# Menu bar

> What Cloak Watch's menu bar icon and menu show: the status, things to fix now, recent events, AI today, Scan Now, Pause and the network extension switch.

Source: https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-watch/menu-bar/

Cloak Watch lives in the menu bar. Its icon shows the state of your Mac at a glance, and its menu lists anything to fix, recent events and the commands you need most. Closing the main window keeps Watch running here.

## The icon

*[Screenshot: The three menu bar icons: clear, review and act now with a count of 2]*

| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Clear | Nothing needs you. |
| Review | Something is worth a look. |
| Act now, with a number | That many things need fixing now. Turn the number off with **Show how many things to fix in the menu bar** in [Settings › Alerts](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-watch/settings/#alerts). |

## The menu

Click the icon to open the menu.

*[Screenshot: The Cloak Watch menu: 2 things to fix now, Protected · feed checked 4 min ago, two incidents and Fix All, a Recent section with five events, an AI today line, Scan Now, Pause for 1 Hour, Pause Until Tomorrow, Open Cloak Watch, Settings and Quit Cloak Watch]*

| Part | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Status | **This Mac is clear**, **Nothing harmful found**, **1 thing to fix now** / **N things to fix now**, or **Not scanned yet**, with a line such as **Protected · feed checked 4 min ago**, **Scanning · 40%** or **Paused · 42 min left · feed still updating** |
| Update | When a new version is out, a row such as **Cloak Watch 1.0.1 is available** with **Download**; for a security fix, **Security fix: Cloak Watch 1.0.1**; when your version is too old for the feed, **Update Cloak Watch to stay safe** |
| Things to fix now | Each incident that needs fixing now, with when Watch found it. Click one to open it. **Fix It…** or **Fix All…** opens the [Fix it](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-watch/inbox/#fix-it-and-fix-all) sheet. With only things worth a look, one row such as **3 things worth a look** opens them in the Inbox. |
| **Recent** | The last five events: feed updates, attacks that didn't affect you, new installs, settings changes |
| **AI today** | Today's AI traffic, for example **Claude Code → Anthropic 4.1 MB, 15 tool calls, 3 MCP servers**. Click it to open [AI Activity](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-watch/ai-activity/). |
| **Scan Now** | Scans the Mac now (<kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>R</kbd>). |
| **Pause for 1 Hour**, **Pause Until Tomorrow** | Pauses Watch for an hour, or until 9:00 tomorrow. See [Pause](#pause). |
| **Resume Watching** | Shown while paused, with the time left. Ends the pause. |
| **Network Extension** | A switch that turns the [network extension](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-watch/ai-activity/network-extension/) on or off, with its state. Off sends every connection direct. Only shown when your copy of Watch includes the extension. |
| **Open Cloak Watch** | Opens the main window. |
| **Settings…** | Opens [Settings](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-watch/settings/) (<kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>,</kbd>). |
| **Quit Cloak Watch** | Quits (<kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>Q</kbd>). Watch stops checking until you open it again. |

## Pause

Pause Watch when you're about to install a lot or present your screen and don't want to be interrupted.

- While paused, Watch doesn't scan and doesn't post notifications. File changes are held back, and the feed keeps updating quietly.
- When the pause ends, Watch checks the changes it held back, a scan that was waiting runs, and notifications held back during the pause are posted if they still apply: anything that still needs fixing, and the reminder for things worth a look.
- A pause lasts across a relaunch or a restart.
- Guard rules, AI Activity and the network extension aren't affected by a pause.

Pause from the menu bar (**Pause for 1 Hour** or **Pause Until Tomorrow**), the **Pause** button in the main window's toolbar, or **Watch › Pause for an Hour** (<kbd>⇧</kbd> <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>P</kbd>). The same places offer **Resume** while paused.

## Commands and shortcuts

While the main window is open, Cloak Watch also has the usual app menus at the top of the screen. Its **Watch** menu has the same commands:

| Command | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| **Scan Now** | <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>R</kbd> |
| **Pause for an Hour** / **Resume Watching** | <kbd>⇧</kbd> <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>P</kbd> |
| **I Think I've Been Hit…** | Opens the [incident plan](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-watch/respond/) |
| **Home**, **Inbox**, **Feed**, **Inventory**, **AI Activity**, **Install Guard**, **Settings** | <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>1</kbd> to <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>7</kbd> |
| **GitHub**, **Domains** | <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>8</kbd>, <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>9</kbd> |
| **Show Welcome…** | |
| **Cloak Watch › Check for Updates…** | |
| **Cloak Watch › Settings…** | <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>,</kbd> |
| **Help › Cloak Watch Help** | Opens these docs |
| **Help › What Leaves Your Mac** | Opens [Settings › Privacy](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-watch/settings/#what-leaves-your-mac) |

The main window's toolbar has **Scan Now** and **Pause**, and a status capsule in the middle, for example **Cloak Watch | 2 things to fix now**.

## Related

  - [Settings](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-watch/settings/): Alerts, the menu bar count and more.
  - [Home, Inbox and incidents](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-watch/inbox/): What to do with what Watch found.