SidePulse Dot

The whole idea, in a USB-C dot

SidePulse Dot is the tiny one. A USB-C plug with 2 RGB LEDs that works on every Mac — Air, mini, iMac, Studio — and even on iPhone. Same simple idea as SidePulse Pro, in a dot you can take anywhere.

Works everywhere

SidePulse Pro needs the SD slot. SidePulse Dot just needs USB-C — so it runs on the hardware you already carry:

• Any Mac — MacBook Air, Mac mini, iMac, Mac Studio, or a MacBook Pro when the slot is busy.
• iPhone — plug it into the USB-C port and drive it from your phone.

On a Mac, it mounts as a filesystem just like SidePulse Pro — write LEDS.TXT and the LEDs respond.

On iPhone: drive it from the command line

The SidePulse iOS app lets a SidePulse Dot plugged into your iPhone receive animations from anywhere — even when the phone is locked in your pocket. The path is simple:

CLI → app → SidePulse Dot. The sidepulse CLI sends your animation as a push notification to the SidePulse app, which forwards it to the SidePulse Dot over USB-C. Your build server, cron job, or coding agent can light up the dot on a phone across the room — or across the world.

# push an animation to the SidePulse Dot on your iPhone
$ sidepulse push '#FF00FF 600ms pulse\nrepeat 3'

It's the same LEDS.TXT language — you just send the program over the wire. Shortcuts support is there too, so any iOS automation can trigger a SidePulse Dot animation.

Same language as SidePulse Pro

SidePulse Dot speaks the same compact, CSS-inspired animation language. With 2 LEDs, indexes 0 and 1 are valid and color lists clamp to those two pixels — everything else you learned on SidePulse Pro carries over.

# gentle two-dot breathing
#404040 1.4s pulse
off 400ms none
repeat

# left red, right green
0:#ff0000 1s; 1:#00ff00 1s

Made for agent workflows

Keep it in your Mac at your desk, or in your iPhone so a far-away agent can tap you on the shoulder.

Technical Specifications

• 2 individually addressable RGB LEDs
• USB-C connector — works on every Mac and on iPhone
• Mounts as a filesystem on Mac — control via LEDS.TXT
• iPhone control via the SidePulse iOS app (CLI → push → SidePulse Dot) or Shortcuts
• Same animation language as SidePulse Pro

FAQ

• What's the difference from SidePulse Pro? SidePulse Dot has 2 LEDs and a USB-C plug, so it works on every Mac and iPhone. SidePulse Pro has 8 LEDs and fits flush in the MacBook Pro SD slot.
• Can agents control the dot on my iPhone? Yes — the sidepulse CLI pushes an animation to the SidePulse iOS app, which drives the SidePulse Dot in your pocket. Works from anywhere.
• Do I need an app? On a Mac, no — it's a filesystem. On iPhone, the SidePulse app receives pushed animations; Shortcuts works too.
• Does it stick out? It's a small dot in the USB-C port. Easy to leave in, easy to move between devices.

First batch — for enthusiasts. This early run is aimed at tinkerers and early adopters. The software is limited today, but it's fully hackable and agent-controllable — the device is just a file, so your scripts and AI agents can do whatever you can imagine.

Included from day one: agent monitoring (Claude & Codex), MacBook battery display, works with the lid closed, lets your Mac sleep once your agents finish, and the SidePulse iOS app — drive a SidePulse Dot on your iPhone from the CLI or Shortcuts.

Pre-order

SidePulse Dot ships before July 27, 2026. Pre-order now to lock in the first batch — and cancel any time before shipment for a full refund.

Small dot, big signal