Blink

A lightweight macOS menu bar app that reminds you to take eye breaks. Built with Swift + AppKit + SwiftUI, no third-party dependencies.

Features

• Menu bar countdown -- eye icon with live countdown timer always visible
• Full-screen break overlay -- covers all screens with a dark overlay when it's time to rest; cannot be dismissed until the minimum break duration passes
• 30-second pre-alert -- a floating notification appears before each break, so you can wrap up what you're doing
• Postpone -- delay a break by 5 minutes (up to 2 times per cycle)
• Configurable -- adjust work interval (15/20/25/30/45 min) and minimum break duration (15/20/30/60 sec) from the menu bar
• Launch at login -- optional, toggle from the menu bar
• Random tips -- each break shows a random wellness tip (look away, blink, stretch, drink water, etc.)
• Zero dependencies -- pure Swift, ships as a single .app bundle

Requirements

• macOS 13.0+
• Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install)

Build

# Build and package into .app
bash scripts/build.sh

# Install
cp -r .build/release/Blink.app /Applications/

# Or run directly
open .build/release/Blink.app

Usage

Once running, Blink lives in your menu bar:

Menu bar	Description
👁 18:32	Eye icon + countdown to next break

Click the icon to access settings:

• Work interval -- how long between breaks
• Minimum break -- shortest enforced break duration
• Launch at login -- start automatically on boot
• Reset timer -- restart the current countdown
• Quit -- exit the app

Break flow

1. Pre-alert (T-30s): A floating banner appears at the top of your main screen showing a countdown. If postpones remain, a "Postpone 5 min" button is available.
2. Break (T-0s): All screens are covered with a dark overlay. A random tip is displayed along with a countdown. You cannot dismiss until the minimum break time passes.
3. Dismiss: Once the timer expires, an "End break" button appears. The elapsed rest time is shown so you can choose to rest longer.

License

MIT