MacNap: CPU/Memory Process Optimizer

A High-Performance Background Process Manager for macOS (Windows Port In-Progress).

MacNap automatically detects which application you are currently using and "freezes" (pauses) other heavy applications running in the background. It effectively turns your computer into a "Single-Tasking" machine, maximizing CPU and RAM resources for the task at hand.

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💡 The Concept

Imagine your computer is a desk. If you have too many toys (apps) on the desk, you run out of space (RAM).

Usually, even if you aren't playing with a toy, it still takes up space and makes noise. MacNap watches you. When you stop looking at an app for 10 seconds (configurable), MacNap interacts with the kernel to "freeze" it. It stops moving, stops using CPU, and stops draining battery. As soon as you look at it again, it instantly unfreezes.

Result: Your computer stays fast, cool, and quiet, even with 50 apps open.

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🚀 Key Features

• 🧠 RAM Gatekeeper: Only freezes apps consuming significant memory (User configurable, e.g., >50MB).
• 🛡️ The Sentinel: A safety mechanism that detects if the UI locks up. If you struggle to access a frozen app, the Sentinel instantly thaws everything.
• 👻 Ghost Mode (Daemon): Can run entirely in the background using fork() and setsid(). No terminal window required.
• 🎟️ VIP Whitelist: Supports a whitelist.txt file to prevent specific apps (like Spotify or Discord) from ever being frozen.
• ⚡ Hot Swapping: change your settings or whitelist while the program is running and reload instantly without restarting.
• 📼 Flight Recorder: Maintains a macnap.log file with timestamps of every freeze, thaw, and error.
• 🔔 Native Notifications: Sends macOS desktop notifications when taking action.

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🛠️ Technical Architecture

This is a C11 Systems Engineering project that interacts directly with the Operating System Kernel.

1. Monitoring: Queries the Window Server (CoreGraphics/Quartz) via src/platform/mac_impl.c to find the Process ID (PID) of the active window.
2. Freezing: Uses SIGSTOP signals to remove the process from the CPU scheduler.
3. Daemonization: Uses Unix process forking in src/main.c to detach from the terminal and run as a system service.
4. IPC (Inter-Process Communication): Uses SIGHUP signals to trigger configuration reloads and PID files to manage lifecycle.

Current Status:

• macOS: Production Ready. Full feature set including Daemons, Notifications, and Safety Filters.
• Windows: In Development. Core logic exists in src/platform/win_impl.c, but the OS interface layer is currently being ported.

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🎮 Installation & Usage

1. Build the Project

Open your terminal in the project folder:

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make

2. Command Line Interface (CLI)

MacNap now supports advanced command-line flags.

Command	Description
./MacNap	Run in standard interactive mode
../MacNap --daemon	Ghost Mode. Runs in the background and closes terminal
../MacNap --stop	Stops the background daemon safely
../MacNap --reload	Forces the daemon to re-read macnap.conf and whitelist.txt
../MacNap --dry-run	Simulation. Logs what would happen, but freezes nothing
../MacNap --setup	Forces the First-Run Configuration menu to appear

⚙️ Configuration

macnap.conf Stores your threshold settings. You can edit this manually or use --setup.

Format: [TIMEOUT_SECONDS] [MIN_MEMORY_MB]
Plaintext
10 50

whitelist.txt Add application names here (one per line) to protect them from freezing.

Plaintext
Spotify
Discord
Activity Monitor
Visual Studio Code

📂 Project Structure

memory_management/
├── CMakeLists.txt              # Cross-platform build script
├── macnap.conf                 # User Settings (Generated automatically)
├── whitelist.txt               # User VIP List (Generated automatically)
├── macnap.log                  # Activity Log
├── macnap.pid                  # Daemon Lock File
├── src/
│   ├── main.c                  # Core Logic: Daemon, Sentinel, Argument Parsing
│   ├── os_interface.h          # API Contract (Cross-platform header)
│   └── platform/
│       ├── mac_impl.c          # macOS Implementation (CoreGraphics, libproc)
│       └── win_impl.c          # Windows Implementation (Win32 API)

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🗺️ Roadmap (Upcoming)

• Memory Thresholds
• Whitelisting
• Background Daemon
• Hot Reloading
• Windows Port: Finalize os_interface_win.c for full Windows 11 support.
• GUI Menu Bar App: Create a small icon in the top bar to control MacNap without the terminal.
• Energy Impact Mode: Only freeze apps when the laptop is on battery power.