Show HN: Oliphaunt – a native macOS Mastodon client built with AppKit(apps.apple.com)
apps.apple.com
Show HN: Oliphaunt – a native macOS Mastodon client built with AppKit
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/oliphaunt-for-mastodon/id6745527185?mt=12
4 comments
Sorry... it's DOA for me. Just installed it, and I can't even open it. Immediately crashes on open. Repeatedly.
https://gist.github.com/akulbe/26b71df4a3fd069dd71824f000c9a...
https://gist.github.com/akulbe/26b71df4a3fd069dd71824f000c9a...
OP - I don't know if there's anything else I can do to assist, other than the bug report output I put in the gist, but let me know. I'm happy to help.
If you’re familiar with X (Twitter) or Bluesky, Mastodon will feel immediately recognisable. It’s a federated social network built on the ActivityPub protocol, where independent servers (“instances”) interoperate while remaining decentralised.
The motivation behind this project was fairly simple: I wanted a Mastodon client that behaves like a well-behaved macOS application.
Many desktop apps today are effectively scaled-up mobile interfaces or cross-platform ports. They can work well, but they often ignore macOS conventions. My goal was to build something that feels like a native citizen of the platform.
Oliphaunt focuses heavily on macOS design principles:
- built with system-native UI components (AppKit with some SwiftUI)
- follows macOS design language and interface idioms
- supports proper multi-window workflows
- keyboard shortcuts
- respects macOS interaction patterns rather than reinventing them
A lot of the work went into the details that make Mac software feel “right”: window behaviour, menus, keyboard navigation, sidebar structure and integration with system features.
The goal isn’t to introduce a new interface paradigm but to adopt the conventions Mac users already understand.
If you’re a Mastodon user or someone who appreciates carefully built native Mac software, I’d love to hear your feedback.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6745527185