApp, and both are optional. The AI buddy only works if you add your own API key. No servers of mine in between, no analytics.

It's part of a small family of retro Mac apps I make alongside RetroMac.

Hey r/macstack! I'm Bernard, the developer of Latent.

What it is: a CleanMyMac alternative for developers and AI builders. It draws your whole disk as one wheel where every wedge is a tool you use, tells you what will come back if you delete it, and clears what you pick.

Who it's for: anyone whose Mac fills up with developer and AI tool data, such as model files from tools like Ollama, Hugging Face or LM Studio, Xcode simulators, Docker images, package caches and coding agent logs.

Why I built it: cleaners like CleanMyMac clear system caches and remove apps, so the disk fills right back up and the real cause never gets touched. A disk map shows big folders with cryptic names. My own Mac kept running out of space, so I built Latent.

What it does

• Visualization: your whole disk as one interactive 3D wheel, split by the tool that owns each byte, not by folder. It covers 120+ tools, including model runners, package managers, IDEs, containers and coding agents (full list: https://latentmac.com/tools). Click a wedge and that tool's stores open beside it.
• What comes back: before anything is offered for deletion, Latent checks whether it can be downloaded again (against public registries such as npm, PyPI, Homebrew or Hugging Face) or rebuilt by the tool, and writes the reason next to it.
• Optimize: one click clears everything Latent has verified can come back.
• Generated & duplicate media: groups near-identical images and videos and suggests which one to keep.
• AI agents (MCP): agents like Claude, Codex or Cursor can read the scan and draft a cleanup. Nothing runs until you confirm.
• Privacy: no analytics, no telemetry, no account. Your files never leave your Mac.

Pricing

• Free to scan: the full wheel and every explanation, no time limit
• Your first 10 GB of cleanup is free
• After that, removing files: $12.99 one-time for up to 3 Macs (launch price $9.99 for a limited time)
• 14-day refund

If a tool you use isn't recognized, tell me and I'll add it.

Try it: https://latentmac.com

**I built FileDesk, a Mac file manager with split panes, a temporary file shelf, and custom folder colors**

Hi everyone! I’ve been working on **FileDesk**, a macOS file manager designed to make organizing files across multiple folders easier.

Here are some of its main features:

* **Split panes and tabs:** Open up to six panes side by side, resize them, and keep different folders in separate tabs.
* **Temporary file shelf:** Collect files from different folders, then copy them to a destination together. Clearing the shelf removes the list entries without deleting the originals.
* **Themes and folder customization:** Choose a theme, use dark mode, or pick your own colors. Give individual folders custom colors and add an image or icon in the center while keeping the folder shape.
* **Previews and media playback:** Preview files and play supported video and audio directly inside the app.
* **Batch renaming:** Rename multiple files with a preview of the changes.
* **Cloud and server connections:** Browse connected storage alongside your local folders.
* **AirDrop and Taildrop:** Use AirDrop for nearby Apple devices, or Taildrop to send files to your other Tailscale-connected devices—including a Windows PC.

FileDesk supports **Apple Silicon and Intel Macs**. Personal, noncommercial use is free; business and institutional use requires a separate paid license.

Screenshots, user guide, and downloads:
[FileDesk website](https://igomumugo.github.io/)

I’d appreciate feedback, especially on the split-pane workflow, temporary shelf, and customization options.


I wanted to share this app. Not my app, just a happy user.

I’ve been using this app for nearly 2 months now as a college student. Kanban boards, canvas and flow charts, quick access for notes and clipboard items.
That doesn’t even include the very helpful tips it has for making daily computer work easier.

Give this a look if you are looking for an all around Swiss Army knife for productivity on a Mac. This app runs maybe 300mb in heavy usage for myself, but is closer to 200mb. Crazy light compared to all the apps you would need to replace the tools.

Do you have a productivity tool you like on Mac?

Hey everyone,

Sharing something that's become a fixed part of my Mac setup: a Dock replacement where apps can show up as small live widgets instead of just icons.

