The notch on newer MacBooks is a black cutout in the middle of your menu bar. A notch app turns the space around it into a small live area, similar to the Dynamic Island on iPhone. They fall into two groups: general notch apps for music and system status, and newer apps built for monitoring AI coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor.
Disclosure: we make Notchware. We've kept the other entries factual and focused on what each app is for. Prices and features change, so check each developer's site before you buy.
At a glance
| App | Music | System HUDs | AI agent alerts | Approve in notch | Open source | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notchware | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | Free; Pro $3.99 one-time |
| NotchNook | ✓ | – | – | – | – | One-time or subscription |
| Alcove | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | – | Paid, one-time |
| boring.notch | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | ✓ | Free |
| Vibe Island | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | Paid, one-time |
| AgentPeek | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | Paid, one-time |
| Claude Pulse | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | Free |
“System HUDs” means volume, brightness, or battery indicators shown in the notch. The table is based on each developer's published feature list as of September 2026.
Music, status, and agents in one app
Notchware
Notchware turns the notch into a live island for Now Playing (artwork and playback controls), battery and charging, volume, brightness, Focus, and Wi-Fi status. Notchware Pro adds approval and completion alerts from Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor, plus Lock Screen music controls. It runs locally with no account or analytics. It's free to download, and Pro is a one-time $3.99. It alerts you rather than letting you approve from the notch, so you still answer in the terminal.
General notch apps
NotchNook
One of the most feature-rich notch apps, with media controls, a file shelf, a calendar peek, and widgets, plus lots of customization. It's sold as a one-time license or a subscription.
Alcove
A polished Dynamic Island-style app with fluid transitions, media and live activities, notifications, custom HUDs, swipe gestures, and Lock Screen widgets. It's a paid, one-time purchase.
boring.notch
A free, open-source (GPL-3.0) app with music controls and a visualizer, a calendar, a file shelf with AirDrop, volume and brightness HUDs, and battery status. It needs macOS 14 or later.
AI agent notch apps
These focus on coding agents rather than music or system status, and they let you answer permission prompts from the notch.
Vibe Island
Monitors many coding tools, including Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor, in one notch panel, with Allow and Deny buttons for permission requests. Paid, one-time.
AgentPeek
Shows live sessions, permissions, and usage for a long list of supported agents, and can answer supported prompts from the notch or menu bar. Paid, one-time, with a free trial.
Claude Pulse
A free app for Claude Code only. It shows your sessions and usage limits and lets you approve or deny tool calls with keyboard shortcuts. It requires macOS 15 and an Apple silicon Mac with a notch.
Which should you choose?
- Want music, system status, and AI agent alerts in one inexpensive app? Try Notchware.
- Want the most widgets and customization? NotchNook or Alcove.
- Want free and open source? boring.notch.
- Mainly supervising coding agents and want to approve from the notch? Vibe Island, AgentPeek, or Claude Pulse.
Only want alerts without installing an app? See how to get Claude Code notifications on your Mac.