Reflex Beta — Cognitive Load Monitor for macOS

Inside Reflex

See the real app before you install

From menu bar pulse checks to deep weekly insight trends, Reflex gives you signal-rich feedback without stealing your flow.

Menu bar monitoring view with elevated cognitive load — **Menu Bar Pulse** One click for score, trend direction, and quick break actions.

Dashboard overview showing session ring and key cognitive metrics — **Overview Dashboard** Instantly understand your current load and behavior signals.

Insights screen containing weekly load bars and focus by hour heatmap — **Insight Engine** Weekly trends and hour-by-hour focus maps with personalized tips.

Session history list with average peak and duration metrics — **Session History** Track sessions, peaks, and durations to spot burnout patterns early.

Features

Built for the way you actually work

Every signal Reflex Beta monitors translates directly to mental fatigue. Six behavioral signals, one fatigue factor, three independent break triggers — and smart breaks when you need them.

Real-Time Cognitive Load Score

A live 0–100 score updated every 5 seconds. Six weighted behavioral signals — typing variance, error rate, context switches, mouse jitter, pause frequency, and scroll chaos — plus a duration-based fatigue factor, fused into a single number via exponential moving average smoothing.

● Flow (0–25) ● Moderate (26–50) ● Elevated (51–75) ● Overloaded (76–100)

Personal Baseline Learning

Reflex Beta spends 15 minutes learning your normal typing and mouse patterns. Scores are always relative to your baseline — not a generic population average.

Always-On Menu Bar

Lives quietly in your menu bar. One click opens a popover with your live load ring, real-time metric tiles with trend arrows, quick break actions, and a link to the full dashboard.

Smart 3-Stage Break System

Three independent triggers keep you healthy: cognitive load spikes, time-based focus limits, and eye rest reminders. Each fires a cinematic sequence: a cursor-following countdown orb → a slide-in notification with snooze/skip options → a fullscreen overlay with breathing exercise or eye rest countdown. Natural breaks (2+ min idle) are detected automatically.

Deep Analytics Dashboard

The full dashboard shows session history with inline charts, a weekly load trend, a 24-hour focus heatmap, and personalized insights. Export all your data to CSV any time you like.

6 Signals + Fatigue Factor

Typing rhythm variance · Backspace error rate · Inter-key pause frequency · Mouse jitter & velocity variance · Scroll chaos (direction reversals) · App context-switch rate — plus a duration-based fatigue factor that gradually increases your score after 30+ minutes of continuous work. No key content is ever captured — only timing and movement patterns.

Fully Customizable

Adjust sensitivity from relaxed to aggressive. Set focus break intervals (20–60 min), eye rest intervals (20–60 min), break durations (2–10 min), and hydration reminders (30–90 min). Toggle breathing exercise, launch at login, and dock visibility. Reflex Beta adapts to your workflow.

Eye Rest Reminders (20-20-20 Rule)

After 40 minutes of continuous focus (configurable), Reflex Beta shows a cursor-following countdown, then a fullscreen overlay prompting you to look away for 20 seconds. Based on the ophthalmologist-recommended 20-20-20 rule. Skippable, toggleable, and beautifully designed.

Time-Based Safety Net

Even in a perfect "flow" state, your body needs breaks. Reflex Beta triggers reminders after 25 minutes of continuous activity — independent of cognitive load. Configurable from 20 to 60 minutes.

Smart Break Detection

Step away for 2+ minutes and Reflex Beta automatically credits it as a natural break — resetting all timers. Your coffee run counts. A fatigue factor also gradually increases your score over time, ensuring accuracy even during long, steady sessions.

Hydration Reminders

Optional gentle system notification reminding you to drink water. Configurable interval (30–90 min). Small habit, big impact on focus and wellbeing. Off by default — enable in settings.

Process

From install to insight in minutes

No account. No config. No wearable. Just install, grant one permission, and let Reflex Beta work.

01

Download & Install

Download the DMG. Drag to Applications. Launch Reflex Beta — it lives in your menu bar, never your Dock unless you want it to.

02

Grant One Permission

Reflex Beta only needs macOS Accessibility access to observe input event timing globally. One tap in System Settings is all it takes.

