WebWatcher/ Docs

Install

This page is for anyone installing WebWatcher for the first time or updating it. It lists what your Mac needs, walks through the install, shows how to check the download, and explains how to update without losing your watchers.

On this pageRequirementsInstallVerify the downloadUpdate WebWatcherIf it does not work

#Requirements

WebWatcher is a menu bar app. It reads pages from Safari tabs you already have open, so Safari and a few macOS permissions are part of the setup.

RequirementWhy WebWatcher needs itRequired or optional
macOS 13 or later.The app is built for macOS 13 and does not start on an earlier system.Required.
Safari.WebWatcher reads the page in your own Safari tab, so there is no separate login and no browser extension.Required for page watchers.
Allow JavaScript from Apple Events switched on in Safari.This is how WebWatcher reads the page. See Permissions.Required for page watchers.
Automation permission for Safari.macOS asks before one app may control another. See Permissions.Required for page watchers.
Notification permission.Without it, macOS shows no banners.Optional, recommended.
A Google account.It is the only way to watch a Gmail sender. See Sign in with Google.Optional.
Herald.It shows banners that stay on screen until you act on them.Optional.

#Install

  1. Download the latest DMG from the download section or from GitHub Releases.

    You seea file named like WebWatcher-<version>-macOS.dmg, about 3 MB. It is signed and notarized by Apple, so macOS opens it without a warning.

  2. Open the DMG, then drag WebWatcher.app into the Applications folder.

    You seeWebWatcher.app in Applications.

  3. Open WebWatcher.app from Applications.

    You seea small hourglass icon with an eye in the menu bar. WebWatcher has no Dock icon and no window until you click the menu bar icon.

  4. Allow notifications when macOS asks.

    You seea macOS prompt to allow notifications from WebWatcher. If you decline, WebWatcher shows an alert named "Configure Notifications" with an Open Notification Settings button.

  5. Click the menu bar icon.

    On a new install the list reads "No watchers configured". Add Watcher is the next step; Settings... shows the state of every permission.

    You seethe popover. It has no watchers yet.

  6. Set up Safari and grant Automation access as described in Permissions, then add a watcher as described in Your first watcher.

#Verify the download

Each release publishes a checksum file next to the DMG, named like WebWatcher-<version>-macOS.dmg.sha256. Compare it with the checksum of the file you downloaded when you want to be sure the download is intact.

  1. Open Terminal and go to the folder that holds the DMG.

  2. Print the checksum of the DMG and of the published file:

    Terminal
    shasum -a 256 WebWatcher-*.dmgcat WebWatcher-*.dmg.sha256

    You seetwo lines that each start with a 64-character value.

  3. Compare the two values.

    You seeidentical values when the download is intact. The file name after the value can differ, because it is the path on the build machine.

#Update WebWatcher

Your watchers and settings are stored outside the app, in ~/Library/Application Support/WebWatcher/, so replacing the app does not touch them.

  1. Quit WebWatcher: click the menu bar icon, then Quit.

  2. Download the latest DMG from the download section.

  3. Open the DMG and drag WebWatcher.app into Applications. Choose Replace when Finder asks.

    You seethe copy in Applications is now the one from the DMG.

  4. Open WebWatcher.app.

    You seethe menu bar icon, with your watchers in the popover as you left them. Settings... shows the installed version in the About group.

#If it does not work

What you seeCauseFix
The menu bar icon does not appear.The app is not running, or the menu bar is full and hides it.Open WebWatcher.app again, and close other menu bar apps if your Mac has no room.
macOS refuses to open the app.The file is not the signed release, or the download was cut short.Download it again from the download section and verify the download.
There are no banners.Notifications are off for WebWatcher.Follow the notifications steps in Permissions.
Watchers report "Automation permission needed" or "Enable JS from Apple Events".A Safari permission is missing.Follow Permissions.