Cupola
A better notch for Apple Calendar, Reminders and Notes
Cupola is our own macOS app that opens a glass panel from the MacBook notch for Apple Calendar, Reminders and Notes. Apple's apps stay the source of truth; Cupola just makes reaching them faster, with an on-device AI command bar for plain-language actions.
- 2026
- macOS (Swift 6)
- SwiftUI + AppKit
- On-device AI
- Notarized DMG
- Sparkle updates
Why we’re building it
Apple's Calendar, Reminders and Notes apps work fine, but checking them during the day means switching apps or digging through windows for something you glance at dozens of times. We wanted the notch, which is already visible on every MacBook, to double as a quick panel for the three apps people check most, without building a separate database that could drift from Apple's own data.
Who uses it
- Mac power users
- Keyboard-first users who want calendar, reminders and notes reachable from a hotkey without switching apps.
- Productivity-focused users
- People who dislike Apple's default Calendar, Reminders and Notes UI but don't want to migrate their data elsewhere.
What we built
A native SwiftUI and AppKit app that reads and writes straight to Apple Calendar, Reminders and Notes, so Apple's apps stay the source of truth. It opens a glass panel from the notch, a hotkey panel and a full window, links events, reminders and notes together, and adds an on-device Apple Intelligence command bar for plain-language actions and daily planning.
Notch panel
A glass panel opens under the physical or virtual notch with Today, Reminders and Notes tabs plus a find/add field.
Global hotkey + menu bar
The same panel opens from a user-set hotkey or the menu bar icon, with no default keybinding shipped.
Cross-linking
Events can link to notes, reminders can be created from note text, and a backlinks panel shows the connections.
On-device AI command bar
Plain-language actions and a daily planning assistant run on Apple Foundation Models, with no cloud calls.
Ask your data
Grounded question answering over the user's own events, reminders and notes, read-only.
Activity log and undo
Every write Cupola makes is logged with a 30-day retention window and one-click undo.
Light, Dark and System themes
A calm, illustrated design with day/night artwork and six accent palettes.
How it works
- Open the notch panel with a tap, hotkey or menu bar click.
- See today's events and reminders in one unified timeline, with linked notes.
- Type or speak a request into the AI command bar, like moving a reminder or drafting a note.
- Review the AI's proposed action before it writes anything back to Apple's apps.
- Confirm, and the change lands in Calendar, Reminders or Notes directly, logged in the Activity Log for easy undo.
Where the AI fits
Cupola's AI command bar turns plain-language requests into previewed, confirmable actions on the user's own Calendar, Reminders and Notes data, and answers questions grounded in that same data. Everything runs on Apple's on-device Foundation Models, so no event, reminder or note text leaves the Mac. If Apple Intelligence isn't available on the device, AI features are hidden and the rest of the app keeps working normally.
- Apple Foundation Models, on-device only, no cloud AI provider
- AI proposes an action and the user must confirm before anything is written
- On-device transcription for push-to-talk or click-to-talk voice input
- Every AI write is logged in the Activity Log and can be undone
Every part of the product
Notch panel
SwiftUI + Liquid Glass
The main day-to-day surface, docked under the physical or virtual notch.
Global hotkey panel
AppKit
A floating panel opened by a user-assigned keyboard shortcut from anywhere.
Menu bar icon
AppKit
A persistent menu bar entry for opening the panel without a hotkey.
Main window
SwiftUI
A full window with a Home dashboard, Smart Views, a unified search/command field and settings.
How it’s built
Cupola treats Apple's own apps as the sole source of truth: it reads and writes through EventKit for Calendar and Reminders, and through AppleScript for Notes, keeping only indexes, links, logs, settings and caches in its own local database, never a copy of the actual data. The notch and hotkey panels are native AppKit windows layered with SwiftUI and Liquid Glass, so they share rendering with the main window instead of being a separate UI stack. A feature-gating layer backs a 7-day trial that falls back to read-only mode, and the app distributes itself directly as a notarized, Sparkle-updated DMG rather than through the Mac App Store, which is what lets it use Apple Intelligence and EventKit without sandboxing restrictions getting in the way.
- Swift 6
- SwiftUI
- AppKit
- EventKit
- AppleScript
- Apple Foundation Models
- SQLite
- Sparkle
- Developer ID + Notarization
- Liquid Glass
Related services: AI app development
What clients say about working with us
Verified Fiverr reviews from our clients, quoted word for word.
Super professional and reliable developer. He quickly understood the requirements, delivered clean and efficient code, and was always fast to respond whenever I had questions!
jamillesodreRepeat buyerBrazil · AI Websites & Software
Venkey is a true professional. Before starting work, he spends a lot of time understanding the organization's dynamics and trying to understand the true function of development. Thanks again for the work done and for having met not just a developer but a wonderful, understanding and always available person!
vladpereverzyevRepeat buyerItaly · AI Mobile Apps
I am very happy with everything Venkey did for me. I will certainly work with him in the future
alexsimion2019Repeat buyerFrance · AI Websites & Software
Questions about Cupola
What does Cupola do?
Cupola is a macOS app from Venzpire that turns the MacBook notch into a quick panel for Apple Calendar, Reminders and Notes. It reads and writes directly to Apple's own apps, so they stay the source of truth, and adds an on-device AI command bar for plain-language actions and a daily planning assistant.
Does Cupola send my calendar and notes data to the cloud?
No. Cupola's AI features run entirely on-device using Apple Foundation Models, and the only network traffic the app makes is update checks and opt-in crash reports. Venzpire built Cupola around the principle that user data never leaves the Mac.
How do I open Cupola?
Cupola opens from the MacBook's physical or virtual notch, from a global hotkey you set yourself, from its menu bar icon, or as a full main window with a Home dashboard and Smart Views. Venzpire built all four surfaces to share the same SwiftUI and AppKit interface.
Want a product built with the same care?
Tell us what you are building. Venktesh reads every application himself and replies within one business day.
Apply for a strategy call