Dockside for Mac — full feature list

If you are researching a Mac file shelf, a shelf app for macOS, or a Dock-adjacent way to stage files before opening or moving them, this page is the authoritative breakdown. Dockside is a native Dock companion (not a Dock replacement): a strip beside the Dock for drag-and-drop staging, optional multiple file areas, recent screenshots and downloads, folder watch, and deep customisation—see the app overview or usage tips.

Dockside features by section; sections start collapsed; each header expands or collapses its rows
Feature	What it does	Good to know

Drag-and-drop shelf beside the Dock	What it does Keep files, folders, notes, screenshots, downloads, and more within easy reach of the Dock.	Good to know Stays handy without covering your main windows.
Smart drag activation	What it does Open the shelf when a drag starts, when you’re near the shelf, or near the pointer—your choice.	Good to know More flexible than a single fixed drop strip.
Adjustable drag sensitivity	What it does Tune activation delay and drop-zone height so opens feel fast—or harder to trigger by accident.	Good to know —
Add from Finder, clipboard, or history	What it does Pull items in from Finder, the clipboard, or Dockside’s recent history.	Good to know —
Store by reference or copy	What it does Either keep a lightweight link to the original file, or store a real copy in Dockside’s space.	Good to know Pick what fits your workflow: aliases vs self-contained copies.
Optional move into the shelf	What it does Instead of copying, move the original file into the shelf flow when you want the shelf to “own” it.	Good to know —
Drag out to Finder, apps, or folders	What it does Drag anything back out into Finder, another app, a folder, or another tool.	Good to know Meant as a temp workspace, not a dead-end pile.
Remove after drag-out	What it does Optionally clear an item from the shelf as soon as you drag it out.	Good to know Nice for quick hand-offs.
Stay visible while the shelf has items	What it does If you use auto-hide, Dockside can stay on screen until the Files shelf is empty.	Good to know —
Expand and page through items	What it does Show more than fits in the compact strip—expand and flip through pages of items.	Good to know —
Search on the shelf	What it does Search and filter what’s on the shelf right from the shelf UI.	Good to know —

Multiple Files areas	What it does Split the Files shelf into separate areas (columns), each with its own role.	Good to know Up to three active file areas.
Name and icon per area	What it does Give each area its own label and SF Symbol so you can tell them apart at a glance.	Good to know —
Tag filters per area	What it does Route or show items by Finder color tags, per area.	Good to know Match areas to how you actually work.
Folder watch per area	What it does Each area can watch a folder and add new files that match your rules.	Good to know —
Watch folders with exclusions	What it does Set how deep to scan, which files to skip, and which subfolders to ignore.	Good to know Wildcard-style patterns for messy real folders.
How many items and sort order	What it does Cap how many items show, and whether newest land at the start or end (based on shelf layout).	Good to know —
Auto-stacks	What it does Drop several items at once—or onto another item—to form a stack automatically.	Good to know —
Manual stacks	What it does Group a selection into a stack, or break stacks apart later.	Good to know Temporary bundles without making a new folder.
New folder from selection	What it does Turn selected shelf items into a new folder in one step.	Good to know —
Duplicate items	What it does Duplicate selected items (except notes) straight from the shelf.	Good to know —
History & restore	What it does Bring back files from Dockside history or undo recent removals.	Good to know Harder to lose track of something you just had on the shelf.
Quick actions on hover	What it does Optional buttons on hover—e.g. copy path or reveal in Finder.	Good to know —
Status hints on icons	What it does Optional badges: recent dot, “optimized” marker, or a simple age bar.	Good to know —
Notes on the shelf	What it does A dedicated notes strip inside the Files shelf.	Good to know —
New note without leaving the flow	What it does Create a note from Dockside while you’re doing something else.	Good to know —
Plain text, RTF, Markdown, Bike, or custom	What it does Notes aren’t locked to one format—pick what you use.	Good to know —
Choose the default notes app	What it does Open notes in the editor you prefer.	Good to know —
Where notes live & cleanup	What it does Pick storage, cap how many notes you keep, auto-delete old ones, and open the notes folder.	Good to know —
App Drawer	What it does Optional launcher strip for favorite apps and shortcuts, inside the Files shelf.	Good to know —
Drag between areas	What it does With multiple areas, drag targets update so you can move items between them cleanly.	Good to know —

