Your work, saved — without you remembering.
ShowSave is a menu-bar helper that quietly presses Save in the apps you choose, on a short repeating interval, while you work in them. No keystroke to remember, no habit to build — just your latest work on disk, ready if an app crashes.
It's built for live production — cue software, documents, playback, the graphics rigs AV operators run — where a lost cue list or an unsaved session at the wrong moment is the difference between a smooth show and a scramble. ShowSave never makes a sound, never reaches into your app, and tells you honestly what it is — and isn't — protecting.
What ShowSave does
ShowSave lives in the menu bar. You give it a short list of apps — your cue software, your DAW, your show document — and for each one it sends the Save command on a repeating interval while you're working in it. The menu-bar icon tells you, at a glance, whether it's protecting, saving, paused, or unable to help.
It works by sending the same keystroke you'd press yourself — ⌘S, or a custom one you set per app. It doesn't reach inside the app or use any private hooks, so it works with almost anything that saves on a keystroke. And it only fires when you're actually in the app's document, so a stray ⌘S never lands in a dialog or a save panel.
ShowSave presses Save for you — quietly, on a timer, only in the apps you pick and only while you're working in them. It never makes a sound, and it's honest about when it can't help.
Requirements
A Mac running macOS 13 (Ventura) or later.
Accessibility permission. ShowSave needs macOS Accessibility access to do its job — it uses it to send the Save keystroke and to read which app and window are in front, so it only saves into a real document. You grant this once, from the popover (see First run). Without it, ShowSave can't protect anything and tells you so plainly.
An internet connection the first time you start a trial or activate a license. After that, ShowSave runs offline — it never needs the network at show time.
ShowSave is a notarised, Developer ID-signed app. It runs outside the App Sandbox because it uses macOS Accessibility to press Save in other apps on your behalf. It changes nothing on your Mac permanently and makes no sound, ever.
First run
The first time you open ShowSave, it appears in the menu bar. Before it can save anything, it needs Accessibility permission.
- Open ShowSave from the menu bar. Click its icon to open the popover.
- Grant Accessibility. If permission isn't set, a red "Accessibility access required" banner appears with an Open Settings button. Click it — macOS opens Privacy & Security → Accessibility. Switch ShowSave on.
- Add your first app. Back in the popover, click Add App, pick the app you want protected, and confirm. ShowSave starts saving it on the default interval right away.
Accessibility is the only permission ShowSave needs. Once it's granted, the red banner disappears and the icon turns green to show it's protecting.
Quick start
If you just want to protect your first app, this is the short path. Each step is expanded later in the guide.
- Open ShowSave from the menu bar. It shows a grey dot when idle.
- Grant Accessibility if asked (see First run).
- Click Add App, choose your show software, and set how often to save (the default is every 3 seconds).
- Work as normal. While that app is in front and you're in its document, ShowSave saves it on the interval. The dot turns green; it pulses amber each time it saves.
- Glance at the icon any time to confirm it's protecting. Open the popover to see each app's last-saved time.
The menu-bar icon
The icon is your at-a-glance status. It's a small tray symbol with a coloured dot — you can read the state of your protection without opening anything.
Click the icon any time to open the popover.
The popover
Clicking the icon opens ShowSave's popover. From the top down:
- Header — a status dot and the name ShowSave.
- License banner (only if you're on an expired trial or have no license) — a tappable amber row reading "Activate a license to protect your apps" (or "Trial expired — activate to keep protecting") that takes you to the License settings.
- Accessibility banner (only if permission is missing) — a red "Accessibility access required" row with an Open Settings button.
- Your apps — one row per protected app, showing its icon, name, save interval (e.g. "3 sec"), a status dot, and the time it was last saved (e.g. 10:57:32). These rows are a read-out; you manage each app's settings in Settings.
- Pause All / Resume All — stops or restarts every app's saving in one move (see Pause & resume).
- Add App — opens the app picker to protect another app.
- The gear opens Settings; Quit exits ShowSave.
When no apps are configured yet, the popover shows "No apps configured. Tap + Add App to get started."
The time on each row is when ShowSave sent the Save command — not a confirmation the app wrote the file. ShowSave presses Save for you honestly; it doesn't claim to verify what the app did with it. A dash (—) means it hasn't sent a save for that app yet.
