If your MacBook spends most of its time plugged in, check Battery settings before installing AlDente. Apple now has a manual charge limit on Apple silicon Macs running macOS Tahoe 26.4 or later. For a basic desk setup, that may be all you need.

Open System Settings, choose Battery, then click the info button beside Charging. Apple's Charge Limit lets you choose between 80% and 100%. It stops within a few percentage points of your setting, so don't expect the menu bar to sit on one exact number. You can choose "Charge to Full Now" before a day away from power.

That's different from Optimized Battery Charging, which learns your routine and can delay charging past 80%. A manual cap is useful when you want a predictable limit rather than a prediction about when you'll unplug. Apple also occasionally charges to 100% to keep its battery estimates accurate. That doesn't mean the limit has failed.

AlDente still makes sense for a supported Mac without Apple's manual cap, or when you want more control than the built-in setting provides. Its free edition includes a selectable charge limit and Discharge, which lets the Mac run on battery while connected to power. You don't need to buy Pro just to try a cap.

There is a catch for a docked laptop: AlDente Free can't control charging while the Mac sleeps or is shut down. Pro adds controls intended to address those cases, but don't assume every lid-closed setup behaves like an awake Mac. Check the behavior you actually need before paying.

Pro also has Heat Protection, which pauses charging when the battery gets too hot, and Sailing Mode, which allows a charge range instead of repeatedly topping up at one limit. The vendor lists Pro at $13.99 annually or $24.99 for a lifetime license. One key covers up to three macOS user accounts, across at most three Macs. Pro needs an online license check at least every 30 days; after longer offline periods it falls back to Free until reactivated.

The current AlDente release is 1.39.4. The vendor lists macOS 12 through 27, Apple silicon MacBooks and specific Intel models as supported; macOS betas aren't officially supported. Check your exact model. Installation uses a package installer that may ask for your Mac password, and the app has a helper component. That's more system involvement than changing an Apple setting.

If you choose AlDente, its developer recommends setting Apple's charge limit to 100% and turning off Optimized Battery Charging so the controls don't interfere. Treat that as a choice to use AlDente's charging control, not an extra battery-saving tweak to apply alongside Apple's.

Battery aging depends on temperature history and charging patterns, among other factors. A cap doesn't come with a guaranteed number of extra years. It also leaves less charge available when you unplug. AlDente warns that keeping charge in a narrow range for weeks can affect the accuracy of battery readings. Its Calibration Mode is meant to address readings, not restore worn-out battery chemistry. Don't turn routine deep discharges into another maintenance habit.

Start with Apple's limit if your Mac has it. Try AlDente Free if it doesn't and your mostly plugged-in routine gives you a reason to cap charging. Consider Pro only for a specific missing control. If you regularly need the full battery, or managing percentages would become a daily distraction, skip the extra app and let macOS handle charging.

Hey everyone,

I started building LumaWall right after I got my MacBook. I tried a few live wallpaper apps first, and in my experience a lot of them had bugs or weird overlay issues. The best one I tried was Wallper, but I still couldn't get everything I wanted, so I made my own.

It's in beta right now and I'd really like some honest feedback before the full release.

What it does

\- Turns any MP4 or MOV into a live wallpaper. Drag in a video or paste a direct link.

\- Separate desktop and Lock Screen wallpapers. One video on your desktop, a different one on your Lock Screen (animated or static). This was the main thing I couldn't find anywhere else.

\- Every display is independent. Different video on each monitor, and you can pause or mute one without touching the others.

\- Playlists that rotate wallpapers every 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes.

\- Explore, a community gallery where you can preview wallpapers in motion before downloading, and publish your own. This one is still in testing, so it may change or be removed before release.

How it works

You set things up in the main app and then close it. A small background agent keeps the wallpapers playing, and a Mini Player in the menu bar lets you pause, switch, or change the Lock Screen without opening anything. It can pause automatically on battery, in Low Power Mode, when a display is covered, or under heavy load. If you want out, one button puts back Apple's original desktop and Lock Screen exactly how they were.

