Show HN: macOS menu-bar manager for SSH port forwards
RelayBar is a native macOS menu-bar application designed to simplify the management of local SSH port forwards. It allows users to start, stop, and monitor tunnels directly from the system menu without external dependencies.
Why it matters
It provides a streamlined, user-friendly interface for developers who frequently manage SSH tunnels, improving workflow efficiency on macOS.
RelayBar is a tiny native macOS menu-bar app for local SSH port forwards. It has no external dependencies and runs macOS's built-in /usr/bin/ssh directly.
Imports common commands such as ssh -N -L 8080:localhost:3000 user@host Adds tunnels manually with five small fields Starts and stops each tunnel with one click Starts a tunnel and opens its local URL in the default browser with one click Retries unexpected disconnects up to 10 times with exponential backoff Shows startup failures directly beside the tunnel Stores tunnel definitions in local UserDefaults Stops child SSH processes when RelayBar quits RelayBar intentionally manages one local ( -L ) forward per item. Safe connection options such as -p , -J , -i , and a restricted set of -o values are preserved when importing a command. Options that can execute local commands, select arbitrary configuration files, or write logs are rejected. RelayBar never invokes a shell.
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