How saving works
ShowSave's saving rests on three simple ideas. Understanding them tells you exactly when it will and won't fire.
1. You choose the apps
Each app you add becomes a target with its own save interval. ShowSave only ever touches the apps on your list — nothing else.
2. It saves on the interval — but only in your document
A target's timer fires every interval (every 3 seconds by default). When it does, ShowSave checks two things before pressing Save: that the app is frontmost, and that your focus is in one of its real document windows. If you're in a dialog, a sheet, or a save panel, it holds off — it won't fire ⌘S into the wrong place.
Sending ⌘S blindly could land in a dialog and do something you didn't intend. ShowSave only saves when it can confirm you're in an actual document window — so it stays out of your way while you navigate menus and panels.
3. Force save, for apps that need it
A few apps won't save while their window is focused, or don't expose a document window ShowSave can read. For those, you can turn on Force save per app — it bypasses the document check and presses Save whenever the app is frontmost. See Advanced: Force save.
It presses the keystroke — nothing more
ShowSave sends a keystroke — ⌘S or your custom command — exactly as if you'd typed it. It doesn't call the app's internal save, doesn't open files, and doesn't read your documents. And it never makes a sound: there are no audio paths in ShowSave at all.
Pause & resume
Sometimes you want saving to stop for a moment — during a soundcheck edit you're not ready to commit, say. ShowSave gives you two levels:
- Pause All / Resume All in the popover stops or restarts every app at once. While paused, the icon goes grey and no saves fire.
- Pause one app with its switch in Settings → Target Apps. That app stops saving; the others carry on.
Resuming picks every non-paused app back up on its normal interval. An app you've individually paused stays paused until you switch it back on.
Quitting
ShowSave protects you from quitting in the middle of a show by accident. If you choose Quit while it's actively protecting apps, it asks first:
Quit ShowSave?
"ShowSave is watching N app(s). Quitting will stop all auto-saves." — with Cancel and Quit.
If nothing is being protected, Quit just exits — no prompt.
Adding an app
Click Add App in the popover to open the picker.
- Find the app. ShowSave lists the apps in your Applications folder. Use the Search apps… field to narrow it down. (Apps you've already added don't appear in the list.)
- Pick it and choose how often to save it under Save every — the default is every 3 seconds.
- Click Add. ShowSave starts protecting it immediately and returns you to the popover.
If the list is still loading you'll see Loading…; if there's nothing to show, No apps found in /Applications or No results.
Save intervals
Each app saves on its own interval. The choices are:
3 sec 5 sec 10 sec 30 sec 1 min
The default for new apps is 3 seconds, which suits most live software. You can change an app's interval any time in Settings → Target Apps, and you can change the default for new apps in Options.
If an app's document is very large, saving every few seconds can feel less smooth. Choosing a slightly longer interval (5 or 10 seconds) keeps saving comfortable without giving up much protection.
Advanced: Force save
Each app row in Settings → Target Apps has an Advanced section. The first control there is Force save, off by default, with an On / Off hint and an amber dot on the row when it's on.
Normally ShowSave only saves when it can confirm you're in the app's document window. Force save removes that check: it presses Save whenever the app is frontmost, whether or not ShowSave can see a document window. It's for the handful of apps that won't save while focused, or that don't expose a window ShowSave can read.
Because it bypasses the document check, ShowSave asks you to confirm when you turn it on:
Force Save?
"ShowSave already saves {app} silently while you work in it — you probably don't need this. Force Save is only for apps that won't save while focused, and it may cause an occasional beep." — with Keep normal saving and Turn on Force Save.
Turning it back off returns the app to normal save-while-focused.
Because Force save presses ⌘S without confirming you're in a document, an app may occasionally beep if it can't accept the save at that moment. Use it only for apps that genuinely need it — most don't.
Advanced: Save command
Most apps save with ⌘S, and that's ShowSave's default. But some use a different keystroke. Under Advanced → Save command, you can set a custom save command per app.
- Tap Save command. ShowSave shows "Press the save command for {app}." with a live read-out of the keys.
- Press the keystroke the app uses to save. It appears in the read-out.
- Confirm with Use this command — or Reset to ⌘S to go back to the default.
From then on, ShowSave sends that custom keystroke for that app instead of ⌘S.