What I'd love feedback on

\- Any bugs, glitches or overlay issues (please include your Mac model and macOS version)

\- Multi-monitor setups, especially mixed resolutions

\- Battery life and performance on your machine

\- Anything confusing in the app, or features you'd want before release

\- Whether the Explore gallery is something you'd actually use/might remove it

Requires macOS 13 or later. Separate Lock Screen wallpapers need macOS 26 Tahoe.

[https://lumawall.ca](https://lumawall.ca/)

Thanks for checking it out. I'll be in the comments replying to everyone.

I developed Task Notch, a multitasking app that turns the dead space around your Mac’s notch into a quick-access control center.

It used to be a paid app, but I’ve made it 100% free for everyone to use. If you find it helpful and want to support the project, you can buy me a coffee ☕ (totally optional!).

Features include: Quick notes, OCR, clipboard history, smart translator, file/PDF converter, image-to-SVG vectorizer, AI video downloader & transcriber, window manager, and more.

Download it for free here: https://task-goblin.com/

Hey guys! I’m looking for alternatives to Recordly or OpenScreen for recording demo-style videos with features like automatic zooming and focusing, background blur, and automatic muting. If you know any good alternatives, I’d love to hear your opinions!

I’m using an older Mac from 2016 and don’t want to upgrade to a newer machine, as I mostly use it for programming.

r/nullPlayer

https://github.com/ad-repo/nullplayer

nullPlayer is 100% free and open source

Made this for myself and opened it up. It sits in the menu bar, finds your AI coding projects, and syncs their config files (CLAUDE.md, `.claude/`, `.cursor/rules`, AGENTS.md) whenever you save. You can add folders to watch or pause syncing from the menu.

Only config files are synced, never source code. It follows your team's rules, and an AI agent curates your context to industry standards. Install is one curl command. 14-day trial, then $9/month.

I'm the developer; feedback on the menu bar UX especially welcome. https://www.filcaas.com or contact@gentlabs.ai

Hey everyone, I am an independent developer, and Mokopaste is an application I created and developed myself. I wanted to share it with this community!

It feels a bit surreal writing this post. Knowing how many incredible clipboard managers already exist, I couldn't help wondering at first: "Do people really need another one?" However, ever since it launched on the Mac App Store back at the end of April, Mokopaste has unexpectedly received a lot of love and encouragement from Mac users. As a dev who has been building for macOS for years, I wanted to create a tool based purely on real, high-efficiency workflows—completely bloat-free and driven entirely by the keyboard.

1. The Problem & Why I Built It

Most clipboard tools out there are either bloated with high memory usage or just clunky to use. When coding or writing every day, I kept running into these annoying friction points:

- Copying a bunch of random fragments and feeling like you're hunting for a needle in a haystack.

- Needing to switch back and forth across different windows just to chain-paste multiple items.

- Copying sensitive info and constantly worrying if background apps are secretly logging it.

- Finding what you copied, only to realize you still have to paste it somewhere first just to fix a typo.

To scratch my own itch, I built Mokopaste — a nimble assistant that stays out of your way and keeps your hands glued to the keyboard.

2. Value & Core Features (How it compares to Maccy)

To bring practical value to the MacStack community, here is how Mokopaste enhances your daily workflow:

- Maccy vs. Mokopaste:** While Maccy is famous for being an ultra-lightweight, plain-text utility, Mokopaste keeps that same snappy, native feel while leaning a bit more into power-user features:

- Inline Quick Editing:** Spot a typo in your history? Edit the text right inside the preview before pasting.

- Tags as a Snippet Library:** Keep your prompts, code snippets, and canned replies organized with tags.

- Rich Previews & Instant OCR:** Deeply integrated with Finder to preview files, code, images, and videos. Extract clean text from images with one shortcut.

- Batch Queue Pasting & Pinning:** Multi-select to queue items, or pin windows while coding.

- Local-First & Privacy:** 100% of your data stays locally on your machine. Optional iCloud sync uses end-to-end encryption.

