What Bouncer asks for and why

Bouncer asks macOS for three things. It asks to be your default browser. It asks for Accessibility permission. And it asks for Automation permission for Safari, Arc, and Dia. Chrome, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Firefox, and Opera need no permissions at all.

Default browser

Bouncer can route a link only when it is your default browser. Every web link you click goes to Bouncer first. Bouncer then opens it in the browser, profile, or app your rules pick. macOS asks you to confirm the change. See Set Bouncer as your default browser.

Accessibility permission

Accessibility permission lets Bouncer read and click the windows and menus of other apps. Bouncer uses it for three things.

• Safari profiles. Bouncer reads Safari’s File > New Window menu to find your profiles. It uses the same menu to open a profile window or a private window.
• Dia profiles. Bouncer opens a Dia profile window the same way.
• Workspace rules. When a link comes from Slack or Discord, Bouncer reads the title of the front window to see which workspace or server sent it. Bouncer also reads the Discord window to list your servers.

See Grant Accessibility.

Automation permission

Automation permission lets Bouncer send commands to one app. Bouncer asks for it for Safari, Arc, and Dia. With it, Bouncer can open a link in the profile or space your rule picks. Safari and Dia also need it for System Events, which Bouncer uses to click their menus. Arc needs only its own.

Without this permission, Bouncer still opens links in these three browsers. It cannot open a specific profile or space. See Grant Automation for Safari, Arc, or Dia.

What Bouncer does not ask for

Bouncer does not ask for Full Disk Access, Screen Recording, Contacts, Calendar, or Notifications.

Workspace rules for Slack, Notion, and Discord read some app data on your Mac. That is not a macOS permission, and Bouncer asks you in its own alert first. See What workspace rules read on your Mac.