Touch Bar utility · AI coding case study

DockTouchBar

A native macOS utility that does one thing: show your Dock apps on the Touch Bar of a MacBook Pro. Tap to switch, double-tap to hide, long-press to quit. No widgets, no network access, 0.0% CPU when idle. Two editions: Standard is just the Dock; Vibe includes everything and also shows live working / done status on the icon of the app your AI coding agent runs in.

Product Overview

DockTouchBar is positioned as Your Dock on the Touch Bar: simple, elegant, efficient.

It currently lives across macOS / Touch Bar / Swift / AppKit, with public status marked as Notarized DMG / Source-available / Local-first. This page keeps the download path, repository, privacy boundary, support contact, and build diary under one domain.

No network access, no analytics, no accounts. Only a few preferences (switches, language, long-press duration and style, centered-window size) are stored on your Mac.

Platform: macOS / Touch Bar / Swift / AppKit Current status: Notarized DMG / Source-available / Local-first
Audience: MacBook Pro Touch Bar owners who find Touch Bar Dock tools too busy or unreliable over time. The page explains the product in user-facing language, not just developer notes.
Privacy: No personal data collected by the product itself No network access, no analytics, no accounts. Only a few preferences (switches, language, long-press duration and style, centered-window size) are stored on your Mac.
Build record: Connected to product diaries The product is also used as a reusable teaching case.

Why It Matters

Each product page is written for users, reviewers, and builders: what it solves, what it does not solve, and what can be reused.

Clear positioning

A native macOS utility that does one thing: show your Dock apps on the Touch Bar of a MacBook Pro. Tap to switch, double-tap to hide, long-press to quit. No widgets, no network access, 0.0% CPU when idle. Two editions: Standard is just the Dock; Vibe includes everything and also shows live working / done status on the icon of the app your AI coding agent runs in.

Trust boundary

No network access, no analytics, no accounts. Only a few preferences (switches, language, long-press duration and style, centered-window size) are stored on your Mac.

Reusable learning asset

Related course hooks include Native Swift on macOS, AppKit and NSTouchBar, Managing private-API risk, Signing, notarization and DMG release.

Core Experience

Persistent Dock on the Touch Bar, in the same order as the system Dock

This is one of the public-facing capabilities or lessons used to explain DockTouchBar clearly to users, reviewers, and future readers.

Tap to switch (jumps to another desktop when needed), double-tap to hide, long-press to quit, with a "Closing…" countdown at the right edge so your finger never hides it, over a little pixel-art scene in four seasons where a tiny character runs along the progress bar and, at the end, a gust of petals or snow sweeps by; long-press looks at the app first (just the current window when it is in front with several, Finder is hidden), and if the app is waiting for you or does not close, the Touch Bar switches to it and says so

This is one of the public-facing capabilities or lessons used to explain DockTouchBar clearly to users, reviewers, and future readers.

Recovers after sleep, screen unlock and Control Strip restarts

This is one of the public-facing capabilities or lessons used to explain DockTouchBar clearly to users, reviewers, and future readers.

Two white 8-bit pixel buttons at the right: a coffee cup with rising steam hides the Dock for a moment and hands the Touch Bar back to the system (brightness, volume) — it returns on its own after 10–60 s, so a fully dimmed screen never locks you out — and, at the far right, a button that centers the frontmost window, then maximizes it on the next tap and centers it again after that

This is one of the public-facing capabilities or lessons used to explain DockTouchBar clearly to users, reviewers, and future readers.

Rapid taps stay in order: the last tap wins, and it self-corrects if the system drops a switch or focus is stolen

This is one of the public-facing capabilities or lessons used to explain DockTouchBar clearly to users, reviewers, and future readers.

English and Simplified Chinese, menu bar settings and an About window

This is one of the public-facing capabilities or lessons used to explain DockTouchBar clearly to users, reviewers, and future readers.

Vibe edition (a separate app that includes all of the above): live status on the icon of the app your AI coding agent runs in (Claude Code, Codex, Qoder, WorkBuddy, Antigravity, Qwen Work, Doubao…): a pixel-art screen with falling digits while it works, OK when it is done. Copy one prompt, paste it to the agent, and it pairs itself; any agent that can run a command on your Mac works, not just these

This is one of the public-facing capabilities or lessons used to explain DockTouchBar clearly to users, reviewers, and future readers.

Design Principles

Keep the public promise narrow

The page should only promise what the current product, review state, and distribution channel can actually support.

Make privacy inspectable

No network access, no analytics, no accounts. Only a few preferences (switches, language, long-press duration and style, centered-window size) are stored on your Mac.

Turn the build into teaching material

The product page and diary series should help other builders understand the decisions, tradeoffs, launch work, and mistakes behind the result.

Build Diary

The diary records the product from idea, design, implementation, review, launch, operations, and post-release learning.

Native Swift on macOSAppKit and NSTouchBarManaging private-API riskSigning, notarization and DMG release

View all build notes

2026-09-25 DockTouchBar · Why Another 2026-09-25 DockTouchBar · Feasibility 2026-09-25 DockTouchBar · Tech Choices 2026-09-25 DockTouchBar · Gestures 2026-09-26 DockTouchBar · Cross Desktop 2026-09-26 DockTouchBar · Black Screen And Testing 2026-09-26 DockTouchBar · Release Notarization 2026-09-26 DockTouchBar · Rapid Click Race

Privacy and Support

No network access, no analytics, no accounts. Only a few preferences (switches, language, long-press duration and style, centered-window size) are stored on your Mac.

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