Permissions#

CoolDock requests macOS access only when a selected feature needs it. Open Settings → Privacy to see each permission grouped by feature, its current state, the widgets that use it, and a button to request or repair access.

App Switcher & Fullscreen#

Accessibility — Enables complete App Switcher window controls, reliable running-app actions, New Window commands from an app's right-click menu, fullscreen detection, Reserve Dock Space, and Keyboard Lock.
Screen Recording — Creates local window-preview thumbnails and supports screenshots and screen color picking. CoolDock does not upload screen captures. Window icons still appear without it, but previews stay blank.

Now Playing#

System Now Playing needs no permission and reads the track, artist, and artwork that macOS exposes for Spotify, Apple Music, and other players.

The optional Browser Automation row, with its Connect Browsers button, reads the active YouTube or YouTube Music tab from Safari, Chrome, Brave, Edge, Arc, Dia, Opera, Vivaldi, Orion, or installed web apps when system metadata is incomplete. Apple Music Automation and Spotify Automation rows appear for installed players with Connect Apple Music and Connect Spotify buttons; Connect opens the player if needed and shows the macOS Automation prompt. Spotify and Apple Music work through system Now Playing without browser automation.

Data permissions#

Calendar and Reminders — Supplies events, agendas, meetings, progress widgets, and due reminders.
Contacts — Supplies names and photos selected for Quick Contacts.
Mail Automation and Notes Automation — Connect Mail reads unread counts and latest messages from the Mail app; Connect Notes reads your most recent note. Both apps must be running in the background, and data stays local.
Photos Library — Supplies the Recent Photo widget.
Location — Supplies local weather for the Weather, Today, and 7 Days widgets. Weather can also use a manually selected city without location access: right-click the widget and choose Customize Location.
Microphone — Supplies microphone level for Mic Mute and records voice memos you start.

Other access#

Notifications shows water reminders and available-update alerts. Timers and update checks still work when notifications are off.
Clipboard History watches the system clipboard while the Clipboard widget is active and stores a short local history. Choose Enable Clipboard; on macOS versions with clipboard privacy controls, choose Always Allow for CoolDock in System Settings so history collects automatically.
Finder Automation lets the Trash widget list items when macOS does not allow direct access to your Trash folder. Choose Connect Finder to request it; Full Disk Access is optional.
Bluetooth supplies external-device battery data and the Bluetooth quick toggle. It is requested only from Enable Bluetooth.
Keyboard Lock temporarily blocks keyboard input for cleaning and uses Accessibility until you unlock it from the Dock. Wi-Fi controls use macOS network APIs and need no permission.
Folder selection grants access only to folders you explicitly choose.
AI Assistant connections stay on this Mac and start read-only. See AI Assistant.

Credential storage#

Credential Storage chooses where the license key and widget credentials live: macOS Keychain (recommended) or Encrypted file on this Mac for a login keychain that cannot be unlocked. Switching back to the keychain moves everything into it and deletes the file. If the login keychain is locked, choose Unlock Keychain. When credentials from an earlier Cooldock version are still in your keychain, Import credentials from Cooldock brings them over with one keychain prompt per item.

Repair a permission#

Open Settings → Privacy in CoolDock.
Find the affected feature and choose its enable or connect button.
If it was previously denied, use Open System Settings and enable CoolDock.
Return to CoolDock; the status refreshes when the app becomes active.

Permissions granted to an older app named Supadock or Cooldock 1.x do not automatically apply to the current CoolDock app.