Stencilbar

The menu bar app for people who work with AI.

Press a hotkey. Find a prompt, a skill, or a note. Done.

  • Save the prompts you use every day.
  • Add blanks with {{name}}.
  • Paste with Command-Return, or type a short abbreviation.

$5, one-time purchase, after a free seven-day trial.

Download Free Trial Buy for $5

By buying you agree to the Terms and Refund Policy.

No account needed. Requires macOS 15 Sequoia or later.

The Stencilbar popover open below its menu bar icon. It shows a search field, the Prompts, Skills, and Notes tabs, and a list of prompts with Code review selected.

Prompts

Write a prompt once. Use it anywhere.

  1. Write it once

    Each prompt is a Markdown file. The filename is the title. Put blanks where the text changes, using {{name}}, or {{name:default}} for a default value.

    Review this {{language:Swift}} code
for {{concern}}.

  2. Open it from anywhere

    Press your hotkey in any app. Type a few letters. The search matches the title and the text of each prompt.

    The popover after typing “daily” in the search field. Daily standup is the first result and is selected, with its abbreviation ;stand, and other matching prompts below.

  3. Fill in the blanks

    Press Return. Type a value for each blank. The preview shows the final text, and you can edit it for a one-off change. Your edits never change the prompt file.

    Filling in the Write a unit test prompt. Fields for language and framework, set to Swift and Swift Testing, sit above an editable preview of the text, with Back and Paste buttons below.

  4. Paste

    Press Command-Return. Stencilbar pastes into the window you were using. Auto-paste needs Accessibility permission. If Stencilbar cannot find that window, it keeps the text on your clipboard. To copy only, turn off auto-paste in Settings.

Prompts

Text Expansion

Skip the search. Give a prompt an abbreviation, like ;review, then type it in any app. Stencilbar replaces it as soon as you type the last character.

;review  →  Review this Swift code for…

Text expansion starts off. Turn it on in Settings and grant Accessibility permission. While it is on, Stencilbar reads keys typed in other apps. It keeps only the last few characters in memory, and never stores or sends them. It skips password fields and text composition. Detection is best effort, so some input methods may not be recognized.

Skills

One home for your agent skills

A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file. Coding agents like Claude Code read skills from their skills folders. Stencilbar keeps your skills in ~/.config/stencilbar/skills.

  1. Add skills

    Import a skill folder, a folder of skills, or a public GitHub repository. Pick the skills you want. Stencilbar copies them, never runs anything in the files, and never updates them on its own.

    The Choose Skills to import dialog, listing skills from a GitHub folder at one revision, with four of them checked.

  2. Switch them on

    One switch per skill. Stencilbar links the skill into ~/.agents/skills and ~/.claude/skills, or the folders you choose.

    Stencilbar’s Skills tab, listing skills with descriptions and On or Off switches. api-docs and bug-triage are on.

  3. Switch them off

    Stencilbar removes only Stencilbar's own link. Before it replaces or deletes a skill, it asks you, then moves the old copy to a backups folder.

Changing skills requires a running trial or an activated license. After the trial ends, you can still browse and read your skills, and the links already in place stay.

Notes

Reference text, a hotkey away

  1. Find a note

    In the popover, press Command-3 to search across titles and bodies, or browse your most recent notes.

  2. Keep it open

    Each note opens in its own window and stays open while you work.

    The Design principles note open in its own editor window, with a styled Markdown heading, a quote, a numbered list, and Delete, Cancel, and Save buttons.

  3. Save when you are ready

    Nothing changes until you choose Save. Stencilbar protects unsaved work and asks before it overwrites changes from another app.

Notes are plain Markdown files in ~/.config/stencilbar/notes. You can choose another folder in Settings. It is separate from your prompt library.

Help

How do I install it?
Download the free trial and open the zip file. Move Stencilbar to your Applications folder and open it. Look for the icon in your menu bar. Stencilbar has no Dock icon.
Where are my files?
Prompts, skills, and notes are plain files on your Mac. To sync your prompts, choose a library folder in iCloud Drive or Dropbox in Settings.
What happens after the trial?
The trial lasts seven days and needs no account. After it ends, you need a license to fill and copy prompts, to change skills, or to start editing a note. You can still search and read your notes and edit your prompt files. To activate, open Settings, paste your license key under License, and choose Activate. A license covers version 1.
I lost my license key.
Sign in at My Orders with the email address you used at checkout. Your key is shown with your order.
How do I contact you?
Email support@stencilbar.com. Release notes are on the GitHub releases page.