u/-zappa-

Hey everyone,

I recently pivoted my project and decided the absolute best path forward was to open-source it and build it alongside a community.

What is KoBar? It's a modular desktop utility widget designed to streamline your daily Windows workflow. From the beginning, my main focus has been on delivering a clean, highly polished UI/UX that feels intuitive but remains incredibly flexible for power users.

Under the Hood To keep the architecture accessible and easy to extend, it's built entirely on web technologies specifically React and Electron. This makes creating new custom widgets straightforward if you know basic web dev.

Why Open Source? I realized that building this in a silo limits its potential. I want to see what kinds of widgets and improvements others can bring to the table. We recently had a new contributor join, and the momentum is great, but we'd love more hands on deck.

Whether you're interested in building new modules, tweaking the UI, or just want to test it out on your desktop to manage your workflow, I'd really appreciate your feedback.

You can check out the source code, see the roadmap, or grab the latest release here: https://github.com/Kobar-Project/KoBar

(The project is released under the MIT License, so feel free to fork and build upon it!)

Let me know what you think, and I'm happy to answer any questions about the development process! 🚀

I've been browsing the sub a bit, and seeing so many people making money and gaining users is awesome. I figured I'd drop in and share my own "failures" for a change ;)

It all started because I found standard "ctrl+c / ctrl+v" way too limited. I kept thinking, "I want to copy multiple different things back-to-back, and then paste them back-to-back." I tried a few workarounds with shortcuts, but gave up and decided to build a tiny, draggable, always-on-top widget instead. Thus, I started developing KoBar (pure vibe coding).

And as always, the classic "let me just add this one more thing" kicked in. Fast forward, and it accidentally turned into a fully functional Swiss Army knife of a tool :)

I didn't want to pay the annual Apple Developer fee to put it on macOS. It’s not a huge amount of money, but I’m currently unemployed. Since the Microsoft Store is practically free to publish on, I put it there for about $2-5. My master plan was: "Worst case, it makes enough to fund its own Apple Developer account." Well, that didn't happen :)

After exactly one month, after store commissions and taxes, my grand total revenue was... $10. Honestly, it killed my motivation. I realized that in a world where literally anyone can "vibe code" (myself included), how on earth am I supposed to market and sell an app with zero marketing budget?

So, I decided to pivot. Three days ago, I made the whole project open-source and threw it on GitHub.

I added a Ko-fi link out of blind hope, though my realistic guess is I'll probably hit that $10 ceiling again :) But honestly? Making it open-source gave me my excitement back. Maybe some of you will fork it, contribute, and KoBar will actually become something great instead of just dying quietly in a forgotten folder.

If you want to help me build KoBar, roast my UI, or just drop some feedback,
here is the repo: https://github.com/eedali/KoBar

KoBar is an open-source, modular productivity widget designed to keep your essential tools accessible at a glance. It operates as a lightweight, always-on-top overlay so you can manage tasks without disrupting your main workflow.

It features highly customizable modules, a clean UI, and quick-access utilities. Built with versatility in mind, it gives users full control over their desktop environment without unnecessary clutter.

Link in the comments! 🔗

Hey everyone,

I got tired of digging through 10 different open apps just to find my notes, check my clipboard history, or ask an LLM a quick question. So, I built KoBar, an "always-on-top" modular utility sidebar for Windows.

The Product: It sits at the edge of your screen and houses mini-apps: a multi-slot Clipboard Manager, an AI Hub (supports local Ollama or APIs), a Screenshot tool, Note Studio, and a "KoBox" (a temporary dropzone folder that auto-deletes files after 24h). You can also pin any 3rd party window to the top of your screen with a click.

The Tech (The risky part): It is built on Electron and React. To make the side panels slide out smoothly without getting clipped by the edge of the screen, I built a massive transparent "Ghost Window". It uses mouse click-through so you only interact with the visible UI components, and click straight through the transparent parts to your desktop.

Stage & Distribution: Solo developer. It is a paid app with a 7-day free trial, currently live exclusively on the Microsoft Store. Why? Because the Microsoft Store is free to publish on. I am waiting for the app to earn its own money to cover the $100 Apple Developer fee for a Mac release, and eventually, I will add it to Steam too.

What I want roasted: I am too close to the project and need a reality check.

1. Feature Bloat: Is it trying to do too much? I wanted a Swiss Army knife, but did I just build a bloated mess?
2. The Tech Stack: I know people hate Electron for background utilities. Is the "Ghost Window" architecture clever or just a memory-hogging workaround?
3. Distribution: Is my strategy of starting exclusively on the Microsoft Store just to save the initial $100 Apple App Store fee shooting myself in the foot for a power-user tool? Should I have prioritized Steam?

Store Link: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9p2kpff3g9l9

Don't hold back.

Hey everyone! 👋

I got tired of constantly switching between 3-4 different apps just to take a note, manage my clipboard, or use AI. So, I built KoBar. It is an always-on-top utility sidebar that keeps everything you need right at the edge of your screen.

From a technical side, it is built with Electron and React. I implemented a 6000x4000 "Ghost Window" architecture with mouse click-through, so the side panels slide out smoothly over your screen without getting clipped by the edges.

Here is what it can do:

• Clipboard Manager: A multi-slot queue that stores your copied texts and pastes them in order.
• AI Hub: Chat with APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic) or local models (Ollama, LM Studio) directly from the sidebar.
• Pin Window to Top: Click a button, select any window on your screen (like a browser or folder), and it stays on top of everything else.
• Screenshot Studio: Grab screen regions, draw shapes, add text, and save them.
• KoBox (Dropzone): A temporary folder for drag and drop files. It auto-deletes everything inside after 24 hours or when you restart.
• Quick Tools: Includes a Snippet Vault for passwords, Color Picker, Notes, and a Focus Mode timer.

It has been exclusively on the Microsoft Store for about a month. There is a 7-day free trial so you can test it properly. If you find any bugs or have feature requests, feel free to email me!

🎁 Giveaway: To celebrate, I am sharing 3 free promo codes below. To claim one, open the Microsoft Store, click your profile picture, select "Redeem code or gift cards", and paste the code. First come, first served!

RYXFD-YYHQW-6YH34-CM2X6-DHMXZ
27JXQ-6F2H4-Q7RRF-WXRYK-WG2PZ
23RHW-73CVF-M7CCY-JR46D-6JVVZ

(Link and email are in the comments!)

Let me know what you think! It will continue to evolve.