A minimal macOS menu-bar app that shows used memory as a percentage of installed RAM.
Paste this into Claude (or any AI agent on your Mac):
Install RAM Gauge for me: download https://github.com/dawsbot/ram-gauge/releases/latest/download/RAMGauge-macos.zip, unzip it, move RAMGauge.app into /Applications, open it, and confirm the 💻 percentage appears in my menu bar.
- Shows a live RAM-used percentage in the macOS menu bar.
- Uses green, yellow, and red status coloring.
- Refreshes every 5 seconds, a good balance between freshness and negligible overhead.
- Opens a small details panel when clicked: used RAM, total RAM, progress bar, and status.
- Lists the top five memory consumers with readable names (Next.js dev servers show their project folder) and a kill button for each.
- Runs as a menu-bar-only app, with no Dock icon.
The color system considers both memory use and actual macOS memory-pressure events:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | Normal memory use and no pressure warning |
| Yellow | Elevated usage, or macOS warning pressure |
| Red | Very high usage, or macOS critical pressure |
- Download
RAMGauge-macos.zipfrom Releases. - Double-click the ZIP, then drag
RAMGauge.appinto/Applications. - Open the app. Its percentage appears in the right side of the menu bar.
Releases are signed with a Developer ID certificate and notarized by Apple, so macOS opens them with no warnings.
Requirements: macOS 15 or newer and Xcode 16 or newer.
git clone git@github.com:dawsbot/ram-gauge.git
cd ram-gauge
./scripts/install.shinstall.sh builds the app, copies it to /Applications/RAMGauge.app, and launches it.
swift test
./scripts/build-app.sh
open dist/RAMGauge.appThe packaged output is:
dist/RAMGauge.app
dist/RAMGauge-macos.zip
macOS intentionally uses free RAM for caching. RAM Gauge therefore treats the percentage as a compact capacity signal, while the yellow/red state also respects actual macOS memory-pressure warnings. That avoids calling normal caching behavior a danger state.