Wardlume
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Getting started

Install Wardlume, finish the guided setup, and cast your first ward.

Wardlume is a menu-bar app that locks your Mac’s keyboard, mouse, and trackpad behind an animated glass shield while everything on screen keeps running in view. It’s made for botsitting: leaving an AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, …) working while you step away.

1. Install

The cleanest way is Homebrew:

brew tap arpitagarwal1301/tap
brew trust arpitagarwal1301/tap
brew install --cask wardlume

Prefer a regular download? See Download for the .pkg and .dmg.

2. Finish the guided setup

On first launch, a setup window asks for three permissions, one at a time. Each one deep-links to the right System Settings pane and checks itself off live as you grant it. Some grants only apply after a relaunch, so the wizard offers Quit & Reopen when needed.

Why each permission is needed: Permissions.

3. Cast your first ward

  1. Press ⌘⇧L from anywhere, even while typing in your IDE, or choose Activate Ward from the menu-bar icon.
  2. The glass ward rises over the display you’re working on. The screen stays readable; input is locked.
  3. Walk away. Your Mac stays awake, so the ward holds and your agent keeps running.

4. Unlock

  • Touch ID: rest your finger on the sensor, or press ⌘⇧U and then use Touch ID.
  • Apple Watch: tap any key, then double-press the watch’s side button (set it up).
  • Password: press ⌘⇧U, then choose Use Password….

Stuck? ⌘⌥Esc → Force Quit Wardlume always works, because macOS reserves that shortcut. See the Safety guide.

Next

Something unclear or out of date? Tell us in Discussions.