OctaflowEvery status below comes from real tests: an automated suite of 54 requests, each checked against the Mac’s actual state (latest full runs September 29 to October 1, 2026), plus hand-run tests and real use. So far it’s all been tested on one Mac. If an app isn’t listed, it hasn’t been tested yet.
Any app
- Works well
Open, quit or close apps by name, several at once.
Open Calculator, Photos and Calendar.
Close both of those.
Quit Calculator.
Spotify
- Works well
Play, pause, skip, shuffle, and what’s playing.
Pause Spotify.
Turn on shuffle in Spotify.
What song is playing right now?
- Works
Play a playlist by name. Passed 3 of the last 4 test runs.
Play my Chill House playlist in Spotify.
Apple Music
- Works well
Opening it.
Open Apple Music.
- Untested
Playing, pausing and playlists in Music.
System Settings and Mac controls
- Works well
Opening a settings pane, Dark Mode, volume and mute.
Open my Wi-Fi settings.
Show me my display settings.
Turn on Dark Mode.
Turn the volume up a little.
- Untested
Changing other switches inside Settings.
Finder
- Works well
Opening folders.
Show me my Downloads folder.
Open my Documents folder.
- Works
Finding files by name. Passed 3 of the last 4 test runs.
Find files with invoice in the name on my Mac.
Calculator
- Works well
Working out sums on Calculator itself. Plain sums are answered directly.
Can you do 128 times 46 on the calculator?
Open Calculator and work out 15% of 240.
What’s 1,250 divided by 5?
Notes
- Works
Reading your newest note, or a to-do list in a note.
What’s my most recent note in Notes?
Check my to-do list in Notes.
- Works
Making a note with a title and text. Without a title or text it’s slow.
Make a note called Groceries with eggs and milk.
Reminders
- Works well
Showing and adding reminders.
Show me my reminders.
Remind me to buy batteries.
Calendar
- Works
What’s on today. Passed the last 3 test runs.
What’s on my calendar today?
- Untested
Other days, and adding or changing events.
Messages
- Works
Writing a text. Octaflow types the message into Messages as a preview and waits for your yes. Nothing is sent without it.
Text Nick saying I’m running late.
- Untested
The full send after you say yes.
- Not yet
Reading your messages, like “what did Tim text me?”. This needs Full Disk Access, planned for after launch.
Mail (Apple Mail)
- Works well
Opening it.
Open my Mail app.
- Untested
Reading, searching or sending in Mail.
Gmail (in Chrome)
- Works well
Newest email, unread count, important emails, and emails from someone.
What’s the newest email in my Gmail?
How many unread emails do I have?
Check my Gmail for important emails from today.
Find the emails from Google in my Gmail.
- Untested
Starting a new email to an address isn’t tested regularly. Sending always waits for your yes.
Google Chrome
- Works well
Google searches, going to sites and Wikipedia pages, switching to an open tab, and mixing with other apps in one request.
Search Google for the weather in Denver.
Go to the Wikipedia page for Denver.
What’s the weather like today? … What about Chicago?
Search YouTube for lo-fi beats and then open my Gmail.
- Works
Going deep inside a web app, like a specific page in Google Play Console. It reaches the page, but sometimes says it isn’t sure it did.
YouTube (in Chrome or Safari)
- Works well
Searching.
Search YouTube for lo-fi beats.
- Works
Playing the first video. The video plays, but Octaflow says it isn’t sure.
Search YouTube for lo-fi beats and play the first video.
Safari
- Works
Google searches, YouTube and Wikipedia. Passed in the latest run; in two earlier runs a search went to Chrome instead.
Search Google for the weather in Chicago in Safari.
Open YouTube in Safari and search for pasta recipes.
In Safari, go to the Wikipedia page for the Eiffel Tower.
Discord
- Works
Opening Discord (sometimes slow), opening a DM and reading its last message, and saying who messaged you last. Reading depends on what Discord is showing. Sending always waits for your yes. Tested by hand, not yet in the automated tests.
Open my DM with Alex in Discord and tell me the last message.
App Store
- Not yet
It opens, but search results can’t be read. The App Store doesn’t make them readable to assistive tools.
Apple Maps
- Not yet
It opens, but getting directions doesn’t work yet.
Terminal
- Not yet
Typing a command didn’t work in testing. By design, every action in a terminal or code editor asks for your yes first.
Not tested yet
Slack, Notion, WhatsApp, Telegram, Zoom, Photos (opening it works), Arc, Brave, Edge and Firefox. In Arc, harder steps are more limited: Octaflow takes no screenshots there because it can’t check which site is open.
Off limits, by design
Octaflow never reads password managers, Keychain, banking or wallet apps, or bank and password sites. Anything that sends, deletes, buys or posts waits for your yes.
Good to know
- The first time Octaflow controls Notes, Reminders, Messages, Spotify, Music, Chrome or Safari, macOS asks “Octaflow wants to control …”. Click OK once for each. More on permissions.
- Apps built on web tech, like Discord, Slack and Notion, can be slower the first time Octaflow reads them.
- Octaflow struggles in apps that don’t expose their screens to accessibility tools, like App Store results, map directions, games and drawing apps.
- In Chrome, turning on View › Developer › Allow JavaScript from Apple Events makes web pages faster and more reliable. It’s optional; Octaflow works in Chrome without it.
Questions
Does Octaflow work with Spotify?
Yes. Play, pause, skip, shuffle and asking what’s playing passed every recent test. Playing a playlist by name works too, and passed 3 of the last 4 test runs.
Can Octaflow send text messages?
It can write a text in Messages as a preview and wait for your yes; nothing is sent without it. Reading your messages isn’t supported yet.
Does Octaflow work with Gmail?
Yes, in Chrome: it can tell you your newest email, unread count, important emails and emails from someone. Sending always waits for your yes.
Does it work in Safari?
Google searches, YouTube and Wikipedia work in Safari. In two earlier test runs a search went to Chrome instead; the latest run passed.
Does Octaflow work with Slack or Notion?
They haven’t been tested yet.
Which apps don’t work yet?
App Store search results, directions in Apple Maps, and typing commands in Terminal.