---
summary: "Menu bar icon states and animations for OpenClaw on macOS"
read_when:
  - Changing menu bar icon behavior
title: "Menu bar icon"
---

# Menu Bar Icon States

Author: steipete · Updated: 2025-12-06 · Scope: macOS app (`apps/macos`)

- **Idle:** Normal icon animation (blink, occasional wiggle).
- **Paused:** Status item uses `appearsDisabled`; no motion.
- **Voice trigger (big ears):** Voice wake detector calls `AppState.triggerVoiceEars(ttl: nil)` when the wake word is heard, keeping `earBoostActive=true` while the utterance is captured. Ears scale up (1.9x), get circular ear holes for readability, then drop via `stopVoiceEars()` after 1s of silence. Only fired from the in-app voice pipeline.
- **Working (agent running):** `AppState.isWorking=true` drives a “tail/leg scurry” micro-motion: faster leg wiggle and slight offset while work is in-flight. Currently toggled around WebChat agent runs; add the same toggle around other long tasks when you wire them.

Wiring points

- Voice wake: runtime/tester call `AppState.triggerVoiceEars(ttl: nil)` on trigger and `stopVoiceEars()` after 1s of silence to match the capture window.
- Agent activity: set `AppStateStore.shared.setWorking(true/false)` around work spans (already done in WebChat agent call). Keep spans short and reset in `defer` blocks to avoid stuck animations.

Shapes & sizes

- Base icon drawn in `CritterIconRenderer.makeIcon(blink:legWiggle:earWiggle:earScale:earHoles:)`.
- Ear scale defaults to `1.0`; voice boost sets `earScale=1.9` and toggles `earHoles=true` without changing overall frame (18×18 pt template image rendered into a 36×36 px Retina backing store).
- Scurry uses leg wiggle up to ~1.0 with a small horizontal jiggle; it’s additive to any existing idle wiggle.

Behavioral notes

- No external CLI/broker toggle for ears/working; keep it internal to the app’s own signals to avoid accidental flapping.
- Keep TTLs short (&lt;10s) so the icon returns to baseline quickly if a job hangs.

## Related

- [Menu bar](/platforms/mac/menu-bar)
- [macOS app](/platforms/macos)
