Coffee Coach AI
Privacy & Access

Permissions

Permissions differ by platform. macOS asks for Screen Recording, notifications, and one-time folder access. Windows uses standard desktop access to RoasTime logs and Windows notification settings.

macOS

Screen Recording, notifications, and one-time access to~/Library/Caches/roast-incomplete/

Windows

No Screen Recording permission. Allow notifications and confirm the default log folder at%LOCALAPPDATA%\roast-incomplete\

macOS permissions

Screen Recording

Why it's needed

Coffee Coach AI uses Screen Recording to read the RoasTime window, verify the session layout, and support OCR fallback when log file values are ambiguous.

What Coffee Coach AI does NOT do

  • Does not capture screenshots
  • Does not transmit images anywhere
  • Screen access is read-only and entirely local to your Mac

How to grant

System Settings
Privacy & Security
Screen Recording
Toggle Coffee Coach AI on

How to revoke

Toggle it off in the same location.

Notifications

Why it's needed

Coaching advice is delivered as macOS notifications so it reaches you even when Coffee Coach AI is in the background and RoasTime is in the foreground.

Notification types

  • Coaching actionA specific adjustment, for example, "Increase power to 9, RoR is flattening."
  • ReassuranceSent roughly every 2 minutes when no action is needed, for example, "Roast looking good, RoR tracking well."
  • Bean identificationPrompts you to name the bean when a new session is detected.

How to grant

System Settings
Notifications
Coffee Coach AI
Allow Notifications

Recommended: Set alert style to "Alerts" (not "Banners") so notifications stay visible until dismissed.

Roast Folder Access

One time only

Why it's needed

The Mac App Store sandbox prevents apps from reading arbitrary folders. Coffee Coach AI needs one-time permission to access ~/Library/Caches/roast-incomplete/, the folder where RoasTime writes its live session logs.

How to grant

  1. 1When the dialog appears on your first roast, click Grant Access.
  2. 2In the Finder sheet, navigate to Library → Caches.
  3. 3Select the roast-incomplete folder.
  4. 4Click Open.
  5. 5This permission is saved permanently. You will never be asked again.

Windows access

Notifications

Coffee Coach AI sends native Windows toast notifications. If the onboarding test does not appear, open Settings → System → Notifications → Coffee Coach AI and enable notifications. Also check Do Not Disturb.

RoasTime logs

The Windows desktop app reads%LOCALAPPDATA%\roast-incomplete\without elevation. You can choose a different folder in Settings if RoasTime stores logs elsewhere.

Credential storage

Your OpenRouter key is stored in Windows Credential Locker, with encrypted local fallback if the locker is unavailable.

Having trouble granting a permission or seeing unexpected behavior after changing access? Visit the Troubleshooting page or contact support.