Open the right way

Don't open index.html directly — downloads and fonts won't work.

Close this tab, then double-click OPEN-WEBSITE.command in the unzipped folder.

This zip runs locally — double-click OPEN-WEBSITE.command.

Menu bar · Apple Silicon & Intel · macOS 12+

rNitro

Made by chopsticks

Real-time CPU, temperature, memory, battery, and more — right in your Mac menu bar. v1.2.8 Final for daily use · v1.2.11 Beta for every AI provider. Choose Apple Silicon or Intel below. Free · no account · no telemetry.

zsh — bash
# Paste in Terminal (Stable) — download + install
~ %
🍎 macOS ⌨️ CLI 🐧 Linux 🪟 Windows (legacy)
NOTICE
Intel Mac will no longer be getting updates after v1.2.5-Beta.
Apple Silicon continues to receive full Stable and Beta updates. Plan to move to an Apple Silicon Mac for ongoing support.

M1 / M2 / M3 / M4 → Apple Silicon. Older Intel Macs → Intel (compiles on your Mac · last updates through v1.2.5-Beta).

FIRST LAUNCH · GATEKEEPER
  1. Unzip the App ZIP (or open the DMG).
  2. Drag rNitro.app into Applications.
  3. If macOS says it “can’t be opened”: right-click → Open → Open (once only).
  4. Or use the Terminal one-liner below — compile-on-install usually skips the ZIP/DMG Gatekeeper dance.

Builds are ad-hoc signed (no Apple notarization on this machine yet). Checklist: docs/NOTARIZATION.md.

v1.2.8-Final
Stable — CPU monitor, benchmark, and AI chat with OpenAI (GPT) and OpenRouter only.
PKG needs admin password. DMG — drag to Applications. .sh compiles from readable source (~30s). PKG may trigger a macOS security prompt — use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open.
v1.2.11
Beta (slim Lab) — weather, detective, whisper, compile-farm, time-scrub, power receipt + all AI providers. Toys live on Experimental.

Beta notice: Power-user channel without the playground toys. Terms required before download.

Beta notice: Experimental AI — Terms required. curl or .sh compiles full source on your Mac if you don't trust pre-built PKGs.
v1.3.2-Experimental
Experimental — everything in Beta plus Lab toys (duel, ghost-load, SOC budget, meeting cloak, polite peer, AirDrop card, desktop widget, confession, alibi, presets).

Unstable playground. Prefer Beta for daily use. Terms required before download. Apple Silicon recommended.

Experimental: Beta + duel, ghost-load, budget, cloak, peer, AirDrop card, desktop widget, confession, alibi, presets. Unstable.

Pick Apple Silicon or Intel above, then Stable or Beta. Terms apply once per session. Also on GitHub Releases.

Product

macOS · Apple Silicon · Menu bar

See rNitro on your Mac

Menu bar monitor with Advisor, Chat, Chat Config, App cleaner, and Settings — built for macOS 12+ on Apple Silicon.

rNitro menu bar monitor showing CPU, temperature, memory, and battery
Menu bar + Monitor — live CPU, temps, memory, battery, and more
rNitro Advisor
Advisor — System Advisor with live stats and thresholds
rNitro Chat
Chat — Bring-your-own AI providers
rNitro Chat Config
Chat Config — API keys and chat provider setup
rNitro App cleaner
App cleaner — Find large files and free space
rNitro Settings
Settings — Appearance, menubar, alerts, general
Changelog

What's new

Latest stable and beta highlights.

v1.2.8 Final

  • Font picker — search, Sans/Serif/Display/Script/Mono filters, favorites, OFL credit.
  • UI fonts — 50+ Google Fonts offline (EB Garamond, Audiowide, Caveat, …).
  • Stable scope — OpenAI + OpenRouter only; no Lab.

v1.3.2 Experimental

  • Font picker UX — search, category chips, favorites, OFL line.
  • All toys — full experimental Lab playground.

v1.2.11 Beta

  • Font picker UX — search, categories, star favorites.
  • Lab + Dev Mode — process tools, Why hot?, full AI providers.

Website & distribution

  • Chopsticks HQ — chopstickshq.com hub; full product site at getrnitro.netlify.app.
  • GitHub — releases on github.com/ilikemacos/rNitro with App ZIP, PKG, DMG, and .sh.
  • Privacy — no accounts, no telemetry; see /privacy.

