Roadmap — Cats Lock

Shipped

Available now on the Mac App Store

v1.5.0 (July 20, 2026) — an on-screen lock badge for Stealth Lock and built-in keyboard lock, showing the unlock shortcut and a one-tap Unlock (plus a lock/free trackpad button), so a lock you didn't expect is never a mystery.
v1.4.4 (July 16, 2026) — Smart Detect now also catches cats that rest or gently walk on the keyboard, and the "That wasn't my cat" button on auto-locks is easier to spot.
v1.4.3 (July 10, 2026) — Smart Detect tuning: far fewer false locks while typing, five sensitivity levels, and an option to ignore single-key holds.
v1.4.2 (July 8, 2026) — the lock now fully blocks Cmd-Tab even when Cats Lock is hidden from the Dock, and the main window opens reliably and in front (from the menu bar, at launch, or with Hide from Dock on).
v1.4.1 (July 1, 2026) — Smart Detect is now reachable from the menu bar, and locking clears Mission Control first so the lock screen is never stranded behind it.
v1.4.0 (June 26, 2026) — Smart Detect (beta): Cats Lock can lock itself when it senses cat-style typing, plus the lock now covers full-screen apps.
v1.3.1 (June 22, 2026) — lock the built-in trackpad too when an external mouse is connected, Caps Lock protection, and more reliable Hide from Dock.
v1.3.0 (June 17, 2026) — lock the built-in keyboard only while an external keeps working, plus a new app icon.
v1.2.1 (June 11, 2026) — Cmd+Tab lock hardening, guaranteed Stealth Lock escape, smoother audio.
v1.2.0 (June 8, 2026) — lock function keys (F1-F12), menu bar icon picker.
v1.1.2 (June 2, 2026) — Siri voice command compatibility, refreshed app icon with proper Dark and Tinted appearance variants.
v1.1.1 (May 20, 2026) — shortcut label fix for non-US keyboard layouts.
v1.1.0 (May 19, 2026) — global lock shortcut, customizable shortcut, hide from Dock, prevent sleep while locked, first-time Stealth Lock confirmation.
v1.0.0 (May 15, 2026) — initial release on the Mac App Store.

Detailed release notes →

Up next: v1.6.0

Planned

Desktop widget. One-click keyboard lock right from your desktop, no menu bar dropdown or shortcut needed.

Parking lot features

Add-on features: sharper locking and more delight

Maximum Lockdown. An optional extra-strict mode that also blocks system and third-party app shortcuts (Spotlight, app switching, launcher hotkeys), not just typing. Uses the same Accessibility permission as function-key locking, and stays off until you turn it on.
Smart Detect confidence indicator. A live look at Smart Detect at work instead of a black box: a small menu bar or floating graph that shows its confidence rising and falling as you type, and calls it out the moment it spots a cat. Makes the feature feel as smart as it is.
Keep the trackpad live in Stealth Lock. An option to leave the pointer working while Stealth Lock blocks the keyboard, so you can still drive a screen share or presentation in a meeting while the keys stay locked against a curious paw.
Stats counter. See how many keystrokes Cats Lock has blocked for you.
Custom overlay text. Change the message that appears on the lock screen.
Voice recording. Record your own short clip to use as a sound. Requested by Agnes (and Felix).

Someday: v2.0

The big one

A full redesign. A fresh look for the whole app, plus a new app icon.
Smart Detect, for real. Automatic cat detection graduates from beta to a polished, dependable feature.
Localization. Cats Lock translated into more languages, done once the app and its wording have settled so nothing needs re-translating.