Maildot

Unread, without reading.

Maildot is a Mac app that puts your Gmail unread count on its Dock icon. Click the icon and your Gmail inbox opens.

Maildot only asks Google for one number: how many unread messages are in your Inbox. It never downloads your senders, subject lines or messages.

For macOS. Now in beta on TestFlight.

Maildot app icon 7
All the mail data Gmail sends Maildot:
{ "id": "INBOX", "messagesUnread": 7, … }

What Maildot can see

When you connect Gmail, Maildot asks Google for the gmail.labels permission. That is Google's narrowest Gmail permission. It covers your labels and their message counts, not your messages.

Maildot uses

  • The unread count of your Inbox
  • Your Google account email address, to show which account is connected
  • How often to check, which you choose

Maildot never gets

  • Senders or recipients
  • Subject lines or previews
  • Message bodies or attachments
  • Your contacts or calendar

How it works

  1. Open Maildot and select Connect Gmail. Google asks you to approve access to your labels.
  2. Maildot checks your Inbox count every 30 seconds to 5 minutes. The number appears on the Dock icon.
  3. Click the Dock icon to open Gmail. If Gmail is already open in Brave or Chrome, Maildot switches to that tab.
  4. Select Disconnect at any time to revoke Maildot's access.