Frequently asked questions.

Green Dotter is a Mac and Windows auto clicker that clicks one exact spot you pick, or a random point inside an area you define on screen, at random intervals. It is useful for presence management, repetitive workflows, testing, and keeping your computer awake during controlled sessions.

It's not damaged. Green Dotter for Mac is signed and notarised by Apple, so you shouldn't normally see this. When you do, it's usually an interrupted download or an old copy. Delete it and download a fresh one from this site first. If the message is still there, here's how to open it anyway:

Option 1: Right-click method (easiest)

1. Find the downloaded DMG in your Downloads folder.
2. Right-click it (or Control-click) and choose Open.
3. A new dialog appears with an Open button, click it.
4. It'll open normally from then on.

Option 2: If that doesn't work

1. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security.
2. Scroll down until you see a message about Green Dotter being blocked.
3. Click Open Anyway.

You only need to do this once. After the first open, macOS remembers and it'll launch normally every time.

Windows SmartScreen shows this warning for newly released apps that haven't yet built up a large number of installs. It's not because Green Dotter is unsafe. It's because Microsoft's system needs time to recognise new software. Click More info then Run anyway to proceed. This warning will disappear as more people install the app.

Yes, Green Dotter is completely safe. Some antivirus tools flag mouse automation software out of caution because the same technology can theoretically be misused, but Green Dotter only clicks in areas you define on your own screen. We have submitted the app to Microsoft for review and it has been independently scanned with a 68/70 clean result on VirusTotal. You can view the full scan report here.

Yes. Green Dotter can click inside a Slack window in areas you choose, such as an already-read channel or a safe part of the sidebar. It gives you more control than a basic mouse jiggler because you decide where clicks happen.

Yes. Green Dotter can create normal mouse click events on your desktop while a session is running. This can help with presence management and keeping your machine awake, depending on your Teams setup and workplace policies.

Yes. Green Dotter can click inside areas you choose while Discord is open, giving you a simple way to manage activity during a controlled session.

Yes. We tested this directly: Webex marks you Inactive after about 10 minutes without keyboard or mouse input, and a Green Dotter Wiggle session kept it Available for the full length of our test. Tested on Windows on 24 September 2026; we expect the same on Mac, since Webex reads the same kind of computer-wide activity there. Full detail on the Webex page.

Yes, for Zoom's Team Chat status (the video call itself has no idle status to keep active). We tested this directly on Windows on 24 September 2026: left alone, Zoom marked us Away in under half an hour, and with Green Dotter's Wiggle mode running it stayed Available. We expect the same on Mac. Full detail on the Zoom page.

On the desktop app, yes: Mattermost's own published code reads the same kind of computer-wide activity as Slack and Teams. We have not run our own hands-on test on it yet. It does not help in a browser, where Mattermost only counts activity inside its own tab.

On the desktop app, yes, confirmed the same way as Mattermost, from Rocket.Chat's own published source. In a browser it only helps while the pointer is over the visible page, since that is what Rocket.Chat's web client watches.

No. Google Chat and Gmail decide you are idle based on activity inside that browser tab, not on what your computer is doing generally, so moving the mouse elsewhere does not help.

Not reliably with Wiggle mode. By the weight of user reports, RingCentral appears to go by whether its own window is in focus rather than by general computer activity; we have not confirmed this with our own test. We have not tried Click mode against it either.

Not if you set your click area carefully. The recommended approach is to draw your area over already-read channels, quiet navigation items, or a dedicated private channel like #green-dotter. That keeps clicks predictable and reduces the chance of triggering notifications or opening something unexpected.

Green Dotter only simulates mouse clicks. It doesn't read your messages, capture your screen, log keystrokes, or send any data anywhere. It needs macOS Accessibility permission to control the mouse. This is a standard macOS requirement for any app that automates input, and you can revoke it at any time in System Settings.

Green Dotter collects anonymous, session-level analytics (app launches, session starts/ends) to help understand how the app is used. No personal data, no message content, no screen captures.

macOS requires any app that controls the mouse or keyboard to have explicit Accessibility permission. This is Apple's security model. It means you consciously grant the access, can see which apps have it, and can revoke it any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

Mouse movement alone is often not enough. Basic mouse jigglers are mainly useful for keeping a screen awake. Green Dotter gives you more control because it can click inside a specific area you choose, rather than only moving the cursor.

No. If your screen locks, the system goes idle and apps like Teams will go offline regardless. Green Dotter includes a Keep Awake toggle that prevents your screen from locking whilst a session is running.

Green Dotter detects your real mouse movement and pauses automatically. It resumes after a short delay once you stop. You can configure the resume delay in settings.

Two global keyboard shortcuts kill the session instantly from anywhere: F8 or ⌘⇧. (Command + Shift + Full Stop). You don't need to have Green Dotter in the foreground.

Yes. Green Dotter is available for both Mac (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Windows.

Yes, Green Dotter is free to download and use.

Keep it short and include when you'll be back. Something like "🍽️ Lunch. Back at 1:30" or "🎧 Focus time. Slower replies" works well. If you're out for more than a day, add a contact for urgent things. See 100+ Teams away message ideas →

One emoji and a return time covers most situations. "☕ Coffee. Back soon" or "🌴 Out of office. Back Monday" tells your team what they need to know without overcomplicating it. See 100+ Slack status ideas →

Sometimes. A metal spoon on a capacitive trackpad can be read as a touch, and its tiny wobbles count as input. It's flaky though: palm rejection often filters it out, and a locked screen takes your status down regardless of the cutlery. Why it works and why it stops →

Not for presence. Browsers can't create real mouse or keyboard input, so a website can keep its own tab and your screen awake, but Slack and Teams still see no activity and mark you Away. For that you need actual input from a desktop app or a physical device. What websites can and can't do →

No. They stop your machine sleeping, which is half the job, but they create no input, so chat apps still count you as idle and flip you to Away. Green Dotter covers both halves: a keep-awake toggle plus small real clicks or wiggles where you choose. Keep-awake apps compared →

Yes. Since version 2.10, the Scheduler tab lets you pick the days and the start and stop times, and Green Dotter starts and stops itself. Times can be exact or a little random, like starting up to 10 minutes before 9:00 and stopping up to 10 minutes after 5:00. You can add a lunch break, and it works for both Click and Wiggle. It's in beta.

No. The computer needs to be on and signed in, and Green Dotter has to be running. In the tray is fine. It can't wake a sleeping computer. If the computer sleeps or the screen locks during a scheduled stretch, the schedule pauses and carries on when you're back, and the History tab shows the gap.