Optimize your system monitoring pipeline with expert resources for iStat Menus CPU/GPU temperature tracking, fan speed control, network activity, and disk usage workflows.

iStat Menus is the most advanced system monitoring tool for macOS, placing real‑time hardware and performance data directly in your menu bar. This repository serves as a centralized resource hub for Mac power users, developers, video editors, audio engineers, gamers, IT administrators, and anyone who needs to know what their Mac is doing under the hood. iStat Menus displays CPU/GPU temperatures, fan speeds, network activity, disk usage, memory pressure, battery health, sensor readings, and process activity — all customizable, all in real time. Whether you are a video editor pushing your Mac to its limits, a developer debugging performance issues, a gamer monitoring temperatures, or a system administrator keeping an eye on server loads, understanding the iStat Menus monitoring pipeline is essential for keeping your Mac cool, efficient, and performing at its best.

• CPU Monitoring: CPU usage (total, per core). CPU frequency (current, min, max). CPU temperature (package, per core). CPU load averages (1, 5, 15 minutes). CPU power (watts). Menu bar display: graphs, percentage, temperature, or combination. Notification center widget. History graphs (minutes, hours, days).
• GPU Monitoring: GPU usage (percentage). GPU temperature (die, memory). GPU frequency (current). GPU memory usage. GPU power (watts). Supports Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3) and Intel (integrated + discrete). Menu bar display configurable.
• Fan Speed & Control: Fan speeds (RPM) for all fans. Fan control (automatic, manual, custom curves). Set minimum fan speed. Create temperature‑based rules (e.g., "if CPU > 80°C, increase fans"). Alert on fan failure. Menu bar icon shows fan activity.
• Network Monitoring: Upload/download speeds (real‑time). Data usage (today, this month, rolling totals). Network connections (list of active connections, apps using bandwidth). Public IP address. Wi‑Fi signal strength. Menu bar display: up/down arrows with speeds, combined graph.
• Disk Monitoring: Disk usage (used, free, total). Disk activity (read/write speeds). Disk health (S.M.A.R.T. status). Disk temperature (for external drives). Menubar display: used space, activity graph.
• Memory Monitoring: Memory usage (used, wired, compressed, cached, free). Memory pressure (green/yellow/red). Swap usage. App memory breakdown. Menu bar display: pie chart, bar graph, percentage.
• Battery & Power (MacBooks): Battery percentage. Time remaining (charge/discharge). Battery health (maximum capacity, cycle count). Power usage (watts). Charging status. Menu bar display: battery icon with percentage, health indicator.
• Sensors (Hardware Monitoring): Temperature sensors (CPU, GPU, battery, SSD, memory, enclosure, ambient). Voltage sensors. Current sensors (amps). Power sensors (watts). All sensors visible in dropdown menu. Configurable alerts (temperature thresholds).
• Process Monitoring: List of running processes (by CPU, memory, disk, network). Show which apps are using resources. Kill misbehaving processes from menu. Process history graphs.
• Date & Time: World clock (multiple time zones). Calendar (month view). Upcoming events (Calendar integration). Moon phase, sunrise/sunset. Custom date/time formats.
• Notifications & Alerts: Set thresholds for CPU temperature, GPU temperature, fan speed, disk usage, memory pressure, battery health. Trigger notification when threshold exceeded. Email alerts (optional). Execute custom script on alert.
• Menu Bar Customization: Choose which stats appear in menu bar. Choose display style (text, graph, icon, combination). Choose colors (system accent, custom). Reorder menu bar items. Hide/show based on conditions (show only when hot, only when network active).
• History & Graphs: View historical data (last hour, day, week, month, year). Graphs for all metrics (CPU, GPU, network, disk, memory, temperature, fans). Export graphs as images. Compare metrics over time.
• Dark Mode & Themes: Adapts to macOS Dark Mode. Customizable menu bar text colors, graph colors. Dropdown menu themes (light, dark, custom).

To ensure a smooth system monitoring workflow, use Menu Bar Customization to show only the stats you care about — CPU temp, fan speed, network up/down. Use Alerts to notify you when CPU exceeds 85°C or disk space drops below 10%. The iStat Menus monitoring pipeline benefits from Fan Control — create a custom curve (silent at low temps, aggressive at high temps). Use History Graphs to identify performance trends (e.g., fan speeds creeping up over months indicating dust buildup). For MacBooks, monitor Battery Health — replace battery when maximum capacity drops below 80%. Use Process Monitoring to identify runaway apps (kill them from the menu).

• macOS: Native integration with macOS (menu bar, Notification Center, Dark Mode, Apple Silicon).
• Sensors: Reads data from SMC (Intel), Apple Silicon sensors (M1, M2, M3), GPU sensors (AMD, Intel, Apple Silicon), disk S.M.A.R.T., battery controller.
• Notifications: Notification Center, email (SMTP), custom scripts (AppleScript, shell).
• Export: Graphs export as PNG, JPEG, TIFF, PDF. Data export as CSV.
• Third‑Party: iStat Server (remote monitoring of other Macs). Homebridge (control fans via HomeKit).

This repository aims to be a collaborative hub for the iStat Menus community. Users are encouraged to share their alert threshold presets, fan curve configurations, menu bar layouts, notification policies, graph export workflows, and battery health profiles. The focus remains on non‑intrusive resource sharing and technical knowledge exchange for system monitoring professionals.

This is a resource and knowledge repository. All shared presets, configurations, and methodologies are distributed for educational and workflow enhancement purposes.