Options
Open Settings with the gear in the popover. Settings is organised into four sections that open one at a time: Target Apps, Options, License, and About.
Under Target Apps you'll find every app you've added, each with its pause switch, interval, remove button, and the Advanced section. A Remove all apps button sits at the top.
Under Options:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Default interval | The interval new apps get when you add them (the built-in default is 3 seconds). |
| Launch at login | Starts ShowSave automatically when you log in, so it's always there on the show machine. (If macOS won't allow it, an error appears under the checkbox.) |
| Notify on save | Posts a small macOS notification each time an app is saved — title ShowSave, body "{app} saved". Off by default; turning it on asks for notification permission. |
| Show ShowSave in | Choose Menu Bar (the default) or Menu Bar & Dock. See Launch & Dock. |
Launch & Dock
Launch at login
Turn on Launch at login in Options so ShowSave is always running when you boot the show machine — no need to remember to open it.
Show ShowSave in…
The Show ShowSave in picker chooses where the app lives: Menu Bar only (the default), or Menu Bar & Dock if you'd rather have a Dock icon too.
With Menu Bar & Dock on, clicking the Dock icon opens the same popover, and the popover can appear over full-screen apps — handy when your show software runs full-screen and you still want to glance at ShowSave.
Reset to defaults
The Reset to Defaults button at the bottom of Settings returns ShowSave to how it started. It asks first:
Reset ShowSave to its default settings?
"This removes all apps and resets everything to first-install defaults. It won't change your Accessibility permission." — with Cancel and Reset.
Reset removes every app, clears your default interval and notify-on-save choices, and turns off Launch at login. It deliberately leaves your Accessibility permission untouched — that's a macOS setting, not ShowSave's to change.
Trial & licensing
ShowSave opens with a free 14-day trial. After that, a one-time perpetual license keeps it saving. The License section in Settings always shows where you stand:
Starting a trial or activating
- Start a trial with Start free trial — ShowSave fetches and activates a trial key for you. If the service can't be reached you'll see "Couldn't reach the trial service. Enter a license key instead."
- Or enter a key. Type it into Enter license key and click Activate. You'll see Activating…, then Activated.
If activation can't complete, ShowSave tells you why — for example "This license has expired.", "This license is already active on another Mac.", or "Invalid license key (CODE)." (the code helps support pinpoint the problem).
A license activates ShowSave on the one Mac you enter it on. After activation, ShowSave verifies offline — it re-checks locally, with no periodic phone-home — so you never need internet at show time.
When a trial or license lapses
ShowSave never traps you or deletes your work. If the trial expires or no license is active, it simply stops saving and disables Add App — but your list of apps stays exactly as it is, and you can still open everything, read every status, and quit normally. Activate a license and saving picks straight back up where it left off.
Updates
In Settings → About, click Check for Updates. ShowSave checks for a newer build and reports back:
- Checking… while it looks.
- You're up to date if you have the latest.
- Version X available with a Download button if there's a newer build.
- Couldn't check for updates — try again later if it couldn't reach the server.
Troubleshooting
The icon is red
ShowSave can't protect anything. Either Accessibility is off (or was revoked), or it couldn't write its settings to disk. Open the popover — if you see the "Accessibility access required" banner, click Open Settings and switch ShowSave on in Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
The icon went red in the middle of a show
That almost always means Accessibility was turned off for ShowSave — for instance after a macOS update or a settings change. ShowSave notices on its own and turns the icon red rather than pretending to still be saving. Re-grant Accessibility and it returns to green and resumes.
An app isn't being saved
Check three things: the app is on your list and not paused; you're actually in front of it and working in its document (ShowSave holds off in dialogs and save panels); and Accessibility is granted. If the app is one that won't save while focused, try turning on Force save for it.
An app beeps occasionally
That's usually Force save pressing ⌘S when the app can't accept it at that moment. If you don't need Force save for that app, turn it off and ShowSave returns to saving only inside the document.
My apps disappeared after a crash
They shouldn't — ShowSave writes its list atomically, so a crash or force-quit can't leave it half-written. If the list is ever unreadable, ShowSave starts clean rather than misbehaving; just add your apps again.
About
ShowSave is made for the people running the show — built to be quiet, honest about what it's doing, and impossible to trip over at the worst moment.
Designed and programmed by Remember Chaitezvi.