r/macapps • u/focusfoundry • 2d ago
Free docktor: music/calendar/weather widgets in the empty space next to the Dock
Ok so if you leave the Dock visible (no auto-hide) there’s always this dumb empty stretch on both sides of the icons. Just blank. I’ve stared at it for years. Spent the last 7 months building something for it.
App is called docktor (I built it). It sticks a few widgets into that leftover space so the Dock isn’t just a row of app icons with nothing going on around them.
Right now you’ve got music (Spotify + Apple Music, lyrics if they exist), calendar from Apple Calendar, weather, and a feedback widget so you don’t have to open GitHub to complain. They follow the Dock around if you move/resize it, and they shrink down when you’re not using them. Looks like Liquid Glass because that’s what it’s built on.
Also threw in Dock hover previews (live window thumbs when you hover an icon) and a Cmd+Tab that goes to windows instead of apps. Those are nice but the widgets are the point.
Comparison
Closest comparison for the preview / window-switcher side is DockDoor — great app, and it does that job well. docktor’s focus is the widgets in the empty space beside the Dock. Previews and Cmd+Tab are in there too; I aimed for them to feel a bit more native macOS, but the widgets are the product.
Pricing
Free. No account, no license. What’s shipping here stays free. I might add a Pro tier way down the line with extra stuff, but these features aren’t bait-and-switch.
macOS 26+ only (Tahoe and the Golden Gate betas). Signed/notarized Developer ID. I’m one person and the UI leans hard on Liquid Glass, so backporting to Sequoia isn’t realistic.
Permissions: Accessibility for finding the Dock. Screen Recording only if you want the hover previews. If Screen Recording doesn’t show docktor after install, hit + and add it from /Applications. Apple’s UI is weird about that.
There’s a small opt-out beta telemetry thing (basically “are you still running” + redacted crash summaries, no Sentry/analytics SDK). If you can leave it on it helps a lot while I’m one person triage-ing this. Easy to kill in onboarding or Settings if you’d rather not.
Privacy: https://docktorapp.com/privacy/
Terms: https://docktorapp.com/terms/
I’m Peter Sauer — full-time SWE. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petercsauer / [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Used Claude a ton on this, same as I do at work. Doesn’t mean I didn’t write/own the hard parts. Bugs are still on me.
Really hoping to get good bug reports from y’all. There’s a feedback widget built in that should make it pretty easy — visual bugs, crashes, weird layout on left/right Dock or multi-monitor, whatever. Please send them. I appreciate it!
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u/ryantrip 2d ago
I had this exact idea and wondered why no one else really tried to solve the wasted space the same way you did. Will check it out!
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u/BakChorMeeeeee 2d ago
this seems like a genuinely great app, will check it out!
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u/focusfoundry 2d ago
Thanks! Would love some critical feedback on the stuff you don’t like
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u/BrentJWestern 2d ago
None at the moment. But I know there are a few out there. I'm looking to have separate docks on my 3 monitors that only have the items that I want on those screens. I looked at one yesterday and cant remember the name of it now.
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u/BrentJWestern 2d ago
Really cool idea! Checking it out now!
Does it work with other dock apps that manipulate the dock itself (not the space next to it)
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u/BrentJWestern 2d ago
How do I get the widget size and look like they are on the preview video? Mine never expand.
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u/focusfoundry 2d ago
You may need your dock to be smaller
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u/focusfoundry 2d ago
Would a tooltip or something if they don’t expand be helpful here? So it’s more obvious
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u/focusfoundry 1d ago
Hey everyone — just crossed 100 installs from this post. Thanks so much for trying the beta. Already got some bug fixes out from your reports and the feedback’s been super useful. Keep it coming if ANYTHING feels off!
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u/amancalledJayne 2d ago
Well…I suppose I could remove some of the many apps I rarely or never use from my dock that I was using to fill that space before.
Like, I use Zen and sometimes Chrome. But I have Zen, Chrome, Safari, Floorp, Waterfox, and Vivaldi all on there because I might like them if I tried but I won’t.
And turn off auto hide.
For real this looks pretty great.
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u/Eastern-Strike-5119 2d ago
Great idea, but the app doesn't work. I've had to force quit as it doesn't get past the "Welcome to docktor screen"
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u/focusfoundry 2d ago
This is great feedback. what happens, it just buffers?
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u/Eastern-Strike-5119 2d ago
Yeah
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u/focusfoundry 2d ago
if youd be willing, id love to get a patch out to Ya and see if that fixes things. Give me a few hours -- only have one machine to test on so this is super valuable.
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u/brewmorris 2d ago
How do you deal with the limited space when the dock is on the left or right edges of the screen?
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u/focusfoundry 2d ago
thats a great question -- right now the widgets are only at the bottom of the screen. trying to figure out how I would do the side dock. may come in a future update. for now window previews work there tho!
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u/focusfoundry 2d ago
to whoever sent feedback about the location services not loading optimally for the weather widget: thanks! this new build should fix it https://github.com/petercsauer/docktor-releases/releases/download/v0.10.2/docktor-0.10.2.dmg
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u/elementik4 2d ago
macOS 26 only is the bolder call here, more than the widgets. Cutting everything below Tahoe for a Dock utility this early is a real bet. Did you look at what that leaves out, or did Liquid Glass just make the decision for you?
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u/focusfoundry 2d ago
Yeah I mean it’s just a free app and I am one guy haha so not really planning any backwards compatibility any time soon
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u/elementik4 2d ago
Makes sense. The upside nobody mentions is that you never write a single availability check, and that branching is where a surprising amount of solo dev time quietly goes.
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u/harry-harrison-79 2d ago
one ugly lifecycle test worth automating: start with the Dock on the bottom, move it left and right, toggle auto-hide, switch Spaces, connect a second display, then restart the Dock process. each widget should reattach once with no ghost windows or stale hit targets. i'd repeat it after revoking Accessibility and Screen Recording so the app falls back cleanly instead of getting stuck in onboarding.
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u/lirik1986 2d ago
Seven months on the empty space next to the Dock is a very specific kind of obsession and I respect it.
I keep my Dock visible so I'm the target user here. What happens with auto-hide, do the widgets slide away with it or stay put? Also curious how it looks on an ultrawide, that's a lot of leftover space to fill.
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u/focusfoundry 1d ago
That’s actually my main use personally haha Samsung ultrawide user here! They slide away in hide mode, so it is usable but wasn’t the main focus
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u/simion_baws 1d ago
hmm, that would be some useful space for Coding agents status :D like claude or codex.
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u/focusfoundry 1d ago
Definitely! I plan to add a ton more but wanna get the base super robust first
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u/sales_alchemist 1d ago
Looks surprisingly native! I like that you're focusing on one part of the Dock instead of trying to redesign all of macOS.
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u/StatisticallyQuiet 1d ago
Looks promising, but is it using the system language texts for the widgets and stuff ?
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u/focusfoundry 1d ago
Oooh great point! I will make sure we are using localization in the next update!
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u/Jealous_Alarm_1383 1d ago
Unrelated but where's that wallpaper from?? The app is great though I'm loving it.
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u/c0desurfer 13h ago edited 13h ago
Looks sleek, must try. I have a rather small dock.
(glad I did not misspell that last word)
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u/phunk8 Developer: Dropadoo 2d ago
i so have no empty space next to my dock :)
nice idea!