v0.3.3 — Full-desktop layering and on-demand capture

Full-desktop layering and idle capture

• Fixes #1: the overlay now covers ordinary desktop UI, including the real Dock, menu bar and open menus, so their transformed image is shown without an untransformed copy on top. Protected macOS surfaces may behave differently. Our own controls stay excluded from capture to prevent feedback; press Control–Command–L or open the lid above the activation angle to return to the real desktop. Clicks still pass through, but their targets are not warped.
• Capture starts only while a visible effect is needed. Above the activation angle or once the effect settles to idle, screen capture and shader drawing stop. Sensor polling continues; restarting capture can introduce a short delay. Idle CPU savings have not been benchmarked.
• Defaults remain activation-angle mode enabled at 110°, 0° jitter tolerance, and progressive blur, hold content angle, perspective taper and menu-bar angle readout enabled. Saved preferences are preserved; the effect itself starts off.

Download the Apple silicon DMG or ZIP below. Matching Corresponding Source, GPLv3-or-later license notices and SHA-256 checksums are attached.

Requires macOS 13+, a supported MacBook lid sensor and Screen Recording permission. Experimental: ad-hoc signed, not notarized. Updating can invalidate Screen Recording approval even if Settings still shows it enabled: quit the app, remove its old Screen Recording entry, reopen the installed copy and approve it when capture starts. Keep using that same copy; do not rebuild between approval and testing.

Validation: optimized build, motion/capture-demand checks, package signature and checksum validation. The Dock/on-demand capture changes were confirmed working locally by the maintainer before the final menu-layer adjustment; hardware compatibility and every system surface have not been broadly tested. Underlying click targets are not transformed.

Lid Plane v0.3.2 — 110° defaults & GPLv3-or-later

New defaults

• Activation angle: 110°, with activation-angle mode selected. Above 110° the desktop is untouched; closing below it builds the effect.
• Jitter tolerance: 0°, accepting every sensor change. Increase this in the right-click menu if you prefer to ignore small hinge movements.

Progressive Blur, Hold Content Angle, Perspective Taper and the menu-bar angle readout remain selected by default. The effect itself still starts off; click the readout or press Control–Command–L to enable it.

Saved preferences are preserved. Existing users can select 110° and 0° in the menu to match the new defaults. This release does not change the shader or clamshell behaviour.

License

Starting with v0.3.2, Lid Plane is licensed under GNU GPL version 3 or, at your option, any later version (GPL-3.0-or-later), copyright © 2026 Jhey. The complete license and copyright notice are included in the app and source distributions.

v0.3.1 and earlier remain MIT-licensed. Their original tags and downloads are unchanged; this release does not revoke permissions already granted. GPL permits commercial distribution, subject to its licensing and Corresponding Source requirements.

Downloads and corresponding source

• LidPlane-0.3.2-arm64.dmg — drag LidPlane.app into Applications, eject the image, then open the installed copy.
• LidPlane-0.3.2-arm64.zip — the same app in a ZIP.
• LidPlane-0.3.2-source.tar.gz — matching Corresponding Source, including build scripts and DEVELOPMENT.md. Available at no charge alongside the binaries.
• SHA256SUMS.txt — checksums for the two app packages and the source archive.

Requires macOS 13+, an Apple silicon MacBook with a supported lid angle sensor, and Screen Recording permission. Quit your old copy before replacing it.

Experimental: ad-hoc signed, not notarized. Updating can invalidate the previous Screen Recording approval even when Settings still shows it enabled; see the README's permission-repair instructions. Hardware and physical clamshell/external-display compatibility have not been broadly tested.

Independent experiment, not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple.

Lid Plane v0.3.1 — demo defaults

The settings from the demo, selected by default.

New defaults

For a fresh installation:

• Use Activation Angle: on, at 90°. Above 90° the desktop is untouched; closing below it builds the effect.
• Jitter tolerance: 2°.
• Progressive Blur, Hold Content Angle, Perspective Taper, and Show Lid Angle in Menu Bar: all on.

The effect itself still starts off. Click the menu bar angle readout or press Control–Command–L to enable it. Right-click to adjust settings. Auto-anchor controls remain disabled while activation-angle mode is selected.

Existing saved settings are preserved. If upgrading, select the options above manually to match the demo. This release changes defaults and documentation, not the shader or clamshell behaviour.

Download

Download LidPlane-0.3.1-arm64.dmg, drag LidPlane.app into Applications, eject the DMG, and open the installed app. A ZIP alternative and SHA-256 checksums are attached. Quit your old copy before replacing it.

Requires macOS 13+, an Apple silicon MacBook with a supported lid angle sensor, and Screen Recording permission.

