Catches you right before you get distracted — every Cmd+Tab becomes a chance to name what you're about to do.
Every time you press Cmd+Tab, Squirrel Trap pops up a small floating prompt asking "what are you about to do?" — the moment right before a keyboard-driven app switch is exactly when it's easiest to get sidetracked chasing something unrelated. It also keeps a running checklist of what you said, so you can check things off as you actually get to them.
- A prompt right when it matters — Cmd+Tab pops up a floating "what are you about to do?" box, with zero setup beyond one permission grant.
- Favorites — save a to-do you log often and re-add it in a single click.
- Snooze — need a stretch of uninterrupted Cmd+Tab? Snooze suppresses just the prompt for a set number of minutes (configurable) without quitting the app.
- Reminders sync — optionally sync your list with an Apple Reminders list, one-directional or bidirectional, your choice.
- iCloud sync — keep your list in sync across every Mac you use, always bidirectional, powered by CloudKit push notifications for near-instant updates.
- Default Alarm — optionally have every new to-do automatically get a reminder after a set amount of time, no extra tap required.
- Color tags — tag any pending item with one of 16 preset colors, Trello-style, for a quick visual sort at a glance. A Default Color setting can apply one automatically to every new to-do.
- Streaks & activity — a quiet day-streak and today's completed count sit on the main panel, with a satisfying little animation each time you finish something. A 7-day activity graph in Preferences shows your best day and your average.
- Plays well with Dictation / Wispr Flow — the text field is a normal macOS text field, so voice-to-text tools work out of the box.
Unzip it and drag Squirrel Trap.app anywhere you like (your Applications folder, or just your Desktop — it doesn't matter). It's signed with a Developer ID certificate and notarized by Apple, so it just opens normally — no security warnings, no workarounds needed.
Squirrel Trap needs Input Monitoring permission to detect the Cmd+Tab keypress — it's a passive, listen-only observation and never records anything else you type. The app will show you a one-time explainer with a "Grant Access" button.
If it doesn't show up automatically in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring, click the + button there and add Squirrel Trap.app manually, then toggle it on.
Everything you log is stored locally at ~/Library/Application Support/SquirrelTrap/ by default, in a plain (unencrypted) JSON file — no account, no server, nothing leaves your Mac unless you turn on sync or usage sharing yourself. FileVault is what actually protects this file at rest if your Mac is lost or stolen; without it, anyone with local access to the disk can read your to-do history in plain text.
Three things are off by default and opt-in in Preferences:
- Reminders sync shares your to-dos with a list in Apple's own Reminders app, on your terms (you choose the direction).
- iCloud sync keeps your list in step across your own Macs via your private iCloud account — Apple's CloudKit, not a third-party server.
- Share Usage Data sends anonymous product-analytics events (which features get used, never your to-do text) to help guide development.
Nothing else sends anything anywhere, and all three stay off unless you switch them on.
This is an early, personal project — if something breaks or feels off, that's genuinely useful to know. Open a GitHub Issue or reach me directly.
- Quit Squirrel Trap — right-click the menu bar icon → Quit, or use the "Quit Squirrel Trap" button in Preferences.
- Delete
Squirrel Trap.app(wherever you put it — Applications, Desktop, etc.) by dragging it to the Trash. - If you turned on Launch at Login, remove it from System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions.
- To also clear your logged history and preferences, delete:
~/Library/Application Support/SquirrelTrap/~/Library/Preferences/com.jtoeman.squirreltrap.plist
- Optional: remove Squirrel Trap from System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring — harmless to leave, but tidy to remove.
That's everything — Squirrel Trap doesn't touch anything else on your Mac.
All rights reserved — see LICENSE. The source is public for transparency; the download above is the intended way to use the app.
Conceived by human, coded by Claude, logo design by ChatGPT