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Native macOS Utility

ProfessorNotch

An open-source app that turns the MacBook notch into a native control center, combining safe local backup, media and system controls, and everyday productivity tools.

Role
Solo Developer & Open-Source Maintainer
Period
2026
Focus
Balancing offline operation, low resource usage, and high functional density in a small space through native macOS integrations.

01 / Problem

What needed solving?

DiskSync originally solved a single need: making safe backups to an external drive. Its unremarkable spot in the menu bar sparked the idea of turning the tool into a more accessible shortcut — and then into a full-fledged product living in the notch itself.

02 / Approach

Building the product as a whole.

I built it fully native with Swift 6, SwiftUI, and AppKit, with no third-party dependencies. I integrated macOS services directly while keeping the promise of offline operation and low resource usage, fitting dense functionality into the small notch area.

03 / Technical architecture

The system's layers

  1. 01

    Notch HUD

    Custom NSPanel layers that anchor to the screen geometry and handle hover and file-drag behavior.

  2. 02

    DiskSync engine

    FSEvents, actor-based serial jobs, safe additive sync, and a recoverable Mirror archive.

  3. 03

    System services

    Modules that manage audio, display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, battery, and system metrics through native services.

  4. 04

    Local data

    A SQLite3 layer that keeps settings, sync, archive, and usage data on-device; there is no telemetry.

04 / Product scope

Key features

  • 01

    Safe local backup to an external drive with incremental sync

  • 02

    Recoverable Mirror archive

  • 03

    Media, volume, brightness, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth controls

  • 04

    Battery health and live activities

  • 05

    App launcher, file shelf, and clipboard history

  • 06

    CPU, memory, disk, and network monitoring

  • 07

    Quick timer built into the notch

  • 08

    Free, open source, and telemetry-free

05 / Stack

The tools used for this work.

  • Swift 6
  • SwiftUI
  • AppKit
  • FSEvents
  • SQLite3
  • CoreAudio
  • CoreWLAN
  • IOKit
  • AppleScript
  • Xcode

Interface

ProfessorNotch control center
Media, volume, brightness, connectivity, and display controls.
ProfessorNotch DiskSync engine
External drive, target folder, and sync status.
ProfessorNotch battery health
Charge, battery health, cycle count, and power mode.
ProfessorNotch app launcher
A local app launcher driven by usage frequency.
ProfessorNotch file shelf
File drop and Command-drag AirDrop flow.
ProfessorNotch system monitoring
CPU, memory, disk, and live network traffic.
ProfessorNotch timer
A quick timer built into the notch.

Result

What changed?

ProfessorNotch is in active daily use and runs stably; it is fully free and open source under the MIT license. The end-user release will ship once Apple signing, notarization, and Mac App Store compliance work is complete.

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