Repository navigation
Home
Your encrypted vaults, one click from the menu bar. A small native macOS menu bar app that locks and unlocks encrypted disk-image vaults (AES-256 APFS sparse bundles), and locks them again on sleep, screen lock or idle. The password is never stored anywhere.
brew install --cask roypadina/tap/vaultbar- Installation: Homebrew, release zip, first launch (not notarized), login item, upgrade, uninstall.
- Usage: menu bar icon, unlocking (read-only, private mount), auto-lock, pause, panic lock, notifications and history, change password, config, URL scheme, Raycast.
-
Command line:
vaultbar status|path|lock|unlock|open, exit codes, JSON. - Where plaintext can leak: QuickLook, Recent Items, screenshots, clipboard managers, AI apps, and what's safe by construction.
- Security model: how the password is handled, what is and isn't protected.
- Permissions: what macOS may ask for.
- Troubleshooting: icon missing, damaged app, wrong password, busy vault, stale mounts.
- FAQ: lost password, synced folders, Spotlight, local AI agents.
-
Building from source: SwiftPM, tests,
package_app.sh. - Feature requests and contributing: how to ask, supporters first, PR rules.
- Install with the command above and open VaultBar from
/Applications. A menu bar icon appears (no Dock icon). - Click the icon, then New Vault… (or Add Existing Vault…).
- Save the password in your password manager first. There is no recovery key.
- Left-click the icon to unlock or lock your default vault. Right-click for the full menu.
- Once per new vault, stop Spotlight from indexing it:
sudo mdutil -i off "/Volumes/<volume name>".
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| One click | Left-click toggles the default vault; right-click opens the menu |
| Password popup | Takes the keyboard at once; no Keychain, no "remember password", no clipboard |
| Auto-lock | On sleep, screen lock and idle; the screen-lock and idle locks re-check before forcing |
| Pause auto-lock | 1 hour, for long unattended jobs; sleep still locks |
| Menu bar icon | Closed padlock when locked, amber open padlock when unlocked, warning badge while paused |
| Read-only unlock | Per vault or once (⌥ in the menu, ?readonly=1, --readonly) |
| Private mount | Mount at a folder you choose, optionally hidden from Finder; the folder exists only while unlocked |
| Panic lock | Global hotkey (default ⌃⌥⌘L) locks everything; ⌥-click the icon locks all without forcing |
| Notifications and history | Idle and screen-lock auto-locks (sleep locks are silent), pre-force warning with "Keep unlocked 15 min", failed locks; last 50 events in memory |
| Change password |
diskutil image chpass, checked afterwards |
| Automation |
vaultbar:// URL scheme, the vaultbar command line and optional Raycast Script Commands |
| Always running | Login item with crash restart; one copy at a time |
Requirements: macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple Silicon and Intel (universal binary). No network access.
If VaultBar keeps your private files one click away (and locked when you walk off), you can support its development — it's optional and always appreciated.
