I used GitHub Copilot CLI to create a working macOS menu bar app on the first prompt.

This is a submission for the GitHub Copilot CLI Challenge

What I Built

Mac Mic Mute is a lightweight macOS menu bar application that provides system-wide microphone muting with a global hotkey. Built entirely in Swift, it solves a common problem I faced: needing quick, reliable control over all microphones during video calls without fumbling through system preferences or application-specific settings.

The app sits quietly in your menu bar showing your mic status at a glance (🎤 when active, 🎤🚫 when muted) and lets you toggle all microphones (built-in, USB, and external devices) with a single keyboard shortcut (⌘⇧M). This is particularly useful during back-to-back meetings or when you need an emergency mute that overrides individual app settings. The mute functionality works across video meeting apps as well- Teams, Meet, Zoom.

What makes this project meaningful to me is its focus on simplicity and reliability. Rather than building yet another feature-bloated utility, I wanted a tool that does one thing exceptionally well: give users instant, confident control over their microphone privacy.

As a bonus, my keyboard has custom assignable hotkeys that I can map to the Mac Mic Mute shortcut for single-button operation!

Demo

Repository: jcleigh/mac-mic-mute

Screenshot:

Key Features Shown:

• Clean menu bar integration with SF Symbols icons
• Real-time display of all detected microphones
• Global hotkey support (⌘⇧M)
• Works across all apps including Google Meet, Teams, and Zoom

My Experience with GitHub Copilot CLI

This project was fast and fun. I built a fully functional macOS menu bar application using just 4 prompts to GitHub Copilot CLI and the result exceeded my expectations.

The Four Prompts That Built Mac Mic Mute:

1. Initial concept: "create a native macos menu bar app that mutes all mics at a system level with a global keyboard shortcut"

   • From this single prompt, Copilot CLI generated the entire core application, complete with CoreAudio integration, menu bar UI, global hotkey registration, and the logic to enumerate and mute all input devices. I was pleasantly surprised that it understood the nuances of building a menu bar-only app (setting LSUIElement), working with low-level audio APIs, and implementing Carbon event handlers for global hotkeys.

2. Visual polish: "add an app icon"

   • Copilot created an appropriate app icon for the project, adding that final touch to make it a viable macOS application.

3. CI/CD automation: "add GitHub Actions workflow to build and add to the repo's releases"

   • Rather than manually setting up release infrastructure, Copilot CLI generated a complete GitHub Actions workflow that builds the app and automatically attaches it to releases—saving me from repetitive deployment work.

4. User experience: "add a note about how to get around 'macOS says the app is damaged'"

   • This addressed the common Gatekeeper issue where macOS flags unsigned apps. Copilot provided user-friendly documentation on how to bypass this warning, anticipating a real pain point for users.

Beyond the prompts: I did some manual testing to verify the app worked across different microphone types (built-in, USB, external audio interfaces) and apps (Teams, Meet, Zoom), but otherwise, the application was fully functional from Copilot's output.

Key Takeaways:

• Describe outcomes, not implementation: By focusing on what I wanted (system-level mic muting with a hotkey) rather than how to build it, Copilot CLI made smart architectural decisions I might not have considered.

• End-to-end thinking: Copilot didn't just write code; it handled the app icon, build automation, and user documentation. It understood the complete software delivery lifecycle.

• First shot success: What would have taken me days of research into CoreAudio APIs, Carbon frameworks, and Swift Package Manager configuration was accomplished in minutes. The app went from concept to fully functional in a single session.

• Quality over quantity: Four well-crafted prompts produced the exact application I needed.