Track citations,
skip browser.
CiteBar brings Google Scholar updates directly to your menu bar. Check your h-index at a glance, jump to profiles instantly, and monitor 30-day citation growth. Open source, free, and designed specifically for macOS.
Designed for focus.
If you find yourself opening browser tabs just to check if anything changed, CiteBar moves that quick check into the menu bar.
See recent momentum
Spot short-term citation movement quickly. CiteBar tracks 30-day changes so you can see recent growth instead of relying on total counts alone.
Follow multiple profiles
Keep your own profile, collaborators, advisors, or lab pages all inside one lightweight app.
Privacy at the core
Settings and history are stored locally on your Mac and never sent as telemetry to any external servers.
Open Source
The code is fully public on GitHub and the project is released under the permissive MIT License.
Get started in seconds.
Download, move to Applications, and add your Scholar profile.
Download CiteBar
Get the latest universal DMG from GitHub Releases.
Move to Applications
Open the downloaded DMG and drag CiteBar.app into your Applications folder.
Fix first-launch block (if prompted)
Because the app is open-source and not notarized by Apple, macOS might block it initially. Run this command in your Terminal to allow it:
xattr -cr /Applications/CiteBar.app
Launch & Add Profile
Open the app, paste a Google Scholar profile URL into Settings, and you're all set.
Alternative Troubleshooting
If you see "Cannot verify developer" instead, right-click CiteBar.app in your Applications folder, choose Open, then click Open again in the popup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CiteBar open source and free to use?
Yes. CiteBar is completely open source on GitHub under the MIT License, and it is free to use forever.
How does CiteBar handle privacy and data?
Your data stays on your device. Settings and citation history are stored locally on your Mac, and the app never sends telemetry or tracking data to any CiteBar servers.
Why does macOS say "CiteBar is damaged and can't be opened"?
This is a standard macOS Gatekeeper quarantine warning that occurs for direct, non-notarized software downloads. To fix it, simply open Terminal, run xattr -cr /Applications/CiteBar.app, and then open the app again normally.
What if macOS says "Cannot verify developer"?
Open your Applications folder, right-click (or Control-click) on CiteBar.app, select Open from the context menu, and then click Open again in the dialog box.
I am on version 1.3.x or 1.4.1 and auto-update fails. What should I do?
Manually download and install the latest DMG from GitHub this one time. After you have upgraded to version 1.4.4+ or newer, the in-app automatic update feature will work normally for future releases.
What should I paste when adding a Scholar profile?
Paste the full, public Google Scholar profile URL. For example: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XXXXXXX. It can be your own profile or any other public profile you wish to track.
Where should I report bugs or request features?
Please use GitHub Issues to report any problems or suggest new ideas. Be sure to include your macOS version and CiteBar version when reporting bugs.
Ready to track your impact?
Join researchers who monitor their citations smoothly from the menu bar.
Download CiteBar