Ajar

Close your MacBook halfway. Your mic mutes. Open it. It's back.

Ajar is a macOS menu-bar utility that turns the lid-angle sensor of your MacBook into a control surface:

• Nudge the lid down (didn't close it, just tilted it) → microphone mutes, with honest restore — it only un-mutes what it muted, and never touches a mic you silenced yourself.
• Push the lid to the stop → runs a Shortcut. Default is Do Not Disturb; point it at anything Shortcuts can do.

No Accessibility prompt. No private APIs — the sensor is read through the public IOHIDManager (HID usage page 0x20, usage 0x8A). No analytics, no telemetry. The network is touched in exactly two places: license activation and Sparkle update checks.

Status

This repository ships the free build. Everything is unlocked. A paid Pro tier (custom Shortcuts on the stop zone, replacing the default DND) will be added later; the licensing code is present but bypassed.

Requirements

• macOS 14.0 or later
• An Apple Silicon MacBook with a lid-angle sensor — not every model has one. The app checks on first launch and tells you plainly if yours doesn't. Confirmed models so far: MacBook Pro 16" (2019), MacBook Pro 14" (2021), MacBook Air (2022).
• Xcode 15+ / Swift 5.10+ to build

Build

xcodebuild -scheme Ajar build
xcodebuild -scheme Ajar test

App Sandbox is off by design — the sandbox only allows IOKit through a fixed entitlement list, and the lid sensor isn't on it. Hardened Runtime is on. Settings live in UserDefaults; there is no database.

A signed, notarized DMG for people who don't want to build it themselves is at https://quietunit.com/ajar.

Why this repo is public

It's a portfolio piece and a compatibility reference. You can read it, build it, run it, and fork it for your own use. You cannot sell it or use it commercially — see LICENSE (PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0).

Layout

• Ajar/Sensor/ — LidAngleReader, the IOHIDManager wrapper
• Ajar/Zones/ — zone engine, hysteresis, dwell, calibration
• Ajar/Actions/ — mic mute, Shortcuts runner
• Ajar/Lifecycle/ — sleep / clamshell / startup suppression
• Ajar/Licensing/ — trial + license verification (present, bypassed in the free build)
• Ajar/UI/ — menu bar, settings, onboarding
• AjarTests/ — unit tests for the pure logic

Hardware layers (HID, CoreAudio, sleep/clamshell) are verified by hand, not mocked.