AppleScript to close all notifications on macOS Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, and Sequoia

close_notifications_applescript.js

function run(input, parameters) {
  const appNames = [];
  const skipAppNames = [];
  const verbose = true;

  const scriptName = 'close_notifications_applescript';

  const CLEAR_ALL_ACTION = 'Clear All';
  const CLEAR_ALL_ACTION_TOP = 'Clear';
  const CLOSE_ACTION = 'Close';

  const notNull = (val) => {
    return val !== null && val !== undefined;
  };

  const isNull = (val) => {
    return !notNull(val);
  };

  const notNullOrEmpty = (val) => {
    return notNull(val) && val.length > 0;
  };

  const isNullOrEmpty = (val) => {
    return !notNullOrEmpty(val);
  };

  const isError = (maybeErr) => {
    return notNull(maybeErr) && (maybeErr instanceof Error || maybeErr.message);
  };

  const systemVersion = () => {
    return Application('Finder')
      .version()
      .split('.')
      .map((val) => parseInt(val));
  };

  const systemVersionGreaterThanOrEqualTo = (vers) => {
    return systemVersion()[0] >= vers;
  };

  const isBigSurOrGreater = () => {
    return systemVersionGreaterThanOrEqualTo(11);
  };

  const SYS_VERSION = systemVersion();
  const V11_OR_GREATER = isBigSurOrGreater();
  const V10_OR_LESS = !V11_OR_GREATER;
  const V12 = SYS_VERSION[0] === 12;
  const V15_OR_GREATER = SYS_VERSION[0] >= 15;
  const V15_2_OR_GREATER = SYS_VERSION[0] >= 15 && SYS_VERSION[1] >= 2;
  const APP_NAME_MATCHER_ROLE = V11_OR_GREATER ? 'AXStaticText' : 'AXImage';
  const NOTIFICATION_SUB_ROLES = ['AXNotificationCenterAlert', 'AXNotificationCenterAlertStack'];
  const hasAppNames = notNullOrEmpty(appNames);
  const hasSkipAppNames = notNullOrEmpty(skipAppNames);
  const hasAppNameFilters = hasAppNames || hasSkipAppNames;
  const appNameForLog = hasAppNames ? ` [${appNames.join(',')}]` : '';

  const logs = [];
  const log = (message, ...optionalParams) => {
    let message_with_prefix = `${new Date().toISOString().replace('Z', '').replace('T', ' ')} [${scriptName}]${appNameForLog} ${message}`;
    console.log(message_with_prefix, optionalParams);
    logs.push(message_with_prefix);
  };

  const logError = (message, ...optionalParams) => {
    if (isError(message)) {
      let err = message;
      message = `${err}${err.stack ? ' ' + err.stack : ''}`;
    }
    log(`ERROR ${message}`, optionalParams);
  };

  const logErrorVerbose = (message, ...optionalParams) => {
    if (verbose) {
      logError(message, optionalParams);
    }
  };

  const logVerbose = (message) => {
    if (verbose) {
      log(message);
    }
  };

  const getLogLines = () => {
    return logs.join('\n');
  };

  const getSystemEvents = () => {
    let systemEvents = Application('System Events');
    systemEvents.includeStandardAdditions = true;
    return systemEvents;
  };

  const getNotificationCenter = () => {
    try {
      return getSystemEvents().processes.byName('NotificationCenter');
    } catch (err) {
      logError('Could not get NotificationCenter');
      throw err;
    }
  };

  const getNotificationCenterGroups = (retryOnError = false) => {
    try {
      let notificationCenter = getNotificationCenter();
      if (notificationCenter.windows.length <= 0) {
        return [];
      }
      if (V10_OR_LESS) {
        return notificationCenter.windows();
      }
      if (V12) {
        return notificationCenter.windows[0].uiElements[0].uiElements[0].uiElements();
      }
      if (V15_2_OR_GREATER) {
        return findNotificationCenterAlerts([], notificationCenter.windows[0].uiElements[0].uiElements[0].uiElements());
      }
      return notificationCenter.windows[0].uiElements[0].uiElements[0].uiElements[0].uiElements();
    } catch (err) {
      logError('Could not get NotificationCenter groups');
      if (retryOnError) {
        logError(err);
        log('Retrying getNotificationCenterGroups...');
        return getNotificationCenterGroups(false);
      } else {
        throw err;
      }
    }
  };

