SlowQuit

A macOS menu bar app that prevents accidental app quits by adding a delay to Cmd-Q

Features • Installation • Usage • 中文文档

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Overview

SlowQuit adds a customizable delay to the Cmd-Q keyboard shortcut on macOS, preventing accidental application quits. When you press Cmd-Q, a circular progress indicator appears and you must hold the keys for the configured duration before the app quits.

Features

• Global Cmd-Q Interception - Works across all applications
• Customizable Delay - Adjust delay duration from 0.5 to 3.0 seconds
• App List Management - Whitelist/blacklist specific apps
• Visual Progress Indicator - Circular overlay shows remaining time
• Lightweight & Native - Built with Swift and SwiftUI
• Privacy-Focused - Works locally, no data collection
• Multilingual - English and Simplified Chinese support

Installation

Download Release

1. Download the latest .dmg file from Releases
2. Open the .dmg file
3. Drag SlowQuit to your Applications folder
4. Launch from Applications folder

First Launch Setup

When you first launch SlowQuit, macOS will show a security warning:

1. Gatekeeper Warning: "SlowQuit" cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer

   • Click "Cancel"
   • Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
   • Scroll to Security section and click "Open Anyway"
   • Click "Open" in the confirmation dialog

2. Accessibility Permission: Required for keyboard monitoring

   • Click "Open System Settings" when prompted
   • Enable SlowQuit in Privacy & Security → Accessibility
   • Restart SlowQuit

Alternative Method: Right-click on SlowQuit.app → Open → Open (in confirmation dialog)

Usage

Basic Usage

1. Press and hold Cmd-Q in any application
2. A circular progress indicator appears on screen
3. Keep holding until the progress completes (default: 1 second)
4. Release early to cancel the quit operation

Menu Bar Options

• Enable/Disable - Toggle Cmd-Q interception
• Settings - Configure delay duration and app lists
• Launch at Login - Start automatically on boot
• Check for Updates - Manual update checking
• About - View version information
• Quit - Exit SlowQuit

Settings Configuration

Delay Duration: Adjust the hold time from 0.5 to 3.0 seconds

App List Modes:

• Global: Apply to all applications (default)
• Whitelist: Only apply to selected apps
• Blacklist: Exclude selected apps from delay

Managing App Lists:

1. Select whitelist or blacklist mode
2. Click "Manage App List"
3. Add applications from running apps or browse installed apps
4. Remove apps with the × button

Building from Source

Requirements

• macOS 12.0+
• Xcode 14.0+
• Swift 5.9+

Build Steps

1. Clone and open:

   git clone https://github.com/dudukee/slowquit.git
   cd slowquit
   open SlowQuit.xcodeproj

2. Configure signing:

   • Select project → Signing & Capabilities
   • Choose your signing team or "Sign to Run Locally"

3. Build and run:

   xcodebuild -project SlowQuit.xcodeproj -scheme SlowQuit -configuration Release build

   Or press Cmd+R in Xcode.

4. Grant accessibility permission when prompted and restart the app.

Troubleshooting

App Won't Open

• Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
• Click "Open Anyway" next to the SlowQuit message
• Alternatively: Right-click app → Open → Open

Cmd-Q Not Working

• Check Accessibility permission in System Settings
• Ensure SlowQuit is enabled in Privacy & Security → Accessibility
• Restart the app

Launch at Login Issues

• macOS 13+: System Settings → General → Login Items
• Remove and re-add SlowQuit to the login items list

Privacy & Security

• Local Operation: All processing happens on your Mac
• No Telemetry: Zero analytics or usage tracking
• Open Source: Full source code available for audit
• Minimal Permissions: Only Accessibility permission for keyboard monitoring

Why Accessibility Permission? Required to monitor global keyboard events using CGEventTap - the only way to intercept Cmd-Q before it reaches applications.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Updates: Releases

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Made for macOS users who hate accidental quits