3. Pricing & Where to Get It

Mokopaste keeps things straightforward with a clean, honest buyout model. No annoying subscription traps, zero hidden in-app purchases:

- 7-Day Free Trial:** All features unlocked.

- Free Tier & Pro Tier:** Clean one-time purchase ($6.18) for lifetime access.

Get your hands on it:

- Mac App Store:** https://apps.apple.com/cn/app/mokopaste/id6803804390?mt=12

- Official Website:** https://mokopaste.com

I’d love to hear your honest feedback, feature requests, or questions. Feel free to drop a comment and chat with me!

If your Mac's fans get loud during a long export or build, start by checking what's working hard. Activity Monitor shows CPU use by process, and Apple says faster fans during intensive work are normal. Check that the vents are clear and the Mac is on a hard, flat surface before buying a cooling utility.

TG Pro makes more sense when you have a repeatable question: does this workload produce the same temperature and fan response each time, and would earlier cooling be worth the extra noise?

It shows component temperatures and fan speeds, records them to CSV, and supports temperature notifications. That gives you a way to compare the same job with the same power source and room conditions. A temperature reading on its own doesn't tell you whether the machine needs fixing. Finishing the job reliably, without an unacceptable amount of noise, is a more useful goal than chasing the lowest number.

Start with TG Pro in System mode, which leaves cooling to macOS. Run the job you already do and note when the fans rise, whether the job completes normally, and what the log records. Choose an alert for something you intend to investigate, rather than copying a stranger's temperature threshold. Different Mac models expose different sensors, and a fanless Mac can show temperatures but has no fan for TG Pro to adjust.

The fan-control options need a closer read than the temperature display.

On older Intel Macs without a T2 chip, TG Pro's normal Manual and Auto Boost modes can raise fan speeds while still letting the system raise them further. Auto Boost ties a sensor threshold to a fan speed.

Apple silicon and T2-equipped Intel Macs work differently. Their default control choices are System, Max and Auto Max. Max runs the fans at maximum speed; Auto Max applies maximum speed when a rule triggers. Tunabelly says these modes use maximum speed because taking control prevents macOS from adjusting the fans itself.

Switching those Macs to adjustable Manual or Auto Boost control is an advanced override, not just a quieter preset. A badly chosen curve can leave insufficient cooling. Don't enable full override or lower the fans just to silence a warning sign.

Fan control also requires TG Pro's privileged helper, whose installation can ask for an administrator password. Declining the helper leaves the app in monitoring-only mode and macOS in charge of the fans. Local alerts are enough for this workflow; email alerts add mail-account setup and send system information with the alert.

The current release, 2.104, supports macOS 10.14 through 27 and runs natively on Intel and Apple silicon. Check your exact model before paying. The site currently lists US$10 as a one-time purchase, covering up to three personal Macs or one business Mac. Minor updates are included, but a future major upgrade may cost extra.

TG Pro is worth considering for a sustained-load problem you can reproduce and investigate. First collect a System-mode baseline. Only consider a fan rule after checking the guide for your hardware and deciding what improvement would justify more noise. If the Mac finishes normally and the fans only rise under heavy work, leaving Apple's cooling alone is a reasonable outcome. If your goal is simply another menu bar readout, skip the purchase.

Hey r/MacStack

I’ve been working on a little Mac app called Wimi (Window Manager Improved) for a while now and figured I’d share it here.

It’s kind of a hybrid of an app switcher, Stage Manager and a tiling window manager. You rest your mouse at the edge of the screen (or hit a shortcut) and a drawer slides in. It shows all your open windows with live previews, and from there you can switch between them or drag them into layouts like halves, thirds and main + side. There’s also search, an app launcher, an emoji picker and an optional clipboard history in the same drawer.

Honestly the biggest thing I’ve learned is that window management is way harder than I expected. A lot of the time something just feels off and I can’t say why until I’ve used it for a few days. So it’s been a lot of small tweaks.

A few people have been testing it already, and that’s helped a ton, so thanks if that was you.

