See the current app state
The menu bar view shows which apps are running, protected, or ready for cleanup.
User guide
First launch: start here
Keep the defaults at first. Change a rule only when a real app needs it.
Start with FreeRecommended timeout: 15 minCore permission: Accessibility
Start here
Get started
The easiest way to use Aion is to begin with the defaults, then customize only the apps that need it.
- Install Aion, move it to /Applications, and open it.
- Grant Accessibility when Aion asks for it. This is the main permission Aion needs.
- Keep the default 15-minute timeout to start.
- Use your Mac normally for a day, then add rules only for apps that need special treatment.
Recommended first setup
Keep Auto-Quit on, leave the timeout at 15 minutes, and wait until you notice a real edge case before adding extra rules.
Installer cleanup
After you move an app into /Applications, Aion can quietly eject leftover installer DMGs in the background, including old Aion mounts from previous installs.
A quick look inside Aion
The six screens you will use most
These screens cover the main decisions: what is happening now, what will close, and how to adjust the behavior.
A pause before anything closes
When an app looks idle, Aion gives you a final moment to keep it open.
Tune only the apps that need it
Use per-app timeouts and protection rules for browsers, meetings, and utilities.
Review what Aion decided
Activity History explains what was closed, protected, or left running and why.
Switch behavior by context
Modes let work, meetings, and personal time use different app decisions.
Understand permissions and privacy
Privacy and permission settings show what Aion needs and what stays on your Mac.
Daily behavior
Choose your default behavior
This one setting decides how Aion treats apps you have not configured yet.
Auto Quit
Best if you usually leave many apps open and want Aion to clean them up automatically.
Unlisted apps can be closed once they are truly idle, unless something is actively protecting them such as playback, downloads, or mic and camera usage.
Keep Running
Best if you want a gentler start and prefer to choose which apps Aion manages.
Unlisted apps keep running by default. You then use blacklists, app rules, or modes for the apps you want Aion to manage more aggressively.
Dock apps without windows
Aion can also close Dock apps after their last standard window disappears, with a separate exclusion list for the apps you want to keep around.
Permissions
What each permission is for
Most people only need Accessibility first. Everything else is optional or tied to a specific feature.
Fine-tuning
Use rules only where they help
App Rules are where Aion becomes more personal. You do not need many of them. You only need the right ones.
Browsers
Add rules if you download large files, use different profiles, or want stricter handling for a browser you leave open all day.
Chat and meeting apps
Keep calls, recordings, mic use, and camera use protected so a background app is not closed at the wrong time.
Utility apps
Small apps such as launchers, color pickers, or snipping tools often benefit from short timeouts or Instant Task behavior.
Apps you never want closed
Add them to the keep-open list. This is the simplest way to stop Aion from closing an app.
Most useful controls inside an app rule
- Custom idle timeout for one app
- Download and upload protection
- Audio, video, microphone, and camera protection
- Optional stronger quit after normal quit fails
- Window-specific behavior for advanced workflows
Context switching
Modes and Focus work best together
If your workday changes shape often, create a few modes and connect them to macOS Focus so Aion changes behavior with you.
Simple setup
- Create a mode for the situations that matter most to you.
- Open macOS System Settings and choose a Focus mode.
- Add the Aion filter and link that Focus mode to the matching Aion mode.
Work
Keep browsers, editors, and communication apps protected longer while you are actively using them.
Meetings
Use more conservative cleanup so your call, recording, and supporting apps stay safe.
Personal time
Use shorter timeouts to keep background clutter low when you are browsing, reading, or watching content.
Optional extras
Features you can safely ignore until you need them
Aion has a few extra tools for people with more complex workflows. They are optional, not required for the core product to feel useful.
Window List HUD
A fast switcher for people who work across many windows, spaces, or displays. Helpful if you multitask heavily, easy to ignore if you do not.
iCloud Sync
Keeps settings, lists, modes, and rules aligned across Macs if you use more than one device.
Installer cleanup
After you move an app into /Applications, Aion can quietly eject the leftover installer DMG in the background and clean old Aion mounts on launch.
About the optional Helper Tool
Install it when you need guarded force-quit recovery or precise download and upload detection. Aion distinguishes a first install from an available Helper update and guides you through the required authorization. If the Helper is unavailable, normal auto-quit continues and network protection uses conservative disk-activity detection.
Good to know
A few details worth knowing
This is the current behavior of the app. It is more useful than treating every setting as a required step.
Direct and Setapp editions cannot run together
Both editions can be installed on the same Mac, but only one can run at a time. The direct version updates through Aion; the Setapp edition is updated by Setapp.
Activity History explains decisions
Use Activity History to see why an app was closed, protected, skipped, or delayed. History is local and is not included in iCloud sync.
iCloud sync is for settings, not history
When enabled, iCloud sync covers portable settings, lists, app rules, and modes. It does not sync permissions, licenses, helpers, login items, or Activity History.
Advanced features are optional
Local Agent protection, Memory Pressure Boost, iCloud settings sync, and guarded force quit are useful in specific cases, but none of them are required to start using Aion.
If something feels wrong
Troubleshooting
Start with the obvious checks first: permissions, keep-open rules, and whether the app is still actively doing something.
An app is not closing
Check that Auto-Quit is enabled, the app is not on the whitelist, and the timeout has actually expired. Then check whether playback, downloads, or device activity are keeping it protected.
An app closes too early
Add it to the keep-open list or create an app rule with playback, download, microphone, or camera protection. Meeting apps, browsers, and utilities often need their own rules.
Things changed after an update
Open Aion once and make sure the main permissions are still allowed. If a quit does not finish, Aion retries the normal quit path, may offer a guarded force-quit action when eligible, and records the final result in Activity History.
I am not seeing alerts
Enable notifications in macOS. The automation can still run even when alerts are disabled.
Support
Still stuck?
Email your macOS version, Aion version, and clear reproduction steps so the issue can be understood quickly.