Question 1

Why does DockAlly need Accessibility access?

Accepted Answer

To read where your Dock icons are, so a creature can run to the app you just opened, and to put windows back where you saved them. It reads positions. It never types, clicks, or reads your screen.

Question 2

Will it mess up my Dock?

Accepted Answer

Your Dock is backed up before the first change, and "Restore Original Dock" puts it back exactly. Each folder keeps its own sort order and view. DockAlly never changes those.

Question 3

Does the Dock flicker when a profile switches?

Accepted Answer

macOS restarts the Dock to change it. DockAlly covers that moment: glass tiles wrap each icon, gather into one bar while the Dock reloads behind it, then split over the new icons and fade away.

Question 4

How much does it slow my Mac down?

Accepted Answer

With all seven creatures it sits around 15 to 25 per cent of one core while they move, and drops when they sleep or the Dock is covered. The main thread stays free, so nothing else feels slower.

Question 5

Can I turn the creatures off and keep the Dock profiles?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Hide them from the paw menu and the profiles, workspaces and focus timer carry on without them.

Question 6

Does it work on a Mac without a notch, or on an external display?

Accepted Answer

Yes. DockAlly follows the Dock itself: bottom, left or right, on whichever display it is on. It gets out of the way in full screen.

Notes on the Mac Dock.

I was dragging icons around my Mac Dock every day. So I built an app to stop.

How to reset your Mac Dock to default (and back it up first)

How to add spaces between apps in your Mac Dock

How to show recent files and apps in your Mac Dock