Install Guide

MailCue v0.9 · macOS 13 Ventura or later · Apple Mail required

Before you start: You need a license key. During the beta, keys are distributed manually. Email izhiwen@icloud.com with subject "MailCue beta" and you'll receive a key within 24 hours.

Step 1 — Download and move to Applications

  1. Download MailCue-v0.9-macOS.dmg and double-click to mount the disk image. Drag MailCue.app into your Applications folder.
  2. Drag MailCue.app into your /Applications folder. Running it from Downloads will work, but Applications is recommended.

Step 2 — First launch (Gatekeeper bypass)

MailCue is not distributed through the Mac App Store, so macOS Gatekeeper will block it on the first open. This is expected.

Do not double-click the app to open it the first time — Gatekeeper will block it and the "Open Anyway" option won't appear immediately.
  1. In Finder, navigate to /Applications.
  2. Right-click (or Control-click) MailCue.app and choose Open from the menu.
  3. A dialog will appear: "macOS cannot verify the developer of MailCue. Are you sure you want to open it?" Click Open.
  4. macOS remembers your choice. From now on, double-clicking works normally.

Alternatively, after the first blocked open you can go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to the MailCue entry.

Step 3 — Activate your license key

  1. Open MailCue. You'll see Pouchy waiting with an activation prompt.
  2. Press ⌘, (Command-comma) to open Settings, or click the key icon if one is visible.
  3. Paste your license key into the field and click Activate.
  4. MailCue contacts the activation server (requires internet). When activation succeeds, Pouchy will greet you and the app is ready.

Step 4 — Grant Automation permission

MailCue uses AppleScript to read the email you've selected and dispatch replies through Apple Mail. macOS requires your permission for this.

  1. Submit your first intent (see Step 5). MailCue will trigger an Automation permission dialog: "MailCue wants access to control Mail."
  2. Click OK. This dialog appears once only.
  3. If you accidentally clicked Don't Allow, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation and enable the toggle next to Mail under MailCue.

Step 5 — Send your first draft

  1. Open Apple Mail and click any message you want to reply to.
  2. Switch to MailCue (it lives in its own window alongside Mail).
  3. Type your reply intent in the box at the bottom — for example: "reply yes, Thursday 2pm works great" — and press Return or click the send arrow.
  4. MailCue reads the selected message and generates a draft. Pouchy shows a progress indicator while the draft is being prepared (typically under 15 seconds).
  5. When the draft appears, review it. You can edit any part of the body directly in the draft card.
  6. Click Send now. Apple Mail dispatches the reply from your existing account. The 30-second undo window starts immediately — a ring sweeps around Pouchy.
  7. To cancel the send before the 30 seconds expire, press ⌘Z or click Cancel send. The draft returns for editing.

Troubleshooting

"No message selected" error

Click a message in Apple Mail before submitting your intent. MailCue reads whichever message is selected at the moment you press Return.

Automation permission was denied

Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation. Find MailCue in the list and enable the toggle under Mail.

Draft never arrives / spinner keeps going

Check your internet connection. If the problem persists, restart MailCue. If it happens repeatedly, email izhiwen@icloud.com with details.

License key not accepted

Make sure you're pasting the full key with no leading or trailing spaces. If activation still fails, your key may have expired — email izhiwen@icloud.com.

"MailCue is damaged and can't be opened"

This can appear if the app was moved while quarantined. Open Terminal and run:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/MailCue.app

Then try opening again.

Apple Mail version compatibility

MailCue requires the built-in Apple Mail app. Third-party mail clients (Spark, Airmail, Mimestream, etc.) are not supported in v0.9.

Uninstalling

  1. Quit MailCue.
  2. Drag MailCue.app from /Applications to the Trash.
  3. To remove all app data (license key, sent log, preferences), also delete: ~/Library/Containers/com.izhiwen.MailCue/

To revoke Automation access after uninstalling: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation → remove the MailCue entry.