Helper Visibility

Dock and app-switcher policy for Noodle helpers. Use when creating or changing a helper app bundle, XPC or background executable, standalone development or test fixture, an Info.plist with LSUIElement or LSBackgroundOnly, or any NSApplication activation policy.

pdparchitect Updated

File contents

Helper visibility

Helpers and standalone development/test fixtures must stay out of the Dock and app switcher by default.

  • Set LSUIElement for helper app bundles.
  • Use AppKit's .accessory activation policy when they need windows.
  • Use LSBackgroundOnly for background-only executable metadata.
  • Do not promote helpers to .regular.

The main Noodle, Noodle Computer, and Noodle Applet apps retain their Dock entries.

Verify

Check a running app without screenshots:

lsappinfo list | grep -A4 '"<App Name>" ASN'

type="UIElement" is hidden; type="Foreground" is in the Dock. Launch Services resets a non-LSUIElement app to .regular on every open, reopen or URL request, so check again after triggering one with open -g.

pdparchitect/noodle/tree/main/.agents/skills/helper-visibility commit a88578c625

Frequently asked questions

npx skillmds@latest add pdparchitect/helper-visibility