MobCrew

A native macOS timer for pair, mob, and ensemble programming. MobCrew keeps the roster, current driver and navigator, and rotation countdown visible so the team can rotate on time without interrupting the session.

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Features

• Timer - Configurable turn duration with audio notifications
• Roster management - Driver/navigator rotation with identity-preserving removal and reordering
• Bench - Temporarily bench inactive mobsters
• Floating timer - Always-on-top window showing countdown
• Optional break timer - Enable or disable in-window Take Break / Skip Break prompts with a pausable countdown and completion alert
• Global hotkey - ⌘⇧L toggles the floating timer from anywhere
• Menu bar - Quick access from the menu bar
• Auto-rotation - Automatic driver/navigator swap when timer ends
• Session recovery - Running, paused, and pending-break state survives relaunch
• Honest system status - General settings reports Notification authorization and Launch at Login registration separately from MobCrew preferences
• Accessible session controls - Contextual VoiceOver semantics, transition announcements, keyboard roster ordering, and scrolling for larger active and benched rosters
• Programming tips - Optional mob-programming quotations while the turn timer runs

Requirements

• macOS 14.0 or later
• Apple silicon: the current v0.3.0 release contains an arm64 executable only

The current release does not contain an Intel (x86_64) executable.

Install and first run

1. Open the latest release and download its MobCrew-<version>.dmg asset.
2. Open the DMG and copy MobCrew to Applications, then eject the DMG.
3. Open MobCrew from Applications.
4. If macOS blocks this known download because it cannot verify the developer, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, review the blocked-app message, and choose Open Anyway only if the app is the MobCrew release you intended to download.

Direct inspection of the browser-downloaded v0.3.0 artifact found a structurally valid ad-hoc app signature, no Developer ID identity or hardened runtime, an unsigned outer DMG, and no stapled tickets. Its exact downloaded bytes and quarantined first-launch path were qualified on Apple silicon. Because the release is not Developer ID signed or notarized, macOS may still require the extra Privacy & Security step. Do not disable Gatekeeper or remove quarantine attributes to install the app.

Optional permissions

• Notifications: requested when the timer is first started and used for optional turn and break alerts. The timer continues to work if notifications are denied, and alerts can also be disabled in MobCrew's General settings. General settings reports the current macOS authorization state and links to System Settings when access was denied. If alerts are disabled in MobCrew before the first timer starts, the app does not request authorization.

Privacy, updates, and support

The current app code uses no account, telemetry, or network service. Roster, settings, and current session state are stored locally in macOS user defaults, and the active roster is also written to MobCrew's local Application Support folder.

MobCrew does not currently update itself. To update, download a newer release and replace the copy in Applications. For help or bug reports, use GitHub Issues.

Development

Development requires a Mac with the full Xcode 26.6+ application and its Swift 6.3 compiler. Xcode is not required just to install or run a release.

Built with Amp (~$60 in tokens) — see the development thread for the original build history.

Open MobCrew/MobCrew.xcodeproj in Xcode and use ⌘B (build), ⌘R (run), or ⌘U (test), or use the repository scripts:

# Build and run the app
./scripts/run.sh

# Run all tests or one test class
./scripts/test.sh
./scripts/test.sh RosterTests

# Serve and validate the website
./scripts/serve-docs.sh
python3 scripts/validate-docs.py

MobCrew itself is a macOS-only Xcode target and uses AppKit, Carbon, and ServiceManagement. Linux environments can validate and serve the website but cannot build or run the app.

Manual Testing

See TESTING.md for the full checklist.

Releasing

Finalize the matching version in CHANGELOG.md, then follow the canonical release procedure. It defines the exact toolchain, preparation, draft, qualification, and separately authorized publication gates.

License

MIT. Inspired by Mobster.