Up to eight drop zones	What it does Define up to eight zones that appear as separate targets when you drag files toward the shelf.	Good to know Eight slots in the current app; unused slots can stay set to None.
Default behavior when no zones are set	What it does If you leave every zone unset (or inactive), Dockside falls back to the normal flow: expand and accept drops onto the Files shelf like a single landing area.	Good to know —
Zones appear while dragging	What it does When at least one zone is configured and active, the zone strip is shown during a drag so you can aim at a specific automation instead of the generic shelf.	Good to know —
Custom zone name	What it does Each row has its own label (e.g. “Copy To Downloads”, “Preview”, “Generate Link”) so you can read what will happen before you drop.	Good to know —
Custom zone icon	What it does Assign a distinct icon per zone so the strip stays scannable at a glance.	Good to know —
File type filter (Type column)	What it does Restrict what a zone accepts—for example Any file, or narrower kinds such as text, Office documents, PDFs, images, video, audio, plus custom extensions.	Good to know —
Primary action: None	What it does Reserve or clear a slot: no automation runs when something is dropped on that zone.	Good to know —
Primary action: Shortcut	What it does Run a macOS Shortcut when a matching file lands on the zone; pick the Shortcut in the destination field (e.g. Quick Look Preview).	Good to know —
Primary action: Email	What it does Trigger an email flow with the dropped file (new message / attachment handoff, per app wiring).	Good to know —
Primary action: Copy to…	What it does Copy the dropped item into a folder you choose; set the path in the destination column (browse / “…” picker).	Good to know —
Primary action: Move to…	What it does Move the dropped item into a chosen folder; destination uses the same path picker pattern as Copy to….	Good to know —
Primary action: AppleScript	What it does Execute an AppleScript, passing the dropped file as context.	Good to know —
Primary action: Shell script	What it does Run a shell script with the dropped file available to the script.	Good to know —
Primary action: Run CLI command	What it does Run a command-line invocation with the dropped item as input or argument, as configured.	Good to know —
Primary action: Utilities	What it does Use built-in utility actions—the same catalog as File-specific utilities (shareable links, compression, metadata strip, etc.). The destination column lists the specific utility (for example Shareable Link).	Good to know —
Destination / parameter column	What it does Secondary field per action: folder paths for Copy/Move, named Shortcut for Shortcut actions, or the concrete utility / script identifier for Utilities, AppleScript, shell, and CLI.	Good to know —
Post-drop: None	What it does After the primary action finishes, leave the file’s shelf state unchanged beyond what the action itself did.	Good to know —
Post-drop: Keep in shelf	What it does Retain the item on the Files shelf after the zone action completes.	Good to know —
Post-drop: Copy to…	What it does After the primary action, copy the file to another configured folder.	Good to know —
Post-drop: Move to…	What it does After the primary action, move the file to another configured folder.	Good to know —
Post-drop: Move to Bin	What it does After the primary action, send the item to the Trash.	Good to know —
Post-drop: Permanently delete	What it does After the primary action, delete the item permanently (use with care).	Good to know —
Active toggle per zone	What it does Turn a zone on or off without losing its name, icon, type, action, destination, and post-drop settings.	Good to know —
Remove zone configuration	What it does Clear a row (e.g. ✕) to delete that zone’s setup and free the slot.	Good to know —

Compress to ZIP	What it does Create a ZIP archive from one or more selected items on the shelf.	Good to know —
Extract archive (unzip)	What it does Expand ZIP (and supported archives) from an item on the shelf.	Good to know —
PDF from images	What it does Build a PDF from supported image types in a couple of steps, without leaving the shelf.	Good to know —
Strip photo metadata	What it does Remove EXIF, location, and related metadata from images before sharing or archiving.	Good to know —
Rename	What it does Rename files from the shelf with Finder-style naming, in place.	Good to know —
Move on disk	What it does Move the selected item to another folder or location on disk from the shelf (Finder-equivalent move).	Good to know —
Copy to configured folder	What it does Copy the selection into a folder you’ve saved in settings—one action, no browsing.	Good to know —
Move to configured folder	What it does Move the selection into a folder you’ve saved in settings.	Good to know —
AirDrop	What it does Send the selection via AirDrop when the system offers it.	Good to know —
Messages	What it does Send files through Messages from shelf utilities.	Good to know —
Mail	What it does Hand off the selection into Mail (e.g. new message with attachment) from shelf actions.	Good to know —
Notes	What it does Send or share into Notes via the standard macOS share flow from the shelf.	Good to know —
Share sheet (other extensions)	What it does Open the standard macOS Share sheet for targets not listed above—other apps, services, and third-party Share extensions.	Good to know —
Quick share links	What it does Create short-lived upload links (e.g. via 0x0) for a fast one-off share.	Good to know —
Clop	What it does Optimize images, video, and PDFs with Clop when installed—manual runs or automation hooks.	Good to know —
Dropshare	What it does Upload via Dropshare from shelf menus or utility actions when Dropshare is installed.	Good to know —
Shortcuts	What it does Run a Shortcut as a shelf or drop-zone action against the current selection.	Good to know —
Finder integration	What it does Finder Sync extension; reveal in Finder, open in Finder, and related path/copy helpers.	Good to know —

