# archagon/sensible-side-buttons

A macOS menu bar app that enables system-wide navigation functionality for the side buttons on third-party mice.

Repository: https://github.com/archagon/sensible-side-buttons
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/sensible-side-buttons
Homepage: http://sensible-side-buttons.archagon.net
Language: C
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Last push: 2024-02-17T11:53:20+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3375, "days_push": 928, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2108, forks 157 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:14.096028+00:00)

## What it is
A macOS menu bar application that makes the side (M4/M5) buttons on third-party mice work as back/forward navigation by simulating three-finger swipes system-wide. It is written in C and distributed under the GPL-2.0 license.

## Use cases
- make mouse side buttons navigate back and forward on macOS
- fix useless M4/M5 buttons on a third-party mouse
- get Windows-style side button behavior on a Mac
- simulate three-finger swipes with mouse side buttons
- use Logitech MX Master-style navigation without vendor software
- avoid the menu bar blink and alert sound from rebinding buttons to Cmd+[ and Cmd+]

## When to choose
- you use a third-party mouse on macOS and want working back/forward side buttons
- you want a lightweight, free alternative to Logitech Options or USB Overdrive for navigation buttons
- you want the fix to apply system-wide, including apps that ignore Cmd+[ / Cmd+] rebinding

## When to avoid
- you use a first-party Apple mouse or trackpad
- you need full mouse remapping or button customization beyond back/forward navigation
- you are on Windows or Linux

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: maintenance
- function: developer-tools, gui
- domain: desktop-applications, developer-tools, apple-ecosystem
- platform: -
- tags: mouse-buttons, menu-bar-app, navigation, system-tweak, third-party-mice, macos

## Member repositories
- archagon/sensible-side-buttons (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:14.096028+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:53:53.022646+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/archagon/sensible-side-buttons (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:14.096028+00:00, sha f3f97e4d2050)
  - homepage: http://sensible-side-buttons.archagon.net (fetched 2026-08-29T10:33:58.301785+00:00, sha 273590e7068c)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.