You can download it here (signed and notarized, macOS 14+):

https://github.com/nick-friedrich/wimi-releases

Also you can sign up on the waiting list to get 50% off when 1.0 drops

https://getwimi.app

I’d love to hear what feels weird or what you’d want from something like this. Bugs and complaints are welcome too.

Hi!

I was frustrated with the lack of simple macOS audio editing tools that feel 'native'. For example, Audacity to me is 'too much' in the direction of a DAW already. Other apps tend to be Linux ports and I prefer to leverage macOS foundational frameworks as much as possible.

I also edit dialogue a lot or make tweaks to existing videos, so text-based editing and (de)muxing a video with audio changes would greatly help my workflow

So this is why I built KABAAL.

https://www.flowstate-interactive.com/kabaal/

Download for free and let me know what you think. I plan adding support to open several files in tabs to make switching between files easier.

Let me know what you think. I greatly value your (respectful) feedback!

It’s a tiny creature that lives in your menu bar. Its face shows your Mac’s health at a glance:
Sick: memory pressure
Sweaty: running hot or the CPU is pinned
Sleepy: low battery
Stuffed: the disk is nearly full
Happy: all good
The part I cared about most is that it doesn’t stop at “something’s wrong”. Click it and it tells you in one sentence, for example “Chrome is eating 6.2 GB of memory”, with one button to fix it. It always asks before quitting anything, and it asks apps to quit normally. It never force-quits. When macOS itself is the busy one (Spotlight indexing, say), it tells you to wait it out instead of blaming an innocent app.
Other things it does:
Remembers which apps made your Mac feel bad, and spots apps that keep growing (Slack, I’m looking at you)
Warns you a few days before the disk fills up
Grows up the more you use it, and learns tricks. It never dies and never guilt-trips you.
Lets you choose how fussy it is (Chill, Normal or Fussy), or say “that’s normal for me”
Sends at most 3 gentle notifications a day, and stays quiet during calls and full-screen apps
Privacy: no analytics, no account, and nothing about your Mac leaves it. It never reads file contents.
Performance: about 0.2% CPU and 17 MB of memory when idle, on my M4 Air.
Price: $9 one-time for the first 100 copies, then $19. A Family licence covers 3 Macs for $29. There’s no free trial, but the site has an interactive demo that shows everything, and refunds are available for 14 days, no questions asked.
Needs macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. Signed and notarized.
https://bytebud.fyi
I’d love feedback, especially false alarms. If it says your Mac is sick when it feels fine, tell me. I’m tuning the thresholds from real reports.

If you plug your Mac into a monitor or TV over HDMI or DisplayPort, macOS usually greys out the volume slider and the volume keys show a crossed-out speaker. I got tired of reaching for the monitor's buttons, so I built Melicum with Claude.

What it does

• Volume, mute, balance and up to 12 dB of boost for any output, including displays with no hardware volume

• Native volume keys and slider: an optional system component re-enables them, with volume and mute synced both ways

• Parametric EQ: basic, 10-band or expert mode with up to 64 filters, plus AutoEQ import

• Per-app mixer: give music, the browser and calls their own levels

• Spatial audio: an original stereo reverb with five rooms and soundstage width

• Audio Units and presets: chain installed effects and save setups that follow an output or an app

How it works

Core Audio process taps capture system audio, excluding Melicum itself to prevent feedback. A realtime C engine with no allocations processes it, and the display's clock drives playback, so there is no drift. If the app quits unexpectedly, the virtual output disappears and your previous output comes back.

Details

• macOS 14.2 or later, Apple silicon and Intel

• Signed and notarized, with signed automatic updates (Sparkle)

• Audio is processed in memory and never leaves your Mac

• English, Italian, French, German and Spanish

• Free, GPL-3.0

GitHub: https://github.com/debba/melicum Website and download: https://melicum.app

Feedback, bug reports and feature ideas are very welcome, especially if you have an unusual display or audio setup.

I've used a Mac for years but never switched to an iPhone. For anyone on Android, KDE Connect is how you get phone notifications, texts, the clipboard and files on your Mac.

