macOS Tahoe NSStatusItem ghosts need full reboot to render
Persistent invisibility of registered menu bar items on macOS 26
On macOS 26 (Tahoe), NSStatusItem registrations from apps like Stats can succeed at the API level (positions written to the app defaults) but never render visually until SystemUIServer/ControlCenter restarts. Relaunching the app does not fix it — the daemon stays stuck. Separately, Ice 0.11.12 (jordanbaird-ice) has a partial Tahoe compatibility break: its Menu Bar Layout settings panel shows empty Visible/Hidden/Always-Hidden sections even with both Accessibility AND Screen Recording permissions granted, though its hide/show divider still functions. Bartender 5 is the paid alternative with confirmed Tahoe support; Ice users should hold for an update or work around via direct ⌘+drag in the menu bar itself.
When NSStatusItem positions appear in defaults but no icon is visible on Tahoe, jump straight to suggesting a full reboot rather than relaunching the app. Save the user 30 minutes of misdirected app config debugging.