How to change terminal-notifier's notification sound on Mac
terminal-notifier gives you an on/off sound toggle on macOS and nothing more, so you cannot choose which sound it plays. To silence it, turn off “Play sound for notifications” for terminal-notifier in System Settings → Notifications. To give it a different sound, or a different sound per channel, person, or keyword, you need a rule-based app such as Chirpy, which reads macOS notifications locally and plays the sound you assigned.
The short answer: terminal-notifier doesn't expose notification-sound customization. Use the macOS-level method to mute it, or let Chirpy give it a custom sound.
How do I mute terminal-notifier notifications on a Mac?
macOS lets you silence any app's sound without disabling its notifications. The full visual walkthrough lives on the universal macOS method page. The short version:
- Open System Settings → Notifications on your Mac.
- Scroll to terminal-notifier in the application list and click it.
- Turn off “Play sound for notifications”.
- terminal-notifier keeps showing banners and badges, with no audio.
Chirpy works with any macOS notification, including terminal-notifier's. Create one rule, pick a sound, and save.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change terminal-notifier's notification sound on Mac?
Only partly. terminal-notifier gives you basic on/off sound controls, but no way to pick a different sound and no way to vary it by sender or content. To assign a specific sound, mute terminal-notifier at the macOS level and let a rule-based tool such as Chirpy play the sound instead.
How do I mute terminal-notifier notifications on Mac without turning them off?
Open System Settings → Notifications, click terminal-notifier in the list, and turn off “Play sound for notifications”. terminal-notifier keeps showing banners and badges, so you stop hearing it without losing it.
Can I set a different sound for specific terminal-notifier notifications?
Not with macOS or terminal-notifier alone, because neither can read the content of a notification and act on it. Chirpy matches the notification text against rules you write, using a name, a channel, a keyword, or a combination with AND/OR, then plays the sound you assigned to that rule.
Does muting terminal-notifier in System Settings also hide its banners?
No. “Play sound for notifications” only controls audio. Banners, the Notification Center list, and Dock badges are separate toggles on the same screen.
Want sounds that actually mean something?
Chirpy adds rule-based custom sounds on top of macOS notifications. One sound for terminal-notifier mentions, another for your calendar, silence for the rest. It is a native menu bar app. $19.99 as a one-time purchase, requires macOS 13 or later, and runs entirely on your Mac.