A second shelf	What it does A separate customisable strip alongside the Main Shelf: Files Shelf—for screenshots, downloads, and related flows.	Good to know —
What the second shelf shows	What it does Classic two-pane files, compact media controls, or live system modules—switch per your setup.	Good to know —
What each pane can be	What it does Each side can be screenshots, images, a watched folder, clipboard history, Downloads, or Recents.	Good to know —
Adjust the split	What it does Drag the divider to set how much space each pane uses.	Good to know —
Screenshot folder watch	What it does Follow your screenshots folder—or any folder—with depth and ignore rules.	Good to know —
Downloads folder watch	What it does Same for Downloads or any folder you choose.	Good to know —
Recents	What it does Show macOS Recents with limits and apps you want excluded.	Good to know —
Clipboard history	What it does Keep a running history of clipboard items, backed by the shelf.	Good to know Handy when you copy more than one thing in a row.
What clipboard captures	What it does Toggle images, screenshots, plain text, links, and files independently.	Good to know —
Narrow clipboard capture	What it does In image modes, only new screenshots or only copied images—instead of full clipboard history.	Good to know —
Clipboard exclusions	What it does Skip certain apps, pasteboard types, or lines matching a regex.	Good to know —
Tag filters here too	What it does Screenshots and download panes can filter by Finder color tags.	Good to know —
Limits per pane	What it does Cap how many screenshots, downloads, recents, or clipboard entries you retain.	Good to know —
Auto-delete by age	What it does Drop older screenshots or downloads automatically after a set time.	Good to know —
Now playing	What it does Swap the shelf for compact Spotify or Apple Music controls.	Good to know —
System readouts	What it does CPU, memory, disk, network, battery, clock, uptime, thermal—compact widgets.	Good to know —

Hover previews	What it does Peek at a file from the shelf before you open it.	Good to know —
Quick Look	What it does Open full Quick Look from the shelf, with keyboard shortcuts.	Good to know —
Preview settings	What it does Change preview size, delay, or use an alternate PDF preview if you prefer.	Good to know —
Thumbnails & link icons	What it does Optional thumbnails for files and favicons for saved links (experimental).	Good to know —
Previews for more than “a file”	What it does PDFs, folders, stacks, long text, video, and web links.	Good to know —
Links as first-class items	What it does Drop or paste URLs; Dockside can show a favicon or page title when available.	Good to know —

Dock-aware placement	What it does Follow the Dock edge automatically, or pin Dockside to the left, right, or bottom.	Good to know —
Multiple displays	What it does Follow the active screen or lock Dockside to one monitor.	Good to know Helpful on desk setups with two or more displays.
Jump screen while dragging	What it does In supported modes, Dockside can move to the display where your drag began.	Good to know —
Shelf size	What it does Let width and height follow the Dock, or set them yourself.	Good to know —
Adapts when the Dock moves	What it does Resize and reposition when Dock size or screen layout changes.	Good to know —
Shelf styles	What it does Transparent, Dock-style material, or solid opaque.	Good to know —
Dock-style strength	What it does Tune how strong the “Dock-like” blur and tint feel—including heavier opaque variants.	Good to know —
Light, dark, or match System	What it does Set Dockside’s theme separately from macOS, including a dark-first option.	Good to know —
Custom opaque colors	What it does Pick shelf fill, optional outline, and outline color in opaque mode.	Good to know —
Hide & fade	What it does Auto-hide and/or fade so the Dock strip stays calm when you’re not using it.	Good to know —
Hints & ornaments	What it does Toggle empty-state hints and decorative shelf trim.	Good to know —
Labels & icon size	What it does Readable names vs dense icons—your call.	Good to know —
Hide with the Dock	What it does When the Dock auto-hides, Dockside can hide in sync.	Good to know —
Show with the Dock	What it does Optionally reveal Dockside whenever the Dock peeks out.	Good to know —
One shelf or both	What it does Decide whether Dock reveal affects only one shelf or every shelf.	Good to know —
Timing	What it does Fine-tune Dock auto-hide timing and Dockside’s own delay.	Good to know —
Dock controls in settings	What it does Toggle Dock hide, magnification, open Dock settings, or restart the Dock.	Good to know —
Full-screen apps	What it does Detect full-screen apps and keep a list of apps to ignore.	Good to know —

