WebWatcher/ Docs

Documentation

WebWatcher Docs

WebWatcher is a macOS menu bar app that watches a badge, a counter or a Gmail sender and tells you when it changes. Start with the install and your first watcher, then read how the element picker works.

Getting started

InstallWhat your Mac needs, how to install and verify the download, and how to update.PermissionsThe Safari setting and the two macOS permissions: what each is for and how to grant it.Your first watcherThe shortest path from an open Safari page to a watcher that checks on its own.

Watching pages

Finding the elementHow the Page, Element and Confirm steps choose what a watcher reads.Scan or pickWhen to use the automatic scan list and when to use Pick in Safari.Watch typesWhat counts as a change: a number rising, text changing, an element appearing, or anything changing inside.Site profilesBuilt-in recipes for LinkedIn, Reddit, Rive Community and Contra, and a tab-title option for any site.Force refresh and hidden tabsWhy a watcher reads a stale value and how to make WebWatcher reload the tab.Example watchersFive complete watchers with every field value: Contra, Reddit, LinkedIn, Rive Community and GitHub.

Gmail

Sign in with GoogleConnect a Google account, what access it grants, and how to use your own OAuth client.Sender and domain watchersCreate a watcher for an address or a domain, and what its notification and buttons do.Notification templatesPlaceholders and defaults for the title and body of email notifications.Gmail limitsInbox only, Gmail only, the polling delay, the 25-message window and Testing-mode expiry.

Notifications

Custom notificationsSet an icon, title, body and sound for each page watcher, and preview the result.Herald deliverySend notifications to Herald for banners that stay on screen, with action buttons.

Reference

SettingsEvery control in the Settings window, with its default and when to change it.Watcher optionsEvery field in the page watcher editor and the Gmail sender editor.Data and privacyEvery file and Keychain item WebWatcher stores, and everything it connects to.TroubleshootingEvery status and error message WebWatcher shows, with its cause and fix.Building from sourceBuild with Swift Package Manager or Xcode, and embed a Google client for built-in sign-in.