Getting Started
First launch, the onboarding choice, and the menu bar in a few minutes.
GOKIs takes about a minute to set up. There is no account, no permission prompt, and no preference window — just the menu bar.
1. Launch the app
Open GOKIs from /Applications (or Spotlight). The app starts as a menu bar item — no window appears, no Dock icon shows up.
2. Answer the onboarding question
On the very first launch, GOKIs shows an alert:
Do you know GOKI?
They’re small, fast, and surprisingly good at hiding. You might have seen one before… maybe in your kitchen… late at night…
If you know what GOKI is, we can show you the real thing.
Two buttons:
- I don’t know — sets the display style to Keseran Pasaran, a soft, fluffy mascot. Safe for anyone.
- Yes, show me GOKI — sets the display style to GOKI, a realistic cockroach. Only choose this if you actually want to see it.
The choice is just a default. You can flip it later from Display Style.
3. Find the menu bar icon
After the dialog closes, an ant icon appears in your menu bar at the top right. Click it to open GOKIs’s menu.
4. Try the controls
From the menu you can:
- Show GOKI — toggle the simulation on or off
- GOKI Count — pick how many critters appear (1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, or 100,000)
- Show Text Boundary — toggle the “GOKIs” text-shaped wall that critters cluster inside
- Display Style — switch between Keseran Pasaran and GOKI (requires a restart)
- Quit — exit the app
A full reference is in Settings.
5. Move your cursor
Drag the mouse near a critter. They scatter — fast, twitchy, surprisingly hard to follow. Stop moving and they drift back toward the screen edges. The escape behavior is grounded in real entomology research; see Behaviors if you want the details.