Integration User Guide (/integrations)	What it does Step-by-step instructions for developers and power users: registered URL actions, Services, and command-line patterns. Pairs with this spec for a full picture.	Good to know —
Custom URL: add file or folder to shelf	What it does dockside://action/add?file=path/to/file — adds the given file or folder to the Files shelf. Suitable for scripts, other apps, and Launcher utilities that can open URLs.	Good to know —
Custom URL: clear Files shelf	What it does dockside://action/clear-files-shelf — removes all items from the Files shelf. Same automation surface as the add action.	Good to know —
Command line: open -a Dockside with a path	What it does open -a Dockside.app "/path/to/file" — hands a file or folder to Dockside from Terminal, launchd jobs, or any tool that can invoke open(1).	Good to know —
Command line: open a dockside:// URL	What it does open "dockside://action/add?file=path/to/file" and open "dockside://action/clear-files-shelf" — shell-friendly variants of the custom URL actions.	Good to know —
macOS Service: Add to Dockside	What it does Registered system Service so other apps can send content in: files, folders, URLs, or plain text supplied via NSPasteboard. The receiving app calls Dockside; no custom URL required in every case.	Good to know —
PopClip → Dockside (selected text)	What it does PopClip extension sends the current text selection to the shelf using the Add to Dockside Service flow—Inbound from the PopClip ecosystem.	Good to know Third-party extension; install from PopClip’s extension directory.
Clop ↔ Dockside (two-way)	What it does Outbound: Dockside can optimise images, video, and PDFs on the shelf via Clop when Clop is installed (see File-specific utilities). Inbound: Clop can push optimised items back to Dockside using the same open / dockside:// patterns documented on lowtechguys.com (Clop integration).	Good to know —
Dropshare (Dockside → cloud)	What it does Upload files from the shelf through Dropshare when installed—links and destinations follow Dropshare’s supported services (29+ cloud targets per Dropshare). Primarily an outbound hand-off from Dockside.	Good to know —
Shortcuts (two-way automation)	What it does Outbound: Dockside runs macOS Shortcuts from drop zones and utility actions. Inbound: Shortcuts, Automator, and other tools can add or clear shelf content by opening dockside:// URLs or using open -a Dockside with paths—same contract as the Integration User Guide.	Good to know —
Share sheet & Share extensions	What it does Dockside hands files to the system Share UI and third-party Share extensions from shelf actions (see File-specific utilities). Outbound only from Dockside’s side; targets are whatever macOS lists.	Good to know —
Finder Sync extension	What it does Finder-adjacent behaviour (reveal, open, sync extension) is detailed under File-specific utilities; listed here so Finder appears in the integrations map.	Good to know —

Familiar shortcuts	What it does Select all, copy, paste, delete, new note, Quick Look—similar to Finder.	Good to know —
Your own global shortcuts	What it does Toggle auto-hide or expand/collapse shelves from anywhere.	Good to know —
Modifier keys while dragging	What it does Hold keys when dragging in or out to remove, move instead of copy, force copy, skip reveal, or ignore the drag.	Good to know Power-user controls once muscle memory kicks in.
Open at login	What it does Start Dockside when you sign in to your Mac.	Good to know —
Menu bar	What it does Optional menu bar icon, tips popover, and dropping onto the menu bar.	Good to know —
Sounds	What it does Optional audio feedback for shelf actions.	Good to know —
Updates	What it does Automatic update checks plus a “Check now” action.	Good to know —
Permissions	What it does Shortcuts to open or reset the macOS permissions Dockside needs.	Good to know —
Native Mac app	What it does Built with Apple’s frameworks for a proper desktop fit.	Good to know —
Privacy	What it does No collection or sale of your data; online use is mainly for license checks.	Good to know —
One-time license	What it does Pay once (currently US $5.99 in the app) to unlock.	Good to know —
Three Macs	What it does Use on up to three computers; adding a new one may roll the oldest seat.	Good to know —
Ongoing support	What it does Help is included with your license.	Good to know —
Help inside the app	What it does Discord, email, feature requests, changelog, tips, and links out to more info.	Good to know —
Languages	What it does English, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Polish, and Simplified Chinese.	Good to know —

Sections start collapsed—tap a header to expand or collapse. On small screens each feature stacks in one card; on larger screens the table scrolls horizontally.