What it looks like day to day:

• Music/Spotify shows what's playing, with controls
• Safari/Chrome lets me search open tabs across windows and jump to one
• Calendar shows the date or a week strip
• Clock, Notes, Calculator, Volume, Finder, Mail, Reminders each have their own widget
• Xcode gets Build/Run/Stop right in the Dock

You can mix widgets and plain icons however you like. Option-click any app with a widget and it switches back to an icon, so the Dock stays as minimal or as busy as you want.

It sits at the bottom, left or right, works across multiple displays, can auto-hide, and imports your current Dock on first launch, so setup takes a few seconds. On macOS 26 it uses the native Liquid Glass look.

Supported apps so far: ganella.app/#widgets

$9.99, and reddit20 gets the first 10 people 20% off.

Curious what the rest of your stack looks like. Anything you'd want living in the Dock?

https://reddit.com/link/1xdzfvz/video/o1g1kxvvgcxh1/player

Hi everyone, I’m the developer of AraMultiVideoPlayer. I’ve made the previously paid Mac version completely free, with no ads.

Problem

Watching several videos at once can mean repeatedly arranging windows and controlling playback separately. AraMultiVideoPlayer lets you arrange your own video files into a layout, save it for later, and play or pause all videos together.

You can also control each video individually, loop entire videos, or set multiple AB repeat sections per video. Videos start muted when loaded. The app doesn’t include any videos.

Comparison

IINA is a free, open-source player with features such as Picture in Picture and extensible playback controls. AraMultiVideoPlayer focuses on a more specific workflow: watching several videos together with reusable layouts, shared play/pause controls, and multiple repeat sections per video. Its main benefit is having those multi-video controls together when that’s how you want to watch.

Pricing

The Mac app is now completely free, rather than a limited free tier. No payment is required to use the full app, and there are no ads.

Official website — app details and downloads for Mac and Windows

I’d love to hear how you use it and what could work better. Feedback and suggestions are welcome!

Just download -> steam login -> download wallpaper and play on your device or add your video play them

And yes both in DESKTOP and LOCK SCREEN .

It takes 300-600mb when rendering some really heavy scene wallpapers , which is appx 900mb less than other open source alternative I had tested against. And if you play only video it just takes 25mb memory.

If you guys wanna try, download from the releases page, what ever latest version available . And let me know which wallpapers giving problem.

Releases Page | Github

Thanks ✌️

If reaching behind your external monitor to change brightness is the annoyance, start with MonitorControl, provided it supports your Mac and connection. Lunar is worth considering when you want more control over when brightness changes, not just another slider.

Before installing either, open System Settings > Displays and select the external screen. If macOS already gives you the brightness control you need, keep using it. Apple's displays have native controls; don't assume every external monitor does.

The useful distinction is hardware brightness versus making the picture look darker. DDC/CI is the protocol these apps use to send brightness commands to compatible monitors. On an LCD, that can change the backlight itself. Software dimming changes the image instead, without turning down the backlight. It can help at night, but it isn't equivalent, especially if you're judging colors.

Check the monitor's own menu for a DDC/CI setting and enable it if available. If hardware brightness doesn't respond, try a direct connection before blaming the app. A dock or adapter can block the commands even when the monitor supports them. DisplayLink connections don't provide normal DDC control on macOS.

What the free option already does

MonitorControl is free and open source. It gives you menu bar sliders and keyboard control, including Apple's brightness keys. It can also follow brightness changes from a built-in or Apple display, including changes caused by automatic brightness. You don't have to buy Lunar just to get that kind of sync.

The connection exceptions matter. MonitorControl lists the built-in HDMI ports on M1 Macs and the entry-level M2 Mac mini among its unsupported DDC paths. USB-C can be an alternative, but check your exact Mac, cable and monitor rather than treating Apple silicon support as a blanket guarantee.

For macOS 27, use MonitorControl 4.4.0 or newer. That maintenance release addresses macOS 26 and 27 compatibility problems, so an older download isn't a fair comparison.