  const findNotificationCenterAlerts = (alerts, elements) => {
    for (let elem of elements) {
      let subrole = elem.subrole();
      if (NOTIFICATION_SUB_ROLES.indexOf(subrole) > -1) {
        alerts.push(elem);
      } else if (elem.uiElements.length > 0) {
        findNotificationCenterAlerts(alerts, elem.uiElements());
      }
    }
    return alerts;
  };

  const isClearButton = (description, name) => {
    return description === 'button' && name === CLEAR_ALL_ACTION_TOP;
  };

  const matchesAnyAppNames = (value, checkValues) => {
    if (isNullOrEmpty(checkValues)) {
      return false;
    }
    let lowerAppName = value.toLowerCase();
    for (let checkValue of checkValues) {
      if (lowerAppName === checkValue.toLowerCase()) {
        return true;
      }
    }
    return false;
  };

  const matchesAppName = (value) => {
    if (hasAppNames) {
      return matchesAnyAppNames(value, appNames);
    }
    return !matchesAnyAppNames(value, skipAppNames);
  };

  const getAppName = (group) => {
    if (V15_OR_GREATER) {
      for (let action of group.actions()) {
        if (action.description() === 'Remind Me Tomorrow') {
          return 'reminders';
        }
      }
      return '';
    }

    if (V10_OR_LESS) {
      if (group.role() !== APP_NAME_MATCHER_ROLE) {
        return '';
      }
      return group.description();
    }

    let checkElem = group.uiElements[0];
    if (checkElem.value().toLowerCase() === 'time sensitive') {
      checkElem = group.uiElements[1];
    }
    if (checkElem.role() !== APP_NAME_MATCHER_ROLE) {
      return '';
    }
    return checkElem.value();
  };

  const notificationGroupMatches = (group) => {
    try {
      let description = group.description();
      if (V11_OR_GREATER && isClearButton(description, group.name())) {
        return true;
      }
      if (V15_OR_GREATER) {
        let subrole = group.subrole();
        if (NOTIFICATION_SUB_ROLES.indexOf(subrole) === -1) {
          return false;
        }
      } else if (V11_OR_GREATER && description !== 'group') {
        return false;
      }
      if (V10_OR_LESS) {
        let matchedAppName = !hasAppNameFilters;
        if (!matchedAppName) {
          for (let elem of group.uiElements()) {
            if (matchesAppName(getAppName(elem))) {
              matchedAppName = true;
              break;
            }
          }
        }
        if (matchedAppName) {
          return notNull(findCloseActionV10(group, -1));
        }
        return false;
      }
      if (!hasAppNameFilters) {
        return true;
      }
      return matchesAppName(getAppName(group));
    } catch (err) {
      logErrorVerbose(`Caught error while checking window, window is probably closed: ${err}`);
      logErrorVerbose(err);
    }
    return false;
  };

  const findCloseActionV10 = (group, closedCount) => {
    try {
      for (let elem of group.uiElements()) {
        if (elem.role() === 'AXButton' && elem.title() === CLOSE_ACTION) {
          return elem.actions['AXPress'];
        }
      }
    } catch (err) {
      logErrorVerbose(`(group_${closedCount}) Caught error while searching for close action, window is probably closed: ${err}`);
      logErrorVerbose(err);
      return null;
    }
    log('No close action found for notification');
    return null;
  };

  const findCloseAction = (group, closedCount) => {
    try {
      if (V10_OR_LESS) {
        return findCloseActionV10(group, closedCount);
      }
      let checkForPress = isClearButton(group.description(), group.name());
      let clearAllAction;
      let closeAction;
      for (let action of group.actions()) {
        let description = action.description();
        if (description === CLEAR_ALL_ACTION) {
          clearAllAction = action;
          break;
        } else if (description === CLOSE_ACTION) {
          closeAction = action;
        } else if (checkForPress && description === 'press') {
          clearAllAction = action;
          break;
        }
      }
      if (notNull(clearAllAction)) {
        return clearAllAction;
      } else if (notNull(closeAction)) {
        return closeAction;
      }
    } catch (err) {
      logErrorVerbose(`(group_${closedCount}) Caught error while searching for close action, window is probably closed: ${err}`);
      logErrorVerbose(err);
      return null;
    }
    log('No close action found for notification');
    return null;
  };

  const closeNextGroup = (groups, closedCount) => {
    try {
      for (let group of groups) {
        if (notificationGroupMatches(group)) {
          let closeAction = findCloseAction(group, closedCount);

