Last updated 10 October 2026

Privacy Policy

NotchDude is a Mac app made by a developer in India. It is designed to keep your information on your Mac. There are no user accounts. I use limited product analytics to understand which parts of the website and app are used. I do not sell personal data.

What stays on your Mac

• Clipboard history, notes, bookmarks, teleprompter scripts, and the File Shelf are stored locally in your user account and never uploaded.
• Calendar events are read on demand after you grant access, shown in the notch, and not stored or transmitted.
• Camera Mirror shows the camera only while the widget is open. Nothing is recorded or saved.
• The Fold close effect, if you choose it and allow Screen Recording, takes one still of your MacBook's screen as the lid starts closing, to draw the effect. It stays in memory, is dropped once the lid is open, and is never saved or sent anywhere.
• Now Playing reads track details from Spotify and Apple Music on your Mac, and controls them after you grant permission.
• AI Usage reads token counts, model names, and limit percentages from the local logs that Claude Code (~/.claude) and Codex (~/.codex) keep on your Mac. To show active agent sessions, it also reads the end of those logs for the project folder name, timing, and the names of tools the agent used. For Cursor and Antigravity it notes only when they were last active. The contents of your prompts, conversations, and code are never read, and none of this leaves your Mac.
• Messages (website version, Pro) shows new WhatsApp, Slack, and Teams messages in the notch. With Full Disk Access, which you turn on in System Settings, it reads the notifications those apps send from macOS's own record of notifications. Only notifications from those three apps are used: the sender, chat name, and message text they show. They are kept in memory for at most two hours, are never saved or sent anywhere, and NotchDude never sends messages for you; clicking one opens the chat in its app.

NotchDude Media browser extension

The optional NotchDude Media extension connects YouTube, YouTube Music, and media websites you individually enable to the Mac app. On those sites, it reads the active media title, creator, artwork reference, page URL (without query strings or fragments), playback time, duration, volume, mute state, and available playback controls. It uses this information only to display and control media in the notch. It does not read your browser history, cookies, passwords, messages, or unrelated page content, and it does not run in private browsing.

Media details pass to the NotchDude helper on the same Mac and are kept in a local container restricted to your user account. Disconnected sources stop appearing after eight seconds; playback commands expire after ten seconds. No media details or browser data are sent to my servers or included in product analytics. The Mac app may download the selected artwork over HTTPS, without browser cookies; the image provider receives the normal network request information.

YouTube and YouTube Music are enabled by default. Other sites require your permission from the extension popup. You can remove site permissions or disable or uninstall the extension in your browser settings. NotchDude Media's use of user data complies with the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Browser media data is not sold, used for advertising, or used to determine creditworthiness or for lending.

When NotchDude uses the network

• Licence checks. When you activate Pro and about once a day afterwards, the app sends your licence key and a device name (your Mac's name) to my payment provider, Dodo Payments, to confirm the licence is valid.
• Updates. The app periodically downloads an update feed from notchdude.com to check for new versions. Standard request information such as your IP address and app version may appear in server logs.
• Album artwork. For Spotify tracks, the artwork image is downloaded from Spotify's image servers.
• Live Claude limits (optional). If you allow Keychain access, the app uses the sign-in Claude Code has already saved on your Mac to request your plan usage from Anthropic. It is only read, never changed, and never shared with me.

Product analytics

The website sends page views and clicks on Download and Buy Pro to PostHog. PostHog also records your visit to this website (in the EU, EEA and UK, only if you choose “Allow replay”), including page layout, pointer movement, clicks, and scrolling. Replay uses a random identifier held in your browser's session storage for that tab. Input values are masked, and console logs, network bodies, and canvas content are not recorded. You can turn replay off, or back on, with “Turn off session replay” in the footer; that choice is saved in your browser’s local storage. App analytics does not record sessions or screen contents; the optional Fold effect uses only the local, in-memory still described above. Release builds send a small set of events, such as first app use, app launch, and onboarding completion. If the app crashes, freezes, uses too much processor time or disk, or didn't quit normally last time, it sends a report with the app and macOS version, the kind of problem, and the locations in NotchDude's code involved (memory addresses that only my debug files can turn into function names); every 12 hours it also sends how much memory it is using, rounded. macOS's MetricKit prepares these reports on your Mac. This is on by default, and you can turn it off in Settings › Privacy. A marker stored on your Mac prevents counting the first-use event more than once. Development builds do not send app analytics. Basic website events and app events use a new random identifier per page visit or app launch. No person profiles or automatic click events are enabled. Website and app events are sent to analytics.notchdude.com, which forwards them to PostHog. PostHog may receive standard request information such as your IP address. Event properties never include clipboard contents, notes, files, calendar events, messages, music, AI prompts, code, or licence keys.

Purchases

Purchases are processed by Dodo Payments, which acts as the merchant of record and handles payment, tax, and invoicing. When you buy, Dodo Payments collects the details needed to complete the sale, such as your name, email address, billing country, and payment information, under its own privacy policy. I receive order details such as your email address and licence key so I can provide support. I never see your full card details.

This website

The theme switch saves your light or dark appearance preference in your browser’s local storage. This preference stays in your browser and is not sent to a server. Until you choose a theme, the website follows your system appearance.

The homepage loads a Product Hunt badge image from Product Hunt’s API. Product Hunt receives the normal information sent with that image request, such as your IP address and browser details. The image request does not include the page address as a referrer. If you choose the badge, Product Hunt opens in a new tab and its own privacy terms apply.

This website is hosted on Vercel. Basic event capture does not place cookies or use browser storage. Replay uses session storage for that tab and does not place cookies. Vercel may keep standard server logs, such as IP addresses and pages requested, for security and reliability.

Your choices

• You can turn app analytics on or off in NotchDude Settings › Privacy. It is on by default.
• You can turn website replay off or back on using the link in the footer.
• You can revoke Calendar, Camera, Screen Recording, Automation, and Full Disk Access permissions anytime in System Settings › Privacy & Security.
• You can clear your clipboard history, notes, and File Shelf in the app, or delete the app to remove its local data.
• To ask about or delete the purchase details I hold, email me at the address below.

Children

NotchDude is not directed at children under 13, and I don't knowingly collect information from them.

Changes

If this policy changes, I'll update this page and the date at the top.

Contact

NotchDude is made by Balaji Sivasakthi, a developer in India. Questions about this policy or your data? Email support@notchdude.com.