Always listening
A persistent HTTPS subscription, with automatic reconnects and no window to keep open.
ntfy for Mac
A native ntfy client for Mac.
Point NTBX at ntfy.sh or your own server, and every message arrives as a macOS notification — with priority, tags, action buttons and attachments. No browser tab to keep alive.
Native app. Direct HTTPS. Keychain tokens.
Notification Center
Self-hosted servers
Actions & attachments
Free on the Mac App Store · macOS 14 or later
Quick start
From an ntfy topic to your Mac.
Keep publishing with the scripts and services you already use. NTBX holds the subscription and turns each message into a native notification.
Install and allow notifications
Get NTBX from the Mac App Store, allow notifications, and enable launch at login if you want it running with your session.
Add the topic
Paste an HTTPS topic URL, or enter the server and topic separately. For a protected topic add a Bearer token with read permission; NTBX stores it in Keychain.
Publish a test message
Publish with curl or the ntfy CLI. The message shows up in the inbox and in Notification Center.
curl --fail --show-error \
-H 'Title: Backup finished' \
-H 'Priority: 4' \
-H 'Tags: floppy_disk' \
--data-binary 'Nightly backup completed in 3m 12s' \
"${NTFY_TOPIC_URL:?Set your HTTPS topic URL}"For a protected topic, add an Authorization header with a token that has publish permission. See the authenticated example →
No browser tab required
The ntfy project recommends its installable web app on the desktop, and the CLI prints messages into a terminal. Both work; neither is a Mac app. NTBX is: a menu bar client with a live subscription, so alerts arrive when the browser is closed and nothing scrolls past in a shell window.
Notification Center
Priority decides the sound and the alert style, exactly as macOS expects.
Menu Bar
Unread count and connection status at a glance, with a findable history behind it.
Tags & click links
Message tags, click URLs and the open-in-browser path are handled natively.
Action buttons
view, copy and http actions work from the notification, with confirmation before any HTTP action runs.
Attachments
Save an ntfy attachment to the folder you pick — never automatically.
Tokens stay where macOS keeps secrets.
Your Mac connects straight to the ntfy server you configured over HTTPS, with no relay in the middle. Tokens live in macOS Keychain, the app runs sandboxed with a hardened runtime, and there is no account, no analytics and no third-party tracking SDK.
- Bearer tokens in macOS Keychain
- HTTPS servers only, no ATS exceptions
- Direct connection to your server
- Feedback only when you submit it
Before you connect
ntfy on Mac: practical questions
Does ntfy have a native Mac client?
The ntfy project ships mobile apps, a web app and a CLI, and points desktop users at the installable web app. NTBX is an independent native macOS client for the same protocol, so you get a menu bar app instead of a browser tab. Compare the options.
Can I use my self-hosted ntfy server?
Yes. Enter the HTTPS server URL and topic, and add a Bearer token if the topic requires one. The server certificate must be trusted by macOS; plain HTTP endpoints are not supported.
What happens when a message is cleared or replaced?
ntfy can update or clear a notification. NTBX follows that: an update replaces the notification in place, and a clear removes it from Notification Center and the inbox, so what you see matches the server state.
Do I need the ntfy CLI on my Mac?
No. NTBX manages its own subscriptions. Your sender can be curl, the ntfy CLI, or any tool with an ntfy integration — the CLI is only useful on the Mac if you want a scriptable subscriber that runs local commands.
Is it the official ntfy app?
No. NTBX is an independent client for the ntfy protocol, built for macOS, and it is not affiliated with the ntfy project. It connects to ntfy.sh or to compatible self-hosted servers.
