Your task board, one click away in the menu bar.

Drag a card and BaseBar rewrites the note's status: line in place — right in your Obsidian vault. No sync, no account, no second app to open.

See how it works ↓

macOS 13+ · One-time purchase · 30-day refund

# How it works

From a note to a board in three moves.

No sync engine, no account. BaseBar reads and writes the same Markdown files your vault already uses — watch it happen.

  1. Inbox
    Reply to testers
    Draft launch tweet
    ＋ Add task
    Draft launch tweet.md
    ---
    status: inbox
    ---
    01

    Add a task — it's just a note

    Hit ＋ and BaseBar creates a Markdown note in your folder with a status property. No database, no lock-in.

  2. 312:09
    Tasks
    Inbox
    Reply to testers
    Draft tweet
    Doing
    Ship v1.0
    Record demo
    Done
    Set up DB
    02

    Open the board from the menu bar

    One click on the BaseBar icon draws every note as a kanban board — from any app, without opening Obsidian.

  3. Doing
    Ship v1.0
    Done
    Ship v1.0.md
    status: doingdone
    03

    Drag a card — the note updates

    Move a card and BaseBar rewrites only the status: line in the file. Obsidian picks up the change instantly.

# What you can do

Everything the app actually does.

No roadmap promises below — just what ships in v1 today. Swipe through to see each one move.

menu bar

See your board from any app

One click in the menu bar — no window to hunt for, no app to switch to.

312:40
Tasks
Inbox
Reply
Draft
Doing
Ship v1
Demo
Done
Set up DB
drag

Drag or one-click to move

Drag cards between columns, or advance a task with a single click.

Doing
Ship v1.0
Done

↔The same board is also viewable inside Obsidian through its built-in Bases — BaseBar just puts it in the menu bar too.

# What it doesn't do

The honest list — so you know before you buy.

Fewer surprises means fewer refunds. BaseBar is just files with frontmatter, so here's exactly what it won't do.

wont-do.md
---
platform:macOS only# native Mac app — no iPhone, iPad, or Windows
sync:false# local files only — no account, no cloud
checkbox_tasks:false# one task = one note, not `- [ ]` items
bases_queries:false# a folder + status property, not Bases formulas
reminders:false# no notifications in v1 yet
affiliation:none# independent tool; Obsidian is a trademark
---

Keep your task board one click away.

Early access is $9.99 — locked in before it goes to $19.99.

See pricing & reserve your price

# Installation

From download to your first board in a couple of minutes.

BaseBar is made by a solo developer and isn't notarized yet, so macOS shows a warning on first launch. It's standard for independent Mac apps — here's exactly what you'll see, and what to click.

  1. 01

    Download BaseBar.dmg

    Use the link in your email to download BaseBar.dmg.
    Mail — Inbox
    BaseBar
    hello@vverbski.dev
    Your BaseBar download is ready

    Thanks for your order — grab the app below and follow the steps.

    Download BaseBar.dmg
  2. 02

    Drag BaseBar into Applications

    Open the DMG and drag the BaseBar icon onto the Applications folder.
    BaseBar
    BaseBar
    Applications
  3. 03

    First launch: click "Open Anyway"

    macOS will say it can't verify the developer. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway.
    Privacy & Security
    Security
    “BaseBar” was blocked to protect your Mac.
    Apple could not verify it is free of malware.
    Open Anyway
    Allow applications from: App Store & Known Developers
  4. 04

    If macOS says the app is "damaged"

    That's the quarantine flag, not real damage. Open Terminal and run the command once — copy it from the window.
    zsh — BaseBar
    $ remove the quarantine flag, once:
    xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/BaseBar.app
  5. 05

    Choose your tasks folder

    Click the BaseBar icon in the menu bar → Choose Tasks Folder… and point it at the folder in your vault.
    312:40
    Open Board
    ＋ New Task
    Choose Tasks Folder…
    Settings…
    Quit BaseBar
  6. 06

    (Optional) Copy the starter board

    Copy the included starter board into your vault to see a working example instantly.
    Starter board — your vault
    • Reply to testers.mdinbox
    • Ship v1.0.mddoing
    • Record demo.mddoing
    • Set up the DB.mddone

?Why the “unverified” and “damaged” warnings?

BaseBar isn't notarized by Apple, so macOS can't confirm who built it and shows those warnings. Notarizing requires a paid Apple Developer Program membership — $99/year, and as a solo developer on a tight budget I haven't bought in yet. The app is safe: it has no network access and only touches your Markdown files. Once BaseBar earns enough to cover it, I'll notarize and these steps disappear.

# Using BaseBar

How a task note is put together.

A task is just a note with a bit of frontmatter. BaseBar reads these fields and never touches the rest of your file.

Ship BaseBar v1.0.md
---
title: Ship BaseBar v1.0
status: doing
due: 2026-09-22
priority: high
---

Ship notes, screenshots, and the DMG.

Move cards. Drag between columns or click the → on a card. BaseBar rewrites only the status: line.

Add a task. Hit ＋, type a title, press Enter — a new note appears in your folder.

Open in Obsidian. Click a card's title to jump to the full note.

Settings. Rename columns, change the status property name, pick the menu-bar icon, add more boards, and turn on launch at login.

Same board inside Obsidian. Enable Settings → Core plugins → Bases and open the included view to see the identical board in your vault.

# Pricing

One price. You own it.

Early access
$9.99$19.99

One-time. Price goes up after launch.

  • ✓One-time purchase — no subscription
  • ✓1 user, up to 2 Macs
  • ✓30-day money-back refund
  • ✓Free updates for v1.x

macOS 13+ · Secure checkout when it opens

# what you get

  • The BaseBar app

    The native menu-bar app itself — a signed .app you drag into Applications. Works whether Obsidian is open or closed.

  • A ready-made starter board

    Example task notes and a task template, so you land on a working board in seconds instead of a blank screen.

  • Free updates through v1.x

    Every 1.x release is included — you buy once, updates keep coming at no extra charge.

How you get it

  1. 1Buy once
  2. 2Get an email with your download link
  3. 3Open the file, drag to Applications

No account to create, no activation server. It's just a file you own.

# FAQ

Questions people ask before buying.

You need a folder of Markdown notes with a status property — that's exactly what an Obsidian vault gives you. BaseBar works great alongside Obsidian, but it reads plain files, so any editor that writes Markdown frontmatter works too.

Only the status: line, and only when you move a card. Adding a task creates a new note. BaseBar never rewrites the rest of your file.

No. BaseBar has no account, no server, and no analytics inside the app. It only reads and writes files on your Mac.

macOS 13 (Ventura) or newer, on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Yes — 30 days, no questions asked. If BaseBar isn't for you, email us and we'll refund it.

Not right now. BaseBar is a native macOS menu-bar app, and there's no mobile or Windows build planned for v1.

BaseBar is made by a solo developer and isn't notarized yet, so macOS asks you to confirm on first launch. It's standard for independent Mac apps — the Installation section shows each step.