          if (notNull(closeAction)) {
            try {
              closeAction.perform();
              return [true, 1];
            } catch (err) {
              logErrorVerbose(`(group_${closedCount}) Caught error while performing close action, window is probably closed: ${err}`);
              logErrorVerbose(err);
            }
          }
          return [true, 0];
        }
      }
      return false;
    } catch (err) {
      logError('Could not run closeNextGroup');
      throw err;
    }
  };

  try {
    let groupsCount = getNotificationCenterGroups(true).filter((group) => notificationGroupMatches(group)).length;

    if (groupsCount > 0) {
      logVerbose(`Closing ${groupsCount}${appNameForLog} notification group${groupsCount > 1 ? 's' : ''}`);

      let startTime = new Date().getTime();
      let closedCount = 0;
      let maybeMore = true;
      let maxAttempts = 2;
      let attempts = 1;
      while (maybeMore && new Date().getTime() - startTime <= 1000 * 30) {
        try {
          let closeResult = closeNextGroup(getNotificationCenterGroups(), closedCount);
          maybeMore = closeResult[0];
          if (maybeMore) {
            closedCount = closedCount + closeResult[1];
          }
        } catch (innerErr) {
          if (maybeMore && closedCount === 0 && attempts < maxAttempts) {
            log(`Caught an error before anything closed, trying ${maxAttempts - attempts} more time(s).`);
            attempts++;
          } else {
            throw innerErr;
          }
        }
      }
    } else {
      throw Error(`No${appNameForLog} notifications found...`);
    }
  } catch (err) {
    logError(err);
    logError(err.message);
    getLogLines();
    throw err;
  }

  return getLogLines();
}

sorry all - I know I haven't been active in responding to issues / helping people out on this, but I didn't really plan to find a way to make this support multiple macOS versions and languages. perhaps I should be a better citizen here and maybe even make this a repo instead of a gist.

I just upgraded to macOS 15.1.1 and fixed any issues (at least for my laptop using BTT via the custom application). let me know if you are still having issues. @Ptujec I will see if I can upgrade to 15.2 and check for any issues, but this is a company laptop so I might not be able to.

Happy "This is broken again with macOS 15.2" Day! I think I fixed it though.

I just pushed a fix for 15.2

Has anyone been able to get this to work within BetterTouchTool (BTT) and if so, what did you do? I am having trouble getting it to fire and unsure if I'm tripping up on something due to BTT or something else... thanks in advance!

FYI: BetterTouchTool offers this feature built-in: Close All Notification Alerts, for those who would prefer a paid solution: https://community.folivora.ai/t/clear-notifications-with-a-keyboard-shortcut/30335
(I already use BetterTouchTool for dozens of other use cases, so I already had it.)
(and if you're wondering how I came across this thread: I didn't realize BTT already offered this feature until today...)

The BTT action was working for me until I updated to Sequoia (Version 15.1). Has anyone found a solution that works well in BTT?

I wonder what @fifafu (dev of BTT) is using for the feature. But I guess the reasons why things break after updates are similar.

Happy "This is broken again with macOS 15.2" Day! I think I fixed it though.

I just pushed a fix for 15.2

Great! I am not complaining, by the way. I'm just trying to be helpful if someone is interested in my version. I just tried yours. It takes a while, but it works. Props for trying to make it work for all the different OS versions in the same script.

I definitely appreciate the helpfulness @Ptujec!

Thanks @lancethomps - working perfectly in my keyboard maestro macro on Sequoia 15.2

@lancethomps For some reason, your javascript code doesn't work for me on Macos Sequoia 15.2. The "result" tab in script editor keeps outputing "[object Object]" and if I run the script right after opening the notification center, then the script takes a bit longer to run and then an alert pops up saying "Error: Error: Invalid index."

@lancethomps Works great for me! Any chance of a version that just dismisses one notification at a time? In case you actually want to read through them.

@lancethomps Works great for me! Any chance of a version that just dismisses one notification at a time? In case you actually want to read through them.

Could you tell me how you got this to work? It kept giving me errors.

@kennguyen107 I used Keyboard Maestro for triggering the Javascript for Automation script, but the missing piece for me was that the file defines a function but it doesn't run it. So you have to put a "run();" after the last line.

@christianmagill For me, I've been trying to run it on Apple Script Editor, but to little success. What do you pass in as input and parameters to the run() function?

@kennguyen107 Looking through the source code, it didn't look like it was actually using the parameters, so I just left them blank. Make sure you've selected JavaScript in the script editor and not applescript.