Stargazer Bar for MAC
Free, open-source menu bar app for Mac that shows the GitHub stars, release downloads and repository activity of the projects you follow.
Stargazer Bar Overview
Stargazer Bar is a small native menu bar app for Mac that keeps an eye on GitHub repositories for you. It puts a live star count in the menu bar, so you can see how a project is doing without keeping a browser tab open, and a click opens a dropdown with the details: star and fork trend charts, release download totals and a maintainer radar. Public repositories are measured by their stars. Private repositories, which have no stars, are measured by what needs your attention: a failing build, an unanswered issue or a new pull request.
Stargazer Bar is made by Alex M and is free and open source under the BSD 3-Clause license. You can track any public repository without a GitHub account; signing in fills the repository picker, and a read-only fine-grained token unlocks private repositories. The app has no backend and no telemetry: it reads GitHub directly and keeps your tokens in the macOS Keychain. Version 0.7.1 is a fix release that makes the milestone sounds and menu bar animation fire for stars only and protects saved tokens during an upgrade. Stargazer Bar needs macOS 13 or later and runs on Apple Silicon Macs only. The download is a disk image signed and notarized by Apple, and later updates arrive through Sparkle.
Key Features
Stargazer Bar keeps the numbers you care about one click away.
- Live star counts: follow several public repositories from the menu bar.
- Private repositories: see what needs you, with a 30-day commit chart counted across every branch.
- Release downloads: totals from GitHub's latest releases, up to 100 releases.
- Trend charts: per-repository star and fork charts right in the menu.
- Maintainer radar: CI status, recent commits, new pull requests and issues, and unanswered issues.
- Milestone sharing: copy milestone text or a square share image when a repository passes a round number.
- Star sounds: give each tracked repository its own sound, so you know which one moved.
- Private by default: no backend, no telemetry and tokens stored in the Keychain.
What’s New in Version 0.7.1
Stargazer Bar 0.7.1 fixes how milestones are celebrated and how saved tokens are handled.
- Milestone sounds and the menu bar animation now fire for stars only, not for every new download
- Sound milestone options are now 1+, 10+ or 100+ stars
- Saved GitHub tokens are no longer lost if moving them to the new single Keychain item fails
- Startup and background refreshes read credentials in a way that cannot show a Keychain password prompt
Stargazer Bar FAQ
Is Stargazer Bar free?
Yes. Stargazer Bar is free and open source under the BSD 3-Clause license.
Which macOS version does Stargazer Bar need?
Stargazer Bar needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.
Does Stargazer Bar run on Intel Macs?
No. Stargazer Bar is a native Apple Silicon app; the download and the Homebrew cask are for Apple Silicon Macs only.
Do I need a GitHub account to use Stargazer Bar?
No. You can track any public repository without an account. Signing in powers the repository picker, and a read-only fine-grained token is needed only for private repositories.
Can Stargazer Bar track private repositories?
Yes. Private repositories have no stars, so Stargazer Bar shows what needs you instead: a failing build, an unanswered issue or a new pull request, plus a 30-day commit chart across every branch.
Can Stargazer Bar count release downloads?
Yes. It shows release download totals from GitHub's latest releases, covering up to 100 releases.
Does Stargazer Bar send my data anywhere?
No. It has no backend and no telemetry. It reads GitHub directly and stores your tokens in the macOS Keychain.
Is Stargazer Bar notarized?
Yes. The disk image is signed and notarized by Apple, and updates are delivered through Sparkle with EdDSA signatures.
Can I install Stargazer Bar with Homebrew?
Yes, from the developer's own tap: brew install --cask jazzyalex/stargazer-bar/stargazer-bar.
Where does the Stargazer Bar download on stargazer-bar.FULLMAC.app come from?
The download button leads to the official Stargazer Bar release page on GitHub at https://github.com/jazzyalex/stargazer-bar/releases/latest. stargazer-bar.FULLMAC.app does not change or repackage the app.
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FULLMAC.app does not host this app. Download buttons lead to the developer’s own pages.