Example of adding an icon to the Control Strip region of the Mac Touch Bar using a headless/UI-less background app. Icon is always displayed, regardless of which app is in the foreground.

Uses a private API, not suitable for the App Store.

No XCode project, no Nib/Xib, builds from command-line. Just the minimum necessary to add an always-available button to the Control Strip.

Inspired by: https://github.com/a2/touch-baer

$ make

$ make run

$ make kill

$ make clean

Links against private framework DFRFoundation.

Uses two DFRFoundation functions: DFRElementSetControlStripPresenceForIdentifier and DFRSystemModalShowsCloseBoxWhenFrontMost

Uses private NSTouchBarItem method: +(void)addSystemTrayItem:(NSTouchBarItem *)item;

Uses private NSTouchBar method: +(void)presentSystemModalFunctionBar:(NSTouchBar *)touchBar systemTrayItemIdentifier:(NSString *)identifier;

Simply creates a windowless NSApplication and an NSApplicationDelegate implementing the private functions.

MUST execute from a mac .app bundle. The TouchBar service doesn't seem to communicate with a binary when launched outside of a bundle. I did not investigate why.