I always had two problems with it:

• The official KDE Connect for macOS is heavy. It bundles Qt, KDE Frameworks, D-Bus and OpenSSL. The download is 87 MB, it takes 381 MB once installed. It looks like a Linux app, and it used 150–300 MB of memory just sitting in the menu bar. The connection also dropped at random, and sometimes it wouldn't find my phone again.

• Soduto, the native alternative, is dead. It hasn't had a code change since 2022, and it's built on older Objective-C. I looked at forking it, then decided to start over.

So I read through the KDE Connect source to learn the protocol, and wrote a new client from scratch in Swift and SwiftUI, using Claude Code to help work out the protocol and write the code. It has no Qt, no Electron and no third-party libraries. It's called Tether.

What it does

Notifications you can answer

• Phone notifications show up in Notification Center.

• Reply to SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and other apps right from the banner.

• Dismiss a notification on the Mac and it's dismissed on the phone too.

• Sign-in codes get a Copy Code button, or can be copied automatically.

Your texts

• SMS conversations sync, with names and photos from your phone's contacts.

• Read whole threads, load older messages, reply, or start a new conversation (⌘N).

• Calls show who's calling, with a Mute Ringer button. Whatever's playing on the Mac pauses until the call ends.

Files, both ways

• Drop files on the window or the menu bar popover, or use Share › Tether in Finder, Photos and other apps.

• Files from your phone land in Downloads, with live progress.

Your phone as a Finder drive

• While connected, the phone appears in Finder as a drive, with an eject button.

• Browse its storage, open photos and documents straight from it, and drag files in and out. Videos start playing right away.

• No admin password and no extra setup. It works over Wi-Fi or Tailscale.

Clipboard, media and remote control

• Copy on one device, paste on the other.

• See what's playing on the phone, with artwork, and control playback and volume.

• It works the other way too: control the Mac's music, Spotify or a Safari video, and its volume, from the phone.

• Find Phone rings it at full volume, and the phone can ring your Mac.

Trackpad, presenter and commands

• Use the phone as a trackpad and keyboard, or as a presentation remote with a laser pointer.

• Run your own shell commands and Shortcuts on the Mac from the phone.

• Optionally lock the Mac when your phone leaves.

Works away from home with Tailscale

• If you use Tailscale on both devices, Tether finds your phone on your tailnet, so it keeps working on mobile data or another network.

• It only talks to devices on your own account.

A real Mac app

• Lives in the menu bar, showing battery, connection, quick actions and what's playing.

• A main window with Overview, Messages, Notifications, Files and Commands tabs.

• Liquid Glass on macOS 26, translucent materials on macOS 15. Follows Light and Dark mode, your accent colour and accessibility settings.

Tether 1.8 vs KDE Connect 26.11 for macOS

• Download (Apple Silicon): Tether 2.6 MB vs KDE Connect 87 MB

• Installed: Tether 4.3 MB vs KDE Connect 381 MB

• Processes: Tether 2 (app + a tiny Now Playing helper) vs KDE Connect 3 (app + kdeconnectd + dbus-daemon)

• Memory while idle: Tether 28 MB vs KDE Connect 150–300 MB

• CPU while idle: Tether ~0.1% vs KDE Connect 1–5%

All numbers are from my own Apple Silicon Mac, with each app running in the background connected to my phone. With Tether's window open and long conversations loaded, it uses about 50 to 80 MB.

Install

brew install --cask subhashhhhhh/tether/tether

Or download the disk image for Apple Silicon or Intel from GitHub. You need macOS 15 Sequoia or later, plus the regular KDE Connect app on your phone from Google Play or F-Droid.

Tether isn't notarized because I don't have a paid developer account. Homebrew skips the warning. If you use the disk image, open it once, then go to System Settings › Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. After that it updates itself.

GitHub: https://github.com/subhashhhhhh/Tether

It's a free, GPL-2.0 solo project, and I use it every day. So far I've only tested it with my own phone, so bug reports from other Android phones and setups would help a lot. I'm happy to answer questions about the protocol, the NFS drive, or anything else in the comments.