Installing Matte.
Drag it to Applications, then confirm it once. The free beta isn’t notarised by Apple yet, so the first time you open it macOS asks you to say it’s fine. It takes about a minute.
The steps
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Drag Matte to Applications
Open Matte.dmg from your Downloads. In the window that opens, drag Matte onto the Applications folder. Then eject the disk image from Finder’s sidebar.
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Open Matte, then click Done
Open Matte from Applications. macOS says it can’t verify the developer and doesn’t open it yet. That’s expected for the beta. Click Done, not Move to Bin.
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Click Open Anyway
Go to System Settings › Privacy & Security and scroll down to Security. Next to “Matte was blocked to protect your Mac”, click Open Anyway. The button shows for about an hour after step 2.
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Enter your password
macOS asks for your Mac’s login password, or your fingerprint, to allow the change.
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Click Open
One last check: click Open. macOS remembers, so from now on Matte opens like any other app.
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Control-click Matte, then Open
In Applications, hold Control and click Matte (or right-click it), then choose Open from the menu. Double-clicking won’t offer the option the first time.
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Click Open
macOS says it can’t verify the developer and asks if you’re sure. Click Open. You only do this once.
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Mappy says hello
Matte sits in the notch. Now activate it with the code from your email: click Activate Matte in the email, or type the code in Matte’s welcome screen.
Prefer Terminal?
Once Matte is in Applications, this one line clears the download flag macOS puts on it, so it opens straight away. It doesn’t change anything else.
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Matte.appOpen Terminal from Applications › Utilities, paste the line, press Return, then open Matte.
Why the extra step, honestly.
Not notarised yet
Apple checks apps it notarises before they reach you. The free beta is signed with Studio Nine’s own certificate instead, so macOS asks you to vouch for it once.
Nothing leaves your Mac
Opening it this way sends nothing anywhere. Your files, music and calendar are handled on your Mac. Matte only sends usage counts, which you can turn off. Privacy
A notarised build is coming
When it’s ready, Matte opens with a double-click like anything from the App Store. Your settings and widgets carry over.
What Matte may ask for.
Only when you add the widget that needs it, and only once. Change your mind any time in System Settings › Privacy & Security.
- CalendarsCalendar, Next call and Daily brief
To show your next event and its join link. Matte reads the calendars already on your Mac and never changes them.
- LocationWeather
For the forecast where you are, to about a kilometre. Prefer not to? Type a city in Settings instead.
- AutomationSnap, Music and the theme switch
So Snap can read your browser’s current tab when you ask it to, and Matte can see what’s playing and switch light or dark.
- AccessibilityPodcasts, Windows and Rowline
To send your Mac’s play and pause media key, and to move windows when you snap them into place.
- CameraCamera mirror
Only while the mirror panel is open. Nothing is recorded, and the camera stops the moment you close it.
- Claude Code hooksClaude Code
Not a macOS permission: Matte adds its hooks to ~/.claude/settings.json (backed up first) so requests come to the notch. Remove them any time in Settings › Claude Code.
A few widgets ask for one more: Reminders for Daily brief, and Contacts and Full Disk Access for Messages, so it can show names and read your recent chats on your Mac.
Installed? Activate it.
Use the Activate Matte button in your email, or type the 8-character code. Stuck? hello@studionine.agency
How to activate