Experimental: ad-hoc signed, not notarized. Updating can invalidate the previous Screen Recording approval even when Settings still shows it enabled. Follow the README's permission-repair instructions if needed. Hardware compatibility and physical clamshell/external-display combinations have not been broadly tested.

MIT licensed, copyright © 2026 Jhey. Independent experiment, not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple.

Lid Plane v0.3.0 — angle controls & clamshell safety

Your MacBook has the folding animation at home—with a little more control.

New in v0.3.0

• Optional activation angle: right-click the menu bar icon, enable Use Activation Angle, and choose your cutoff. At 90°, anything above 90° stays untouched; the image is aligned at 90°, and closing further builds the effect. This mode holds the selected angle instead of auto-anchoring.
• Independent jitter tolerance: ignore small hinge movements with a 0–5° slider, adjustable in 0.5° steps. Defaults to 2°; try 1° for a lighter touch. Available in both modes.
• Clamshell protection: capture pauses when the lid closes, the built-in display becomes unavailable/asleep/mirrored, or the sensor stops reporting. It never switches the effect to an external display. If still enabled, it resumes after the built-in display and sensor recover.

Control–Command–L still toggles the effect. Normal motion mode retains auto-anchor, click-through desktop interaction, and progressive blur across the warped edges. Settings are remembered; the app starts off.

Download

Download LidPlane-0.3.0-arm64.dmg, drag LidPlane.app to Applications, eject the DMG, and open the installed app. A ZIP alternative and SHA-256 checksums are attached too. Quit your older copy before replacing it.

Requires macOS 13+, an Apple silicon MacBook with a supported lid angle sensor, and Screen Recording permission. Updating an ad-hoc build can require removing the old permission entry and approving the new app again; see the README.

Experimental: ad-hoc signed, not notarized. Local checks pass for motion filtering, angle cutoff, display-safety transitions, native rendering, click-through configuration, slider action, shortcut dispatch, and progressive edge blur. Physical clamshell/external-monitor combinations and compatibility across MacBook models have not been broadly tested.

Frames stay in memory. No network, audio, camera, disk recording or login service. Normal lid-close sleep is unchanged. MIT licensed, copyright © 2026 Jhey. Independent experiment, not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple.

Lid Plane v0.2.0 — experimental

Your MacBook has the folding animation at home.

Lid Plane is a tiny Swift menu bar app that uses ScreenCaptureKit, the lid angle sensor and a Metal shader to hold your desktop at an apparent fixed angle and progressively blur it as you move the lid—including soft image edges.

Download and run

Download the DMG · ZIP alternative

1. Download and open LidPlane-0.2.0-arm64.dmg.
2. Drag LidPlane.app onto the Applications shortcut, then eject the disk image. If you prefer the ZIP, unzip it and move the app into Applications instead.
3. Open LidPlane from Applications, then click the laptop icon in the menu bar. The effect starts off.
4. Allow Screen Recording when prompted. If macOS asks you to quit and reopen, reopen the same installed copy and enable the effect again.
5. Move the lid gently. Keep your head and laptop base roughly still for the illusion.

The DMG and ZIP contain the same v0.2.0 app. The automatically generated source-code archives are for developers, not the runnable app.

Controls

• Control–Command–L or a click on the menu bar icon toggles the effect.
• Right-click the icon for blur, perspective, angle readout and auto-anchor settings.
• Auto-anchor waits 150 ms, then eases back over 200 ms. Longer delays are available; disable auto-anchor to hold the original angle while filming.
• The overlay lets clicks through and keeps keyboard focus in your apps. While the image is distorted, visible controls can differ from their underlying click targets.

Requirements and caveats

Experimental pre-release: ad-hoc signed, not notarized by Apple. Requires macOS 13+, an Apple silicon MacBook and an accessible lid angle sensor. Compatibility varies by model and is not broadly tested. This download is not for Intel Macs or Windows.

If macOS cannot verify the developer and you trust this download, try opening it, then use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. Do not disable Gatekeeper. Do not bypass a warning that the app contains malware or will damage your computer.

Only the built-in display is transformed. Protected video may appear blank; the capture is SDR. Normal lid-close sleep still applies. Frames stay in memory: no desktop video is saved or uploaded, and there is no audio capture, camera use, Accessibility/Input Monitoring requirement or login helper.

SHA256SUMS.txt checks the ZIP; LidPlane-0.2.0-arm64.dmg.sha256 checks the DMG. Checksums verify integrity, not notarization. Setup, troubleshooting and the ELI5 technical explanation are in the repository README.

An independent experiment, not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple.

License

MIT License · Copyright (c) 2026 Jhey. This license applies to the v0.2.0 source and both app downloads.

Download the attached LICENSE and keep the full copyright and permission notice with copies or substantial portions you redistribute. The original ZIP, DMG and checksums have not changed; the license is supplied separately for this release.