I turned the MacBook notch into a command line for your thoughts
The article describes a project that repurposes the MacBook's physical notch area as a command line interface for capturing and displaying users' thoughts.
Background
- The "MacBook notch" refers to the camera housing cutout at the top of the display on Apple's newer MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models (introduced 2021–2022). It reduces the usable menu bar space and has been a minor point of contention among users.
- This article describes a developer's side project that turns the area around the notch into an always-visible command line interface — a text prompt that sits in the menu bar, flanking the notch on both sides. It can run basic commands, display system info, or serve as a scratchpad for quick notes.
- The project is purely a novelty / personal hack, not an Apple-sanctioned feature. It uses macOS accessibility or menu-bar APIs to position text in the normally unused space next to the notch.
- This kind of project fits a long tradition of "notch hacks" — software that repurposes the cutout area for widgets, battery indicators, or decorative animations — and reflects how some users prefer to reclaim or reimagine hardware design choices they didn't ask for.