The latest articles on DEV Community by Asaf Manassen (@asaf_mnsn). https://dev.to/asaf_mnsn https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4243364%2Ffd523f60-0567-4764-b8b9-9636fa7b7224.jpg https://dev.to/asaf_mnsn en Asaf Manassen Fri, 13 Nov 2026 17:34:48 +0000 https://dev.to/asaf_mnsn/briefbar-a-native-macos-menu-bar-widget-for-github-prs-azure-devops-and-copilot-sessions-2ff8 https://dev.to/asaf_mnsn/briefbar-a-native-macos-menu-bar-widget-for-github-prs-azure-devops-and-copilot-sessions-2ff8 <p>Constantly jumping between browser tabs and terminal windows just to check if an Azure DevOps pipeline finished, a GitHub PR needs review, or a local GitHub Copilot session is waiting on input kills focus. </p> <p>I built <strong><a href="https://github.com/mnsn/brief-bar" rel="noopener noreferrer">brief-bar</a></strong> to put all of that into a single glanceable macOS menu bar popover and desktop widget.</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fvykzgf8a8qo77bu2zzqv.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fvykzgf8a8qo77bu2zzqv.png" alt=" " width="800" height="613"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fmja8mi1w03vqmsdqoh4n.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fmja8mi1w03vqmsdqoh4n.png" alt=" " width="800" height="772"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F1rdzmwe4clcwdrnoxi07.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F1rdzmwe4clcwdrnoxi07.png" alt=" " width="800" height="556"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fcelp6zy0rv0xtupbill3.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fcelp6zy0rv0xtupbill3.png" alt=" " width="800" height="613"></a></p> <h3> What it does </h3> <p><code>brief-bar</code> is a native Swift/SwiftUI utility designed around opt-in developer data sources and strict local privacy:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Unified Dev Status:</strong> Track <strong>GitHub PRs</strong>, <strong>Azure DevOps</strong> items/pipelines, and local <strong>GitHub Copilot sessions</strong> from one menu bar icon or macOS desktop widget. Every source is strictly opt-in—you only enable what you actually use.</li> <li> <strong>On-Device Apple Intelligence Summaries:</strong> Instead of dumping raw notification lists, <code>brief-bar</code> uses Apple's on-device Foundation Models to generate a quick brief of what needs your attention. Because it runs 100% locally via Apple Intelligence, there are no extra API keys to configure and your work metadata never leaves your Mac.</li> <li> <strong>Zero Electron Bloat:</strong> Built natively with SwiftUI and WidgetKit so it uses minimal memory and feels like a built-in part of macOS.</li> </ul> <h3> Try it out (Homebrew or Build from Source) </h3> <p>You can install it directly via Homebrew or compile it from source:<br> </p> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight shell"><code>brew tap mnsn/brief-bar <span class="o">[</span>https://github.com/mnsn/brief-bar<span class="o">]</span><span class="o">(</span>https://github.com/mnsn/brief-bar<span class="o">)</span> brew install --cask brief-bar </code></pre> </div> <p>(Note on macOS Gatekeeper: This is a free hobby project, so I'm holding off on paying the $99/year Apple Developer notarization fee until I see if other engineers find it useful. Every release is built transparently via GitHub Actions—if macOS flags the unsigned app on first launch, run xattr -cr /Applications/BriefBar.app or allow it under System Settings → Privacy &amp; Security → Open Anyway, or build it straight from source.)</p> <p>Looking for feedback<br> This is my first time sharing brief-bar publicly, and I'd love honest feedback from other macOS developers:</p> <p>If you juggle multiple tools during the day, which data sources or status triggers would make this a daily driver for you (e.g., GitLab, Jira, Linear, local Docker/K8s status)?</p> <p>How does the on-device summary feel on your setup?</p> <p>Repo &amp; source code: github.com/mnsn/brief-bar</p> showdev ai opensource swift