alt Hacker NewsShow HN: Itsyhome – Control HomeKit from your Mac menu bar (open source)
Hey HN!
Nick here – developer of Itsyhome, a menu bar app for macOS that gives you control over your whole HomeKit fleet (and very soon Home Assistant). I run 130+ HomeKit devices at home and the Home app was too heavy for quick adjustments.
Full HomeKit support, favourites, hidden items, device groups, pinning of rooms/accessories/groups as separate menu bar items, iCloud sync – all in a native experience and tiny package.
Open source (https://github.com/nickustinov/itsyhome-macos) and free to use (there is an optional one-time purchase for a Pro version which includes cameras and automation features).
Itsyhome is a Mac Catalyst app because HomeKit requires the iOS SDK, so it runs a headless Catalyst process for HomeKit (and now Home Assistant) access while using a native AppKit plugin over a bridge protocol to provide the actual menu bar UI – since AppKit gives you the real macOS menu bar experience that Catalyst alone can't.
It comes with deeplink support, a webhook server, a CLI tool (golang, all open source), a Stream Deck plugin (open source, all accessories supported), and the recent update also includes an SSE event stream (HomeKit and HA) - you can curl -N localhost:8423/events and get a real-time JSON stream of every device state change in your home.
Home Assistant version is still in beta – would anyone be willing to test it via TestFlight?
Appreciate any feedback and happy to answer any questions.
Comments
This is so wonderfully done! Great icon choices & use of fill to indicate active devices. I love how you grouped accessories by category, and included temperature/humidity sensor readings next to thermostat controls. I instantly upgraded to Pro for the additional features!
This is really clean. Smart architecture and the convenience of having everything in the menu bar is top notch. My devices are in Alexa & Hue ecosystem right now. Any plans for integrating them in the future?
Wonder if OP is also an author of: https://www.mowglii.com/itsycal/ , though looking at the website - probably not.
Looks interesting.
What's the difference between your app and Home Control: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/homecontrol-menu-for-homekit/i... HomeControl Menu for HomeKit
other than this ones yours!
Hey, this looks great! I would love to test the Home Assistant version via TestFlight if that's possible; email is in my profile.
Is there a way to add devices to HomeKit with a MacBook without an IPhone?
> I run 130+ HomeKit devices at home
This is insane. I couldn't name a single homekit device if you put a gun to my head. Where do you find these things?
I'm nether a Mac or HomeKit user but this looks slick AF. Well done!
This is great, thanks, I paid the IAP immediately. So much more usable than the risible Home app.
This looks great! Question on the API/CLI - is there any provision for capturing frames (or even streams?) from Homekit cameras, or even triggering events or webhooks based on the cameras detecting motion?