beepster

Install Beepster

Beepster’s normal installation does not require Terminal, Git, Node.js, or an imsg bridge. The Mac Connector contains the local gateway and everything needed to run it. Set it up once, then use Beepster while the Mac, Beeper Desktop, Tailscale, and Pebble mobile app are connected.

The Beepster Connector window does not need to stay open. After setup, close it normally. Its small background gateway starts at Mac login and continues independently. The Mac must remain awake, Beeper Desktop must remain open and signed in, and Tailscale must remain connected.

Before you start

You need:

  1. A Pebble Time 2 paired with the Pebble mobile app.
  2. A Mac with Beeper Desktop installed and signed in.
  3. Tailscale on the Mac and phone, signed into the same private tailnet.
  4. The Beepster Connector DMG and the Beepster watch app from their official release pages.

The current tested phone setup is iPhone. Android has not yet been validated.

Beepster requires a Mac because it uses Beeper Desktop’s local API. It does not need Full Disk Access, Accessibility, Screen Recording, direct Messages database access, or a separate iMessage bridge.

1. Install Beepster Connector on the Mac

Download Beepster-Connector-0.14.0.dmg. Open it, drag Beepster Connector to Applications, eject the disk image, and open the app.

On first launch, macOS may ask you to confirm that you downloaded the app from the internet. The public release must be Developer ID signed and notarized; do not bypass a warning that says the app cannot be checked for malicious software.

Select Set Up Beepster. This guided action installs or repairs the bundled gateway, walks you through creating the Beeper connection when its token is missing, requests Contacts access when needed, starts the private Tailscale route, restarts the service, and checks the result. Existing credentials, Contacts permission, and phone pairing are preserved when you update or repair the Connector.

2. Connect Beeper

Keep Beeper Desktop open. When Connector asks for a token:

  1. In Beeper Desktop, select the gear icon to open Settings.
  2. Select Integrations in the left sidebar.
  3. Turn on Allow connections.
  4. Under Approved connections, select the + button.
  5. Enter Beepster as the name and set Expires In to Never.
  6. Turn on Allow sensitive actions. Beepster needs this permission to send dictated and quick replies; without it, reading may work but sending will fail.
  7. Select Create Access Token, copy the newly displayed token, return to Beepster Connector, paste it into the concealed field, and select Save and Continue.

The token is displayed only when it is created. If it is lost, return to Settings → Integrations → Approved connections, revoke the old Beepster connection, and create a replacement. These steps match Beeper Desktop 4.3.89 and Beeper’s current authentication guide.

The guided setup asks for this token only on the first setup or when it is missing. It goes directly into the macOS login Keychain and is never placed in the watch app, copied to the phone, or displayed again.

3. Enable names and the private connection

When prompted by guided setup, allow read-only Contacts access. This optional permission lets Apple conversations show contact names instead of raw phone numbers or email addresses. If permission was previously denied, expand Advanced options, select Open Privacy Settings, and enable Beepster Contacts.

Open Tailscale on the Mac and phone and make sure both say connected. Guided setup starts the Beepster Tailscale Serve route automatically. It remains private to your tailnet; never use Tailscale Funnel or public port forwarding for the gateway.

The three status rows should now be green. Select Test Everything at any time to perform a real bounded Beeper conversation request and verify that the private phone address reaches Beepster. If a row needs attention, expand Advanced options for the individual repair controls.

4. Install the watch app

On the phone, open the Pebble mobile app, find Beepster in the Pebble Store, and tap Add to Watch. Confirm that the developer is Organik Apps and the listing links to this repository.

The Mac Connector cannot silently install software over the phone’s Bluetooth connection. This single Store action is the intended, supported watch-installation step. It also lets future watch updates arrive through the Pebble app.

Alternatively, open the official watch package on your phone and let the Pebble app add Beepster to the watch. No Pebble SDK or command line is needed.

After setup, try the first-run checks and share feedback. Bug reports, suggestions, and reports of successful setups are all welcome.

5. Configure and pair once

On the Mac, select Connect Phone. The Connector copies the private address and shows the current pairing code and phone instructions together. On the phone, open Pebble → Beepster → Settings:

  1. Paste the copied private setup address when asked.
  2. Enter the six-digit pairing code shown by the Connector.
  3. Choose the services to include, a theme and font size, up to eight text-or-emoji quick replies, and the 15 bitmap emoji you want in the watch reply menu. The Buttons tab lets you customize all press and hold actions and the number of lines moved by each scroll action.
  4. Beepster automatically combines Apple email and phone conversations that match the same Mac Contacts record. Under Link Apple conversations, you can give unmatched destinations the same alias as a manual fallback.
  5. Tap Test connection & pair, then save.

Optional: OpenClaw approvals

If you use OpenClaw, expand Advanced options in Beepster Connector and select OpenClaw Approvals. Read and accept the security explanation. Beepster creates its own device identity and requests only operator.approvals; its private key and scoped token remain in ~/Library/Application Support/Beepster on the Mac. If OpenClaw asks for approval, review the device named Beepster Connector in the OpenClaw app and approve it.

Then open Beepster Settings on the phone and turn on Show pending OpenClaw approvals. No Terminal command is required. When a protected action is waiting, Beepster identifies its approval prompt inside the matching Telegram agent conversation. Select that message and press Center to review the full sanitized action description, then choose Approve or Deny. Beepster never offers a standing or Allow always grant, and it does not add a separate approval conversation.

The Mac and phone can share the copied address through Apple’s Universal Clipboard. If that is not enabled, the Connector also displays the address so it can be entered manually; no Terminal lookup is needed. Use the complete address exactly as shown, including its HTTPS port when present.

The phone receives a narrow Beepster gateway credential, never the Beeper token. The one-time code cannot be reused after successful pairing. Ordinary settings changes, Connector repairs, and app updates do not require pairing again.

6. Confirm everything works

Open Beepster on the watch. It should open the newest end of the chat list. Open a conversation, press Center, dictate a harmless reply, confirm it, and verify that Beepster returns to the thread after delivery.

For help, open Install Guide in the Connector or use the symptom-based troubleshooting guide. No Terminal commands are required for the normal install or readiness check.

Updating

Install the newer Connector from its DMG and select Install or Repair. Update the watch app from the Pebble Store. The dedicated Beeper token, private gateway credential, pairing, Contacts access, themes, service filters, aliases, and quick replies should remain intact.

Removing Beepster

Remove the watch app from the Pebble mobile app and quit Beepster Connector. A future release will include guided removal of the login service and its Keychain items. Until then, advanced manual cleanup instructions are in Troubleshooting; Keychain data is deliberately left in place during ordinary app removal so an accidental reinstall cannot destroy configuration.