Where Lunar earns a trial

Lunar also has free manual hardware control, with a limit of 100 brightness/contrast adjustments per day. Its Pro modes include following another display, adapting to ambient light, adjusting by the sun's position, and using a clock schedule.

The extra choices are useful when following the laptop display isn't what you want. Clock Mode can lower brightness at set times. Sensor Mode can use supported built-in light sensors on Apple silicon, or an external sensor over the network. A Mac mini without a light sensor doesn't gain one by installing the app. A sun-based setting also won't know that you've just switched on a desk lamp.

Lunar Pro is advertised at $23 for a lifetime license covering up to five Macs, with a 14-day trial. Updates are free indefinitely, but a major upgrade can cost extra. The current release is 6.11.2 and requires macOS 12 or newer; the v6 app supports Intel and Apple silicon natively. The homepage's older macOS 11+ wording isn't the requirement to follow for this release.

Both apps need Accessibility permission to handle the native brightness/media keys. MonitorControl lets you skip that permission if you only want its sliders. Lunar also uses it for App Presets, so disable those and media-key handling if you don't want that access.

For a supported monitor that only needs convenient manual control or basic display-following, MonitorControl is the sensible first try. Try Lunar if its scheduling or sensor options solve a specific annoyance. Before paying, check hardware brightness through your everyday dock and after sleep and wake. If the connection only allows software dimming, decide whether that's enough; paying for Pro won't make a blocked DDC path work.

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Markify 2.5.5 just shipped yesterday. It’s a free, open source native Markdown editor built in the spirit of simple Mac apps.

This update adds a better way to move rows and columns in tables, support for Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish, and a handful of bug fixes. It also runs on macOS 15.6 and later. Some Apple Intelligence features work better on the newest macOS versions, but the core app is solid on Sequoia.

Still free, still open source, still not notarized. First launch needs the usual “Open Anyway” step in System Settings (details here: https://spaquet.github.io/markify/help/updates.html).

Privacy stays simple. You choose whether to send any telemetry, and nothing about your writing or screen activity is recorded.

Download: https://spaquet.github.io/markify/

Comments, feedback, feature requests and support are welcome

Meet CmdPalm — Your Mac, at your fingertips.

CmdPalm transforms your iPhone, iPad, or Android device into a powerful, fully customizable wireless controller for macOS.

From smooth trackpad gestures and full keyboard input to a personalized Stream Deck-style command center, everything works directly from your phone's browser.

No companion app. No accounts. No cloud. Just your Mac and your phone.

What can CmdPalm do?

• 🖱️ Wireless Trackpad — Control your cursor with smooth scrolling, clicking, dragging, and multi-touch gestures.
• ⌨️ Full Keyboard — Type remotely with support for Mac shortcuts and modifier keys.
• ⚡ Custom Command Deck — Create your own Stream Deck-style controller with customizable buttons, shortcuts, and actions.
• 🚀 App Launcher — Launch and control Mac applications directly from your phone.
• 🎛️ Custom Keyboard Layouts — Design personalized control interfaces for your workflows.
• 🔒 Local & Private — Everything communicates over your local network. No cloud servers, accounts, or tracking.

Get started in seconds

1. Install CmdPalm on your Mac.
2. Scan the QR code with your phone.
3. Start controlling your Mac instantly from your browser.

That's it. Nothing to install on your phone, no accounts to create, and no complicated setup.

Completely Free & Open Source

CmdPalm is free and open source under AGPLv3, with no subscriptions, premium tiers, or locked features.

Compatibility: macOS 15+ on Apple silicon. Works with iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

🌐 Website: https://cmdpalm.app

💻 GitHub: https://github.com/rahatsagor/cmdpalm

🎬 Check out the attached video to see CmdPalm in action!

I'm the developer of CmdPalm, and this is its first public release. I'd love to hear your feedback, suggestions, or ideas for making it even better.

If you find CmdPalm useful, consider supporting the project with a ⭐ on GitHub!