JustNotch

JustNotch is a sleek, lightweight, and modern macOS companion that transforms your MacBook's hardware notch into an interactive Dynamic Island for media playback, focus timer, clipboard history, and file shelf.

This is a 100% free, open-source, and non-profit project developed with the assistance of AI.

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Features

• Music & Live Synced Lyrics:

  • Integrates seamlessly with Spotify and Apple Music.
  • Displays mini album art directly on the notch when closed.
  • View synchronized karaoke-style lyrics inline directly within the notch without window shifting.

• Pomodoro Focus Timer:

  • Beautiful circular progress ring matching the album art scale.
  • One-tap start, pause, and reset controls built right inside the timer.

• Clipboard History:

  • Keeps track of recently copied text and images as horizontal cards.
  • Pin important items to the left, delete, or re-copy with a single click.

• Drop Shelf:

  • Drag and drop files or notes directly over the notch to hold them temporarily.
  • The notch automatically expands and switches to the shelf when a file is dragged over it.
  • Local-Only Storage: files are kept purely locally on your machine and can be cleared with one click.

• Customizable Appearance:

  • Choose between Apple-style Frosted Glass, Solid OLED Black, Custom Colors, or your own Background Image (with zoom, pan, and blur controls).
  • Multi-language support (English & Turkish).

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⚠️ Important Note: macOS Gatekeeper ("Malware" / "Unidentified Developer" Warning)

When opening JustNotch for the first time, macOS may show a warning saying:

"JustNotch cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software" or "JustNotch is damaged and can't be opened."

Why does this happen?

This project is completely free and non-profit. Because of this, it is not signed with a paid $99/year Apple Developer Certificate. macOS automatically flags any downloaded application from an unverified developer as potential malware by default. The entire source code is completely open and safe to review.

How to open the app (Choose either method):

Method 1: Through System Settings (Easiest)

1. Double-click the app. If a warning appears, click Cancel or OK.
2. Open System Settings on your Mac.
3. Go to Privacy & Security and scroll down to the Security section.
4. You will see: "JustNotch was blocked from use because it is not from an identified developer."
5. Click Open Anyway, confirm with your password or Touch ID, and click Open.

(You only need to do this once. The app will open normally from then on).

Method 2: Via Terminal (Quickest)

If you placed the app in your Applications folder, open Terminal and run:

xattr -cr /Applications/JustNotch.app

(If the app is still in your Downloads folder, run: xattr -cr ~/Downloads/JustNotch.app)

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How to Use

• Open / Close Notch: Hover your mouse over the hardware notch, or click it. Press the up-chevron icon or move your mouse away to collapse.
• View Lyrics: Click the current lyric line while a song is playing to enter full inline lyrics mode.
• Settings: Press Cmd + , or click the gear icon in the notch header or the JustNotch icon in your macOS menu bar.

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Building from Source

If you want to build the project yourself:

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/emrys987/JustNotch.git
   cd JustNotch

2. Run the build script:

   ./build_app.sh

3. Open the newly built application:

   open JustNotch.app

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License

This project is open-source and free for personal use under the MIT License.