Micro and long breaks
Defaults are 20 seconds every 20 minutes and 5 minutes every 60 minutes. Interval, duration and message are configurable for each.
Open source · macOS 14+ · Universal binary · Timers & Reminders
Rest your eyes.
Keep your focus.
BreakNudgeTimer lives in your menu bar, counts only the time you are actually working, and dims every display with a calm countdown when it is time for a break.
Free & MIT licensed · Apple Silicon & Intel · Latest release
Features
Breaks that fit your day.
Two repeating break types, a gentle overlay, and timing that follows your real activity.
Overlay on every display
A blurred, dimmed window with a large countdown, your message and a progress bar fades in on each connected screen.
Counts only active time
Work time accrues only while you are not idle. Staying away for a set number of minutes resets the timers, and sleep or screen lock can count as a break.
Menu bar countdown
See the time to the next break at a glance. Take a break now, pause for an hour or until tomorrow, or skip the next one.
Heads-up before a break
An optional notification arrives 30 seconds ahead, and a sound can play when the break ends. Skip and Postpone 5 Minutes buttons are toggleable.
Never traps you
Esc always dismisses the overlay unless you turn on strict mode, which still ends when the timer runs out. Breaks can be skipped while displays are mirrored or an app is full screen.
Screenshots
See it in action.
Install
Up and running in a minute.
BreakNudgeTimer is open source and not notarized with a paid Apple Developer ID, so macOS needs one extra step the first time.
- Download BreakNudgeTimer-macOS.zip and unzip it.
- Move BreakNudgeTimer.app to your Applications folder.
- Clear the quarantine flag once, then right-click the app and choose Open:
xattr -cr /Applications/BreakNudgeTimer.app
- Allow notifications when prompted if you want the 30-second heads-up if you turn on Launch at login, macOS may list the app under System Settings General Login Items.
Download
Get BreakNudgeTimer for macOS
Free, forever. Built for macOS 14 Sonoma or newer, Apple Silicon and Intel.
Not notarized: on first launch right-click BreakNudgeTimer.app → Open.
- macOS 14 Sonoma+
- Universal (Apple Silicon + Intel)
- MIT licensed · open source
- No ads, no accounts, no telemetry
- Built with Claude Code · how and why
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is BreakNudgeTimer really free and open source?
Yes. It is released under the MIT license, with no accounts, subscriptions, analytics or network calls. The full source is on GitHub, and a Ko-fi button is there if you want to support development.
What permissions does it need?
Only notifications, and only for the optional pre-break heads-up. If you deny them, breaks still appear as an overlay. It does not ask for Accessibility, Screen Recording or Microphone access.
Where is my data stored?
Your settings are stored locally on your Mac in the app's preferences. Nothing is sent anywhere, and the app makes no network connections.
Why is the app not notarized?
Notarization requires a paid Apple Developer account, and this is a free project. Right-click the app and choose Open once to get past Gatekeeper, or build it yourself from source with Xcode.
Was this written by AI?
Yes. BreakNudgeTimer was generated by Claude Code from a written spec as a clean-room reimplementation, with no code or assets from any commercial app. The full source is on GitHub under MIT, so you can read every line before you run it. It has had less human review than a hand-written app, so bug reports are welcome.
Support ❤️
Built by one person, given away for free.
BreakNudgeTimer is a free, open-source alternative to paid utilities. If it earns a spot on your Mac, a coffee keeps the updates coming.
☕ Support Or on Ko-fi