Release notes

v1.3.2 Experimental / v1.2.11 Beta / v1.2.8 Final
Font picker UX — search fonts, filter Sans/Serif/Display/Script/Mono, star favorites, OFL credit. 50+ Google Fonts still offline.
v1.3.1 Experimental / v1.2.10 Beta / v1.2.7 Final
Version bump — same UI font library (50+ Google Fonts OFL). Patch release for channel versioning and distribution.
v1.3.0 Experimental / v1.2.9 Beta / v1.2.6 Final
UI font library — 50+ Google Fonts (OFL) in Appearance, including EB Garamond, Audiowide, and Caveat. Experimental 1.3.0 keeps all Lab toys; Beta 1.2.9 ships fonts + process tools; Stable 1.2.6 Final gets fonts without Lab.
v1.2.7 Beta / Experimental
Process tools + Dev Mode finish — Why hot?, kill/reveal (Dev), UI config JSON, Lab toys TOC collapsed. Gatekeeper guide on site.
v1.2.0 Final (Stable)
Stable catch-up — customizable UI + ⌘Q from modern builds; OpenAI/OpenRouter only; no Lab. GitHub.
v1.2.6 Experimental
New Lab toys — thermal forecast, heat haiku, throttle cosplay, overnight watch, core roulette, chaos blip. Beta keeps slim Lab.
v1.2.5 Beta / Experimental
Customizable UI + Developer Mode — menubar builder, density, accents, thresholds for everyone; optional Dev tools for sampling/logs/dumps. GitHub.
v1.2.4 Beta / Experimental
Patched a bug — ⌘Q now quits the menu bar app. Lab crash fix (scrub slider) + Experimental Features sidebar.
v1.2.3 Beta
Beta — Lab: AirDrop card, SOC budget, cooling confession, desktop widget, rnitro lab status.
v1.1.0 Final Reloaded
Stable channel — production-ready menu bar monitor for daily use. AI limited to OpenAI + OpenRouter.
Platform notes
macOS — Apple Silicon, macOS 12+. Linux — v0.1 pre-release. Windows — deprecated.
Community

Join our Minecraft server!

Nothing to do with rNitro — just a place to hang out and play. Add the server in Minecraft Java Edition and jump in.

macetech.minefort.com
Click Copy IP, then Multiplayer → Add Server → paste
What it monitors
📊
CPU Usage
Total load with a 60-second live history graph, color-coded by intensity.
🌡️
Temperature
Real SMC sensor data in °C with a visual gauge that goes orange and red under load.
Clock Speed
Base and boost MHz tracked live, showing how hard your chip is actually running.
🔲
Per-Core Breakdown
Individual usage bars and clock speeds for every logical core on your CPU.
🏁
Benchmark
Cinebench-style single-core and multi-core scores from a fixed, repeatable render workload — built right into the popover.
💬
AI Chat (v1.2.11 Beta)
Available in v1.2.11 — Chat tab with Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, Grok, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, LM Studio, Ollama, and Hermes (Keychain for cloud keys; local providers need no key).
How everything works

Platforms & channels at a glance

One place to see what each build is, where it installs, and how updates work. New here? macOS Stable App ZIP for daily monitoring, or macOS Beta App ZIP if you want every AI provider.

Platform Version Status Recommended download Install location Updates What you get
macOS · Stablev1.2.8-FinalActiverNitro-v1.2.8-Final.zip~/Applications/rNitro.appIn-app updater on launchCPU monitor, benchmark, stress test, System Advisor, App Cleaner; AI chat: OpenAI + OpenRouter only
macOS · Betav1.2.11ExperimentalrNitro-v1.2.11.zip~/Applications/rNitro.appIn-app updater on launchEverything in Stable plus all AI providers, temp banners, AES-256 key storage, first-launch tips
CLI · Terminalv0.2-cliNewrNitro-CLI.tar.gz~/bin/rnitro or /usr/local/bin/rnitroManual — re-download tarball or curl one-linerbtop-style TUI: CPU, RAM, disk, network, battery, top processes; macOS + Linux; Python 3
Linux · Pre-releasev0.1-Linux-Beta-Pre-release-x64Pre-releaserNitro-v0.1-Linux-Beta-Pre-release-x64.tar.gz or install-rNitro-linux.sh~/.local/share/rnitroChecks version.json on launchGTK4 app: Monitor, Advisor, Chat, Cleaner; x86_64; needs Python 3.10+, GTK 4, libadwaita
Windows · Legacyv4.2.4-Windows-Final-x86DeprecatedrNitro-v4.2.4-Windows-Final-x86.exe%LOCALAPPDATA%\rNitroManual — check website or GitHubTray monitor only (CPU, temp, RAM, BTC); no AI chat or Cleaner; .NET 8 runtime for EXE
Download formats
Format Platform What it is Gatekeeper / runtime When to use
App ZIP (recommended)macOSPre-built rNitro.app — unzip and drag to ApplicationsRight-click → Open once if Gatekeeper blocks itFastest path; no admin password
PKGmacOSInstaller package → ApplicationsSystem Settings → Privacy & Security → Open if blockedOne double-click install; needs admin password
DMGmacOSDisk image — drag app to ApplicationsSame as App ZIP on first openFamiliar Mac workflow
.sh shell installermacOSFull Swift source compiled locally with swiftcNo prebuilt binary downloaded — you read the script firstMaximum trust; ~30s compile on your Mac
Tarball + .shLinuxPython/GTK source tree + install-rNitro-linux.shInstaller checks deps and sets up a venvPre-release; also on GitHub
EXE / .ps1WindowsPre-built tray app or PowerShell compile via csc.exe.NET 8 Desktop Runtime for EXELegacy only — macOS or Linux recommended for new installs
End-to-end flow
Step What happens
Pick your platform tabmacOS, Linux, or Windows — the site auto-detects your OS
Accept Terms & ConditionsRequired once per browser session before any download
Download recommended fileGreen/orange/cyan/gold cards on each tab — sizes shown on buttons
InstallFollow the How to install steps below for your tab
UpdatesmacOS: in-app prompt → download ZIP → replace app. Linux: checks same version.json. Windows: manual.
GitHub mirrorAll current builds also on GitHub Releases
How to install
1