03

Baseline Calibration

Just work normally. In about 15 minutes Reflex Beta has learned your personal typing and mouse rhythms, and starts scoring relative to your baseline — not anyone else's.

04

Smart Breaks, On Cue

Three independent triggers keep you healthy: cognitive load spikes, time-based focus limits (25 min), and eye rest reminders (40 min). When triggered, you get a cursor-following countdown, a snooze-able notification, or a full guided breathing break.

Under the Hood

Six signals, one fatigue factor, one clear number.

Reflex Beta combines behavioral signals that correlate with cognitive fatigue, weighted by their predictive significance. A duration-based fatigue factor ensures accuracy over long sessions.

Typing Rhythm Variance 25%

Erratic inter-keystroke timing is the earliest indicator of mental strain.

Error Rate (Backspaces) 20%

Correction rate spikes when working memory is overloaded.

App Context Switches 20%

Rapid app switching fragments attention and deepens fatigue.

Mouse Jitter 15%

High velocity variance reflects physical tension and reduced motor control.

Pause Frequency 10%

Long thinking pauses between keystrokes indicate heavy cognitive processing.

Scroll Chaos 10%

Rapid scroll direction reversals suggest confusion or information overload.

Duration Fatigue Factor +25 max

After 30+ minutes of continuous activity, a fatigue bonus gradually increases the score — even when behavioral signals are steady. Peaks at 2 hours.

Privacy

100% Private.
Zero Compromises.

Reflex Beta was designed from the ground up with a simple law: your data never leaves your Mac. No account, no cloud sync, no telemetry — ever.

No keystrokes recorded Only the timing between keystrokes — never the keys themselves.

No screenshots or screen access Only input event patterns — cursor position, timing, scroll direction.

Zero network calls No internet connection used. Reflex Beta works completely offline.

No analytics or telemetry Your usage patterns are yours alone. Nothing is reported anywhere.

All data stored locally Sessions and baseline stored in ~/Library/Application Support/Reflex/. You own it — delete it any time.

Fully open source Don't just take our word for it — read every line of code on GitHub.

macOS requires Accessibility permission to monitor input events globally. This is the same permission used by apps like Raycast and Bartender. You can revoke it any time in System Settings.

Installation

Get up and running in 2 minutes

Reflex Beta is a free, unsigned app — macOS will flag it the first time. Here's exactly what to do.

1

Download the DMG

Click the Download button on this page. The file is Reflex-Beta-3.4.1.dmg. It will download to your Downloads folder.

2

Open the DMG and drag to Applications

Double-click to open the DMG. Drag Reflex Beta.app to the Applications shortcut in the same window.

3

Right-click → Open (first launch only)

Find Reflex Beta in Applications. Right-click it → Open — do NOT just double-click. macOS shows a warning about an unidentified developer.

Why does this happen? Reflex Beta isn't notarized through Apple's $99/year Developer Program. It's fully open source — inspect every line on GitHub.

4

Enable in Privacy & Security (if blocked)

If macOS still refuses to open it, go to:

Open System Settings

→

Privacy & Security

→

Click "Open Anyway" next to Reflex Beta

You only need to do this once. After that, Reflex Beta opens normally like any other app.

5

Grant Accessibility Permission

Reflex Beta will prompt you to grant Accessibility access. This is the only permission it needs. Click Open System Settings → toggle Reflex Beta on in Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

No keystroke content is captured — only the timing and rhythm between keystrokes. Your text stays yours.

6

You're all set

Reflex Beta appears in your menu bar as a small brain icon showing your current load score. It starts learning your baseline immediately. In about 15 minutes it'll be fully calibrated.

System Requirements

macOS 15.0 Sequoia or later
Apple Silicon or Intel Mac
~10 MB disk space
Accessibility permission (only)
No internet connection required

Latest Release View all releases →

Open source Every line of code is public. Audit it yourself.

View on GitHub

Ready to work smarter?

Join the humans who've stopped guessing how tired their brain is.

v3.4.1-beta · macOS 15 Sequoia+ · Free, forever

Download for macOS GitHub

First time opening? See the installation guide above for macOS security instructions.

Know when your brain needs a break.