Show HN: PanicLock – Disable Touch ID and lock with password when you close your MacBook lid

PanicLock is a macOS menu bar utility that instantly disables Touch ID and locks the screen with a single click or keyboard shortcut.

• Instant lock via menu bar click or global hotkey
• Supports an auto-lock on lid close option
• Right before locking, it briefly changes the Touch ID timeout so that only the password can be used
• After unlocking, it automatically restores the original Touch ID settings
• Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later and a Mac with Touch ID

The way it works is fairly simple. A privileged helper reads the current settings with bioutil -r -s, changes the timeout to 1 second with bioutil -w -s -o 1, and then locks the screen with pmset displaysleepnow. About 2 seconds later, it reverts to the original settings.

On the security side, the project explains that the helper is restricted to only 3 fixed commands it can execute, and that the timeout value is handled as a Swift Int rather than a string to reduce the possibility of command injection. It also emphasizes no network communication, no telemetry, and being open source.

As for distribution, it includes a release script that automates signing, notarization, and DMG packaging, and you can build and release with ./scripts/release.sh.