Download the PKG, DMG, or App ZIP

Choose Stable (green, OpenAI + OpenRouter) or Beta (orange, all AI APIs). Agree to the Terms & Conditions, then pick a format:

  • PKG — double-click; installs to Applications (admin password).
  • DMG — open the disk image and drag rNitro.app to Applications.
  • Apps ZIP — one file with both Stable and Beta .app bundles.

⚠ macOS security prompt: When you open the PKG, macOS may say it can't verify the file. That's normal for indie apps. Don't click Move to Trash. Click Done, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and press Open at the bottom.

2

Or install from Terminal with curl

No browser download needed — paste a one-liner in Terminal. It fetches the .sh installer (readable source), saves it to /tmp, then runs it. Stable:

Paste in Terminal (Apple Silicon Mac, Xcode CLT required). The script is saved to disk first — curl | bash is blocked on purpose.

curl -fsSL https://getrnitro.netlify.app/rNitro-v1.2.8-Final.sh -o /tmp/rnitro-install.sh && bash /tmp/rnitro-install.sh

Beta (v1.2.11):

curl -fsSL https://getrnitro.netlify.app/rNitro-v1.2.11.sh -o /tmp/rnitro-install.sh && bash /tmp/rnitro-install.sh

Installs to ~/Applications/rNitro.app in ~30 seconds. Self-verifies its SHA-256 checksum before running.

3

First launch

If macOS blocks the app, right-click rNitro.appOpen once. No telemetry, no account — runs fully local.

Stable vs Beta — which should I download?

Start with Stable v1.2.0 Final (App ZIP). Beta v1.2.6 adds Lab, Developer Mode, and every AI provider.

v1.2.8 Final v1.2.11 Beta
Best for Daily monitoring + light customization Lab, Dev Mode, every AI provider
Settings Appearance, Menubar (density/slots), Monitor, Alerts, General + custom UI Same + Lab + Developer Mode + full AI list
AI chat OpenAI + OpenRouter only Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, Grok, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, LM Studio, Ollama, Hermes
System Advisor Yes Yes
Temp notification banners No Yes (optional)
AES-256 key storage No Yes (GCM + Keychain)

rNitro v1.2.8-Final

Stable macOS build — monitor, benchmark, and AI chat (OpenAI GPT + OpenRouter only).

macOS 12+ Apple Silicon Xcode CLT (.sh) Free
SHA-256 (.sh): 861e31a6cfe0d0a0d32e43449783e51610b49fde006907d3130d58135f6717e5
Don't trust the PKG? The .sh compiles from readable source on your Mac.

rNitro v1.2.11

Beta macOS build — v1.2.8 features plus AI chat API (Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, Grok, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, LM Studio, Ollama, Hermes).

Beta notice: Experimental AI features — Terms & Conditions required before download.

Beta macOS 12+ Apple Silicon AI Chat API Free
SHA-256 (.sh): 2ef9a072991c1165532e50d24f3a195f53ac86ee8d473216cff238ec3dc1dff7
Skeptical of the PKG? Use the .sh — full-source compile, verified checksum.
Apps ZIP includes rNitro-Stable.app (v1.2.8-Final) and rNitro-Beta.app (v1.2.11). macOS 12+ Apple Silicon.

Need an older build? Shell installers for v8.3.9–v8.3.11 are in Other download options above. All hosted DMG disk images (current + archive) are on rNitro Archives — v1.2.8 Final, v1.2.11 Beta, and older releases.

Support

Need help or found a bug?

Fill this in and you’ll be redirected to GitHub Issues with your message ready to submit. That way the team actually receives it (no broken mail apps).

Prefer a blank form? github.com/ilikemacos/rNitro/issues/new

✓ Copied to clipboard
💬