darrylmorley

darrylmorley / whatcable

Public

macOS menu bar app that tells you, in plain English, what each USB-C cable plugged into your Mac can actually do

github.comdarrylmorleywhatcablereleaseslatest apple-silicon hardware-info iokit mac-app macos
259
8
100% credibility
Found May 01, 2026 at 259 stars -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
Sign Up Free
AI Analysis
Swift
AI Summary

WhatCable is a macOS menu bar app that reveals USB-C cable capabilities, charging speeds, and bottlenecks in simple language.

How It Works

1
🔍 Wonder about your USB-C cables

You notice your Mac charging slowly or grab a random cable from a drawer and want to know what it can really do.

2
📥 Download the app

Visit the project's page and grab the ready-to-use app file for your Mac.

3
🗂️ Install it easily

Unzip the file and drag the app to your Applications folder—no complicated steps needed.

4
☝️ Click the menu bar icon

Spot the cable icon at the top of your screen and click to open the handy info panel.

5
💡 See cable details instantly

Plug in your cable and get plain English explanations of its speed, power limits, charger match, and why charging might be slow.

6
⚙️ Tweak your preferences

Open settings to hide empty ports, get connect alerts, or run as a full window instead.

✅ Charge smarter every time

Now you always know your cables' true abilities and fix slow charging mysteries effortlessly.

Sign up to see the full architecture

5 more

Sign Up Free

Star Growth

See how this repo grew from 259 to 259 stars Sign Up Free
Repurpose This Repo

Repurpose is a Pro feature

Generate ready-to-use prompts for X threads, LinkedIn posts, blog posts, YouTube scripts, and more -- with full repo context baked in.

Unlock Repurpose
AI-Generated Review

What is whatcable?

WhatCable is a Swift macOS menu bar app that decodes what each USB-C cable plugged into your Mac can actually do, surfacing data speeds (USB 2.0 to 40Gbps Thunderbolt), power ratings (up to 240W), active transports like DisplayPort, and charging bottlenecks in plain English. Popover views per port include charger voltage profiles, e-marker vendor details, and device identities, with settings for hiding empty ports or notifications on changes. A bundled CLI (`whatcable --json --watch --raw`) outputs structured data for scripts.

Why is it gaining traction?

It cuts through identical-looking cables in your drawer, explaining "cable limiting charging" or "Thunderbolt active" without System Information's raw IOKit noise—live updates as you plug/unplug keep it handy in the macOS menu bar. Homebrew cask simplifies install alongside macOS menu bar apps, and CLI modes suit automation like monitoring during macOS GitHub runner tests. Clean popover avoids menu bar icon clutter.

Who should use this?

MacBook Pro users debugging slow charges or flaky docks, hardware tinkerers sorting cable drawers, or devs with USB-C hubs/external SSDs chasing transfer speeds. Perfect for SSH GitHub macOS sessions where you need quick cable diagnostics without leaving the terminal.

Verdict

Install via `brew install --cask whatcable` for everyday USB-C clarity on macOS 14+—thorough docs, tests, and signing make it reliable despite 259 stars and 1.0% credibility score. Niche but polished; skip if cables never fail you.

(198 words)

Sign up to read the full AI review Sign Up Free

Similar repos coming soon.