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SlideWand v1.3.0

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@github-actions github-actions released this 30 Sep 15:45
· 16 commits to main since this release
v1.3.0
2c6bff4

SlideWand v1.3.0 — regular Dock app (fixes invisible launch on macOS 26)

What changed

  • SlideWand is a regular Mac app again (Dock icon, normal activation) instead of
    menu-bar-only. A macOS 26 Tahoe regression silently parks the status items
    and windows of LSUIElement apps — v1.2.x launched with no visible UI at all
    on affected systems. The menu-bar icon is still there when the OS paints it,
    but the Dock icon is now the reliable home.
  • The preview window explicitly activates the app on launch so it always comes
    forward.
  • Launch diagnostics now write to ~/Library/Logs/SlideWand.log.

Everything from v1.2.x is included: Gesture Test window, Preferences with live
tuning sliders, launch-at-login, and self-updates from GitHub releases.

SlideWand v1.2.1 — launch-window fix + diagnostics

What's new

  • Fixed: on some systems v1.2.0 launched with no visible windows. The redundant setActivationPolicy(.accessory) call (already covered by LSUIElement in Info.plist) has been removed.
  • Added launch diagnostics: the app now writes /tmp/SlideWand.log with its startup progress, so any future launch issue can be diagnosed from the log.

Everything from v1.2.0 is included: menu-bar app, Gesture Test window, Preferences with live tuning sliders, launch-at-login, and self-updates from GitHub releases.

What's new

  • Preferences window (👋 → Preferences…, or ⌘,): sliders for swipe distance, hold time, cooldown, and minimum hand size — all apply instantly, no rebuild, no restart. Plus an Open SlideWand at login checkbox and a Restore Defaults button. Settings persist between launches.
  • Self-updates: SlideWand now checks GitHub releases on launch (at most once every 6 hours) and on demand via 👋 → Check for Updates…. One click downloads the new release, swaps the app in place, and relaunches. That's the only network the app ever uses.
  • Menu-bar app (new since v1.0.0): SlideWand lives in the menu bar (👋 icon) with no Dock icon. The camera preview is a window you can close — the app keeps running. The menu icon turns red if the camera is off or Accessibility is blocking keys.
  • Gesture Test window (👋 → Open Gesture Test…): watch your live hand state, big NEXT/PREV flashes, running counters, and a timestamped event log. Every trigger also presses a real arrow key, so you can verify it end to end.
  • Fixed: the preview window drew nothing until the first camera frame arrived, so a slow camera start looked like an empty window. It now renders its HUD immediately and shows "Waiting for camera permission…" while macOS prompts.

Install

  1. Download SlideWand-macos.zip below and unzip it.
  2. Right-click SlideWand.app → Open (one time only — not Apple-notarized yet, so Gatekeeper needs the manual OK; after that it opens normally). If macOS still refuses: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /path/to/SlideWand.app
  3. Grant Camera when prompted.
  4. Grant Accessibility: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → add SlideWand. The app opens that page for you on first run.

Requires macOS 14 or later.

Gestures

Do this Happens
Wave hand quickly to your right Next slide →
Wave hand quickly to your left ← Previous slide
Hold an open palm still ~1 sec Next slide →
Hold a closed fist still ~1 sec ← Previous slide

Privacy

Everything runs on-device with Apple's Vision framework. The camera feed is processed in memory and never saved, uploaded, or transmitted. The only network the app makes is checking github.com/AXIOVEX/slidewand for new releases.

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