Skye - Animated Starry Sky Desktop Background

Features • Installation • Auto-Start • Uninstalling • Requirements • License • Contributing • Support

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Skye is a macOS application that creates a pixel art inspired animated starry sky background on your desktop. The app displays twinkling stars, shooting comets, and atmospheric effects that bring your desktop to life with persistent animation across all Spaces and desktops.

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✨ Features

Feature	Description
⭐ Animated Starry Sky	Dynamic stars with realistic twinkling, pulsing, and color-shifting effects
☄️ Shooting Comets	Periodic comets that streak across the sky with glowing trails
🌌 Atmospheric Background	Gradient sky with subtle atmosphere effect
🖥️ Persistent Background	Runs across all Spaces and desktops

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⚙️ Installation

1. Clone:

git clone https://github.com/superstarryeyes/Skye.git
cd Skye

2. Build the Executable:

swift build -c release

3. Run the Application: Execute the compiled program from the .build directory:

./.build/release/Skye

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🚀 Auto-Start at Login

To have Skye automatically start when you log into your Mac, you should create a Launch Agent that runs the optimized executable.

1. Build the Optimized Release Version

First, ensure you have built the final, optimized version of Skye:

swift build -c release

2. Create Launch Agent

Create the LaunchAgents directory if it doesn't exist:

mkdir -p ~/Library/LaunchAgents

Create a launch agent plist file at ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.skye.plist. Paste this command to your terminal and execute:

cat > ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.skye.plist << EOF
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
    <dict>
        <key>Label</key>
        <string>com.user.skye</string>
        <key>ProgramArguments</key>
        <array>
            <string>/PATH/TO/YOUR/SKYE/.build/release/Skye</string>
        </array>
        <key>WorkingDirectory</key>
        <string>/PATH/TO/YOUR/SKYE</string>
        <key>RunAtLoad</key>
        <true/>
    </dict>
</plist>
EOF

Open the plist file in TextEdit for editing:

open -a TextEdit ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.skye.plist

3. Configure Path

In the file you just created, replace /PATH/TO/YOUR/SKYE with the absolute path to your Skye project directory in two places: ProgramArguments and WorkingDirectory. Then save the file.

Tip

You can drag the Skye folder from Finder into your terminal window to get its full path.

4. Load Launch Agent

Load the service with launchctl:

launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.skye.plist

Skye will now start automatically every time you log in.

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🗑️ Uninstalling

To completely remove Skye:

1. Stop Running Processes

Kill processes named Skye in the Mac Activity Monitor if they are running.

2. Remove Launch Agent

If you set up auto-start:

launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.skye.plist
rm ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.skye.plist

3. Delete Application

Delete the Skye folder.

4. Restore Wallpaper

Your desktop wallpaper will remain changed - you can manually change it back in System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver. Remember to click "Show on all Spaces" toggle on.

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✅ Requirements

• macOS 12.0 or later
• Swift 5.7 or later

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the GPL-3.0 License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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🛠️ Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

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❓ Support

For questions and support, please open an issue on GitHub.

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