attn LED 1.0 — macOS

People who work in Focus or Do Not Disturb mode often miss a message that matters. attn LED 1.0 puts the MacBook camera LED to work as a visual alert, so you notice the important stuff without breaking your concentration.

Camera LED blinks to signal notifications from across the room

• Camera LED notification — The built-in status light blinks when a new notification arrives. It is visible from across the room, so you can glance over and see if something needs attention.
• Focus mode workaround — The app monitors the macOS notifications database through FSEvents, which lets it work even when Focus or Do Not Disturb would normally hold notifications back.
• Keeps blinking until you act — The LED stays on until you open the app that sent the notification. No more wondering if you missed something.
• Auto-detects notification apps — New apps that post notifications are picked up automatically, so you do not have to configure every one by hand.
• Pauses during video calls — The blinking stops during FaceTime and other video conferences, so it will not distract you or your callers.

attn LED runs on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 12 or later. It is a simple utility that does one job and does it without fuss.

What to check when the LED doesn't behave as expected

A few people hit the same bumps when they start using attn LED. Here is what to check if the LED does not behave as expected.

The LED does not blink at all

First, confirm that attn LED is running. It lives in the menu bar, so look for its icon there. If you do not see it, open the app from Launchpad. Next, check your Mac model — older MacBooks without a camera status indicator light will not show anything. Apple's documentation notes that the built-in light is a system status indicator on some models only. If your Mac has one, make sure nothing else is using the camera. Open Activity Monitor and look for any process with "Camera" in the name. If the camera is in use, the LED stays solid and attn LED cannot blink it.

The LED blinks for apps I do not care about

Open attn LED preferences and review the list of allowed apps. By default, it picks up new notification apps automatically. You can remove any app you do not want alerts from. The app works with Slack, Mail, Messages, Discord, Teams, and Telegram, plus anything else that posts notifications to the macOS notification center.

The LED stops blinking before I check the message

This usually means you clicked somewhere that counts as "opening" the app. Even clicking a notification banner can reset the LED. If you want the LED to stay on until you deliberately open the app, avoid clicking any banner or notification center entry for that app.

The LED blinks during a video call

attn LED is supposed to pause during FaceTime and other video conferences. If it does not, check that the camera is active — the app detects calls by watching the camera status. If your video conferencing app does not show a camera indicator, attn LED may not know you are in a call. Closing the app or temporarily quitting attn LED is the workaround for now.

How attn LED differs from other silent notification apps

attn LED is not the only utility that tries to get your attention without sound or banners. Here is how it stacks up against a couple of alternatives.

Compared to Heads Up!

Heads Up! uses a floating on-screen window that slides in from the edge of your display. It works with Focus mode and shows a preview of the notification. attn LED takes the opposite approach — no screen overlay at all. The camera LED is a physical indicator that does not cover any part of your work. Heads Up! gives you more detail at a glance, while attn LED gives you a silent cue that something needs attention without any visual interruption.

Compared to HazeOver

HazeOver dims inactive windows and highlights the active one. It helps with focus by reducing visual clutter, but it does not notify you about new messages. attn LED solves a different problem: it tells you when something arrives, not how to arrange what is already on screen. Some people use both — HazeOver to keep the workspace clean, attn LED to catch important messages.

Compared to the built-in LED behavior

macOS already uses the camera LED as a system status indicator — it lights up solid when the camera is on. attn LED adds a second purpose by blinking it for notifications. The built-in behavior is fixed and not configurable. attn LED gives you control over which apps trigger the light and how long it stays on. It is an extension of a hardware feature that otherwise sits idle most of the time.

A developer uses the camera LED to catch notifications while in Do Not Disturb

A friend of mine works as a developer on a distributed team. He keeps his MacBook on a stand to one side of his desk, with the camera LED facing him. During the workday, he runs Do Not Disturb constantly. His team uses Slack for urgent messages and email for everything else. Before attn LED, he would check Slack every twenty minutes or miss a direct message for hours. Now he keeps his focus mode on, works in full-screen terminal sessions, and lets the camera LED tell him when a Slack message lands. He glances at the LED from his peripheral vision — no need to switch desktops. When the LED stops blinking, he knows he has opened the message. It saves him from context switching just to check if anything came in.

The same setup works for anyone who uses Messages or Telegram for personal contacts while working. You can limit LED notifications to the apps that matter and ignore the rest.

• macOS 12 or later
• Apple Silicon or Intel
• Interface language: English