MacWatcher troubleshooting
Camera
Section titled “Camera”MacWatcher can’t capture / no camera prompt. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera and make sure MacWatcher is enabled. If you use Run in background, the background service has its own camera entry — enable that too. Toggle the switch off and on, then re-arm.
The camera light comes on when armed. That’s expected while a capture is being taken. MacWatcher only records on a trigger, not continuously.
Trusted Faces
Section titled “Trusted Faces”It doesn’t recognize me. Enroll a few more photos covering different angles and lighting, ideally in the spot you normally sit. If it’s still missing you, lower the threshold slightly (Settings → Trusted Faces).
It stays quiet for other people. Raise the threshold to make matching stricter, and re-enroll yourself with clear, well-lit photos.
Recognition options are greyed out / unavailable. Recognition needs the bundled face model, which ships inside the app. If it’s unavailable, reinstall MacWatcher from a fresh download of the DMG.
Background watching
Section titled “Background watching”Tamper after I quit isn’t caught. Turn on Run in background (General) and grant the background service its camera permission in System Settings. Both the app and the service need camera access for background watching to work.
Alerts
Section titled “Alerts”I’m not getting notifications. Check System Settings → Notifications → MacWatcher is allowed. If you enrolled a trusted face, remember that recognizing you intentionally suppresses the alert (the capture is still saved to your log).
Telegram QR pairing does not complete
Section titled “Telegram QR pairing does not complete”- Confirm the bot token was copied from BotFather without spaces.
- Scan the latest QR code; old QR codes expire.
- Tap Start in the private bot chat.
- Do not add the bot to a group. MacWatcher pairs private chats only.
- If the bot was previously connected to another service with a webhook, reconnect it from MacWatcher so it can use local polling.
Telegram messages arrive late
Section titled “Telegram messages arrive late”Delayed messages are expected after your Mac was offline. MacWatcher labels them as delayed and includes the original capture time. Use Settings → Delivery → Telegram → Advanced to limit delayed alerts, review before sending, send selected queued alerts, or clear the Telegram queue.
Still stuck?
Section titled “Still stuck?”Email support@amrahstudio.com with your macOS version and a short description of what you saw.