Is there a way to make login items only work on specific days?

Question

Is there some kind of script or automation I can run that gives me the possibility for certain apps to open at login but only on certain days? For instance I want to be able to open Mail, Slack, Notion and Zoom automatically on weekdays but not on weekends. It's not a major issue but it would be nice. Thanks!

Answer 1

There are a couple of ways to approach this, but they require removing the items from Login items and kicking them off a different way. Here are your options:

• Use AppleScript. You would replace your Login items with a single AppleScript that checks the day of the week and launches the applications appropriately. It’s not too tricky to accomplish this. Here are some excellent links that can get you started:

  • How do I get an AppleScript application to automatically run at login?
  • How to control order of startup items for users at login?
  • How do I use AppleScript or Automator to turn Time Announce on or off at specified times?

• Use a LaunchAgent managed by launchd (my preferred method). You wouldn’t use Login Items for any of these apps. Though a bit more complex than an AppleScript (IMO), it gives you more granular control as every App becomes, in essence a service that you can individually control.

  This is an excellent post, launchd plist format for running a command at a specific time on a weekday, that details how to create the .plist and in which directory you would place it in to achieve your desired results (~/Library/LaunchAgents would closely mimic the Login Items function). Also see Is it possible to allow usage for an app or program for a specific times on a Mac?, it’s about allowing apps to only run on certain days (so, ignore the Gatekeeper portion), but provides an excellent example how to structure the .plist for day specific actions.

Answer 2

Paste this following AppleScript code into a new Script Editor.app document and run the code to test that works then save it as an .app.

Then just go to System Preferences and add your new .app to the Login Items.

property theWeekdays : {"Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"}
property theApps : {"Mail", "Slack", "Notion", "Zoom"}
set currentWeekday to weekday of (get current date) as text
if currentWeekday is in theWeekdays then
    repeat with thisApp in theApps
        try
            tell application thisApp to activate
        end try
        delay 10
    end repeat
end if