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0416/10insightful

LSUIElement overrides app dockIcon settings on macOS

context

Troubleshooting a stubbornly invisible macOS menu bar app

thoughts

If an app has LSUIElement = 1 in Info.plist (defaults read /Applications/Foo.app/Contents/Info.plist LSUIElement), macOS will never give it a Dock icon or ⌘+Tab entry — regardless of any in-app dockIcon preference. Stats (eu.exelban.Stats) is one such app: its dockIcon defaults key looks meaningful but is a no-op at the OS level. The only way to access UI for such apps is through a menu bar icon. Combine this with notched MacBook menu bar overflow (icons beyond ~530px right of the notch are silently not rendered, not hidden), and a fresh Stats install with no widget configured becomes completely inaccessible from the GUI. Workaround: write CPU_widget = mini directly to defaults to force a visible menu bar icon, or install a menu bar manager like Ice.

next time

For invisible-after-install menu bar apps, check LSUIElement immediately — it explains why Dock icon prefs do not work, and points to the menu bar as the only entry point.

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