Configuration
On this page 3
Right-click Barista’s cup and choose Preferences…. Left-click the cup or press ⌘⇧C to start or stop keep-awake.
| Setting | Behavior |
|---|---|
| For how long | 5m, 15m, 30m, 1h, 2h, 4h, 8h or ∞. Choosing one starts or replaces the session. |
| Start awake | Starts a session with the saved duration whenever Barista opens. |
| Open at login | Opens Barista when you sign in. |
| Hide a group of menu bar icons | Adds one compact group control on supported direct builds. |
New installs use ∞, Start awake, Open at login and grouping by default. Existing saved choices are preserved. Turn Off releases the current session’s power assertions. Keep-awake works independently of grouping permissions.
Choose which icons to hide
Icon hiding requires macOS 27, the direct build and Accessibility access.
- Enable Hide a group of menu bar icons in Preferences.
- Choose Open System Settings… and enable Barista under Privacy & Security → Device Control and Data Access. This is macOS 27’s Accessibility permission.
- Choose Arrange… to reveal everything. Hold ⌘ and drag unwanted icons left of Barista’s arrow.
- Click the arrow, choose Hide Grouped Icons, or press ⌘⇧B. Click again to reveal.
Keep the arrow visible while hiding. If macOS puts it in system overflow, reveal it there first so Craft can read the boundary. The cup can be on either side and stays visible. There are no pipe dividers or wide spacers.
Native behavior and limits
Craft implements the private MenuBarClientCore visibility API researched by Hidden Bar. Apple can change it. If the backend is unavailable, Barista leaves icons visible and explains why. This feature cannot be distributed through the App Store.
Selection follows the display containing the arrow. Native visibility applies to selected applications or Apple controls across displays. Wi-Fi, Battery and other identifiable Apple controls follow the same left-of-arrow boundary.
Hiding applies per app. If an app owns several icons, keeping any of them on the visible side keeps the whole app visible. Craft preserves visible app and helper signing identities. If activation hides an unselected app icon, it restores the bar and reports the failure. An empty group stays revealed; ambiguous geometry is not guessed. Apps launched while collapsed may remain hidden until you reveal the group.
On macOS 27.0.1 the private API can also suppress Focus, Now Playing and camera/microphone activity indicators, even when those modules sit on the visible side. Barista accepts this behavior, matching Hidden Bar. Reveal the group to restore those modules.
The group starts revealed. Disabling grouping, quitting, permission loss or activation errors restore its icons. When revealed icons do not fit, macOS owns system overflow, including its presentation over the left app menus. Barista cannot guarantee those menus stay visible while system overflow is open.
Saved preferences
Preferences are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/barista/. Keep-awake,
duration, login and Dock choices survive upgrades. Old spacer, always-hidden
and auto-collapse settings are removed during migration.
BARISTA_PREFERENCES_PATH selects an isolated preference file for native tests.
An isolated profile does not change the installed app’s login item.