Fix Accessibility and browser access
An enabled Accessibility toggle and successful browser access are different checks. If macOS reports permission granted but Smart Attach does not work, start by checking whether SupaSidebar can read a browser window. A failure can involve permissions, browser communication, or the current window; it does not identify the cause by itself.
Check browser access in Preferences
- Open your browser and a normal browser window.
- Open SupaSidebar Preferences > Permission Status.
- Select your browser from the menu beside Attached to my browser.
- Click Check again.
The browser access check is available in builds that include this browser selector. Older builds may display Ready based only on the permission flag.
| Result | What to do |
|---|---|
| Access verified | SupaSidebar read a window’s position and size in the selected browser. If Smart Attach still fails, check its settings below. |
| Access check failed | macOS reports permission granted, but the read failed. Follow the recovery steps below. |
| Needs permission | Allow SupaSidebar in Accessibility settings, then check again. |
| Open a browser / Open a browser window | Open the selected browser with a window and check again. This is not a permission failure. |
| Excluded | The browser is excluded in Privacy & Browsers, so the check does not access it. Review that choice if you want to use it with Smart Attach. |
| Try again shortly | Wait for the browser to respond, then check again. |
Access verified applies to the selected browser at the last check time. It does not test sidebar movement, Live Tabs, mouse triggers, or browser Automation. The check does not open browsers, move windows, or read page content.
Mouse to edge
Mouse to edge checks its own mouse listener. It does not reuse the browser window result.
After opening Permission Status or clicking Check again, move your mouse normally. You do not need to move it to a screen edge to verify input.
| Result | Meaning and next step |
|---|---|
| Input verified | The existing mouse listener is active and has received movement since this check started. |
| Move mouse to verify | The listener is active, but no movement has been received for this check yet. Move the pointer. |
| Mouse access failed | The listener is missing or inactive. Reopen SupaSidebar, then try the Accessibility recovery steps below if necessary. |
| Needs permission | Allow SupaSidebar in Accessibility settings, then reopen the app. |
| No edge selected | Select Left Edge or Right Edge in Preferences > Mouse Triggers. |
| Turned off | Mouse Triggers is disabled in its settings. |
Input verified confirms mouse input, not a completed sidebar reveal. If the sidebar still does not appear, check the selected edges and hover delay in Mouse Triggers settings, then try the edge with no modifier keys held.
If access is verified but Smart Attach still fails
- Check Preferences > Sidebar and make sure Smart Attach is selected.
- Check Privacy & Browsers for exclusions.
- Try a normal browser window outside full screen, and show the sidebar beside it.
- Move the browser window and check whether the sidebar follows.
If it still fails, use the support details at the end of this page. Resetting permissions is not a guaranteed fix for an attachment or window-selection problem.
Quick fix: re-add SupaSidebar
Try these steps when browser access fails even though Accessibility is enabled:
- Save any work in the browser. Quit and reopen the browser and SupaSidebar, then check again.
- If the check still fails, quit SupaSidebar completely using its Quit command. Closing the sidebar alone is not the same as quitting the app.
- Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility.
- Select SupaSidebar and use the Remove (-) button to remove its Accessibility entry. Authenticate if macOS asks. If the controls are unavailable on a managed Mac, contact your administrator.
- Use Add (+) to select the SupaSidebar app you normally launch, usually in Applications. Enable its toggle.
- Relaunch that copy of SupaSidebar, open a browser window, and return to Permission Status > Check again.
This is a recovery step, not proof that the permission entry caused the failure. Apple’s Accessibility permission guide explains how to add an app and enable access.
Multiple SupaSidebar entries in the list
Check whether you have been launching different copies of SupaSidebar, such as one in Applications and another in Downloads. Quit SupaSidebar, choose the copy you intend to use, and add that copy in Accessibility settings. Avoid launching another copy while checking access.
Permissions lost after an update
Run the browser access check again. If it fails, try reopening both apps and then the re-add steps above. The timing of an update alone does not establish why access failed.
Last resort: reinstall the app
If reopening and re-adding do not help:
- Export a backup of your saved items from Preferences > Import & Export before reinstalling.
- Quit SupaSidebar.
- Download SupaSidebar from the official website and replace the app in Applications.
- Open that copy, review its Accessibility entry, and repeat the browser access check.
Replace the app itself. Do not use an app cleaner or delete SupaSidebar’s settings or application data as part of these steps. Reinstalling is not guaranteed to reset macOS permissions or fix a browser communication problem.
Automation isn’t prompting or is denied
Automation is separate from Accessibility. To check it:
- Open the browser you want to use.
- Open Preferences > Permission Status > Browser Automation.
- If access is not granted, click Grant access for that browser and respond to the macOS prompt, if one appears.
- If macOS has already denied access, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation, expand SupaSidebar, and enable the relevant browser.
- Return to Permission Status and click Check again.
The Check again action does not request Automation access. Grant access can open a browser and request permission.
A linked space shows a permission warning
In 1.3.0 and later, click the browser/profile label beside the space name, then use Review permissions for a missing permission. Live Tabs is turned off and blocked-browser messages lead to Browser Activity or Privacy & Browsers instead.
Grant the permission actually named in the warning, return to SupaSidebar, and check again. An unverified preflight result alone does not stop the regular tab loader. Connected confirms the saved link to the browser/profile, not every operation the browser supports.
If tabs appear in an unlinked space but not in a linked one, see Linked browser troubleshooting before resetting permissions.
Live Tabs works in one browser but not another
Check the individual browser’s result under Browser Automation. An Automation grant for one browser does not grant access to another. Some browsers use Accessibility instead; see Permissions setup.
A successful window access check does not verify that tabs can be read. Include which feature fails when contacting support.
Still stuck?
Email support with:
- Your macOS version and SupaSidebar version/build
- The browser name and version
- The selected browser and result in Permission Status
- Any error number and failed step shown below the result
- Whether access is verified but Smart Attach still fails
- Whether the problem occurs with a normal window, full screen, or multiple displays
A screenshot of Permission Status can help. You do not need to share private page content or URLs.