Ghostmoon.app – A Swiss Army Knife for your macOS menu bar

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

App Reception and Design

  • Many commenters find the concept and implementation attractive, especially the visual design of the website and the idea of a “Swiss Army Knife” menu bar tool.
  • Some users request additional features or tweaks, such as:
    • An “extra bright” display mode similar to Vivid.
    • A more readable header and clearer menu bar icon in the demo screenshot.
    • Password generator options using passphrase-style words.
    • Fixes for odd readings like battery health showing 1% on otherwise healthy hardware.
  • Others question the usefulness of exposing many “set and forget” system tweaks in the menu bar, saying they rarely need to adjust these things.

Security, Trust, and Distribution

  • A large portion of the thread is skeptical of running an unsigned, closed-source, pre-release utility that:
    • Interacts with many OS internals.
    • Occasionally requests sudo privileges.
    • Explicitly instructs users on bypassing Gatekeeper.
  • Some see this combination as a strong anti-pattern and recommend waiting for a signed, notarized release, or suggest publishing source so users can audit/compile themselves.
  • Concerns are amplified by: a new/low-activity account, “donor” testimonials that feel like marketing, and initial reports of certificate issues (disputed as a Cloudflare SSL setup).

Debate Over Gatekeeper, Notarization, and Apple’s Role

  • One camp views code signing and notarization as:
    • Easy, low-friction steps that improve safety and provenance.
    • Important for protecting non-technical users from malware.
    • A reasonable expectation if you want broad, “normie” adoption.
  • Another camp sees them as:
    • Tools of platform control and surveillance, not primarily user-benefiting security.
    • Barriers to entry (fees, DUNS processes, required personal or company info).
    • A threat to software freedom and a way to disadvantage open-source tools.
  • There is disagreement over whether Gatekeeper should be the default, optional, or removed entirely. Some highlight that it can be disabled but may break things.

Alternatives and User Preferences

  • Several users prefer existing tools like Raycast, Supercharge, or Vivid, or custom scripts generated by coding assistants, over installing another proprietary menu bar app.
  • Some advocate distribution via Homebrew or open source rather than relying on proprietary app stores.

HN and Community Meta

  • Multiple comments question how such a pre-release app from a new account rose so quickly on HN and note a broader flood of “vibe-coded” macOS utilities.
  • There is tension between frustration with low-signal app posts and concern about hostility toward new contributors.