Watch Your Inbox

Turn your email into a watch folder. NameQuick copies PDF attachments from senders you approve into a folder on your Mac and renames them automatically, the same way it renames any Watch Folder.

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What it does#

When you watch an inbox, NameQuick keeps an eye on it for PDF attachments. Whenever an approved sender emails you a PDF, NameQuick copies that PDF into a folder you choose and renames it using that folder's own settings. Your receipts, invoices, and statements land named and filed, without you opening the email.

It only ever watches senders you approve. It reads who sent attachments — the sender, subject, date, and attachment name — never the words inside your messages. It connects read-only, so it never marks mail as read, moves it, or deletes it. And nothing happens without your approval: NameQuick asks before it watches a new sender, and it never acts behind your back.

How it works#

Setup is two grants, and then it runs on its own.

1. Connect with an app password. Pick your email provider and paste an app password — a one-off code your provider makes just for NameQuick, separate from your real password and revocable anytime. The sign-in is stored in your Mac's Keychain and never leaves your machine.
2. Approve senders. Choose who's worth watching. Either run a 90-day scan that you approve first (NameQuick reads senders, subjects, dates, and attachment names to find who sent PDFs, then you tick the ones to keep), or type the addresses yourself, including whole domains like @stripe.com. Only the senders you approve are stored. Everything else the scan saw is discarded.
3. Pick where PDFs land. Choose a folder on your Mac, or let NameQuick make one for you. This becomes a watched folder like any other.
4. The folder does the renaming. NameQuick copies each approved sender's PDF into that folder, and the folder's own rename settings — Smart Rename or a preset — name it on arrival.

After that it runs quietly. In steady state, NameQuick checks only your approved senders, every 15 minutes. It never lists your inbox or looks at anyone you didn't approve. Each check leaves a plain-language receipt ("Checked your 6 senders"), so you can always see what it did.

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Set up your provider#

NameQuick connects over IMAP with an app password. Each provider makes that code in a slightly different place — pick yours below.

A note on app passwords. An app password (Apple calls it an "app-specific password") is a one-off code your provider generates for a single app. Your real account password never touches NameQuick, and you can revoke the code at your provider anytime without changing anything else. For most providers, it's also the only way to let an outside app read your mail at all.

Gmail (including Google Workspace)#

Before you start: Gmail only offers app passwords when 2-Step Verification is turned on for your Google Account. If the app-password page says the option isn't available, that's almost always why.

On Google's side:

1. Open myaccount.google.com/apppasswords.
2. Enter a name (like NameQuick) and select Create.
3. Copy the 16-character code Google shows. It's shown only once.

In NameQuick:

1. Pick Gmail, enter your Gmail address, and paste the code. Spaces are fine.
2. Select Connect inbox.

NameQuick watches your All Mail, so archived and filtered messages from approved senders are included, not just what's sitting in your inbox.

If it won't connect:

• "App passwords" isn't on the page. 2-Step Verification is off. Turn it on in your Google Account's security settings, then the app-password page appears.
• Google Workspace account. Your admin can switch off IMAP access or app passwords for the whole organization. If the option is missing or the code is rejected, ask your Workspace admin to enable IMAP and app passwords.
• Wrong-account trap. The app-password page acts on whichever Google account you're currently signed into. NameQuick's link preselects the address you typed, but double-check the account shown at the top of the page before you create the code.

iCloud Mail#

Before you start: Apple only offers app-specific passwords when your Apple Account has two-factor authentication turned on. You can have up to 25 active app-specific passwords.

On Apple's side:

1. Open account.apple.com and go to Sign-In & Security.
2. Select App-Specific Passwords and add one named NameQuick.
3. Copy the password Apple shows and paste it into NameQuick.

In NameQuick:

1. Pick iCloud Mail, enter your @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com address, and paste the password.
2. Select Connect inbox.

If it won't connect: Create the app-specific password at account.apple.com, not from an old note — Apple revokes every app-specific password whenever you change your main Apple Account password, so you may need a fresh one.

GMX / web.de#

Before you start: GMX and web.de block outside apps until you switch on IMAP access in their webmail settings. GMX also turns IMAP back off automatically if it goes unused for a long stretch, so if a connection that used to work suddenly fails, check this setting first.

On GMX's or web.de's side:

1. Open your webmail and go to Settings → POP3/IMAP.
2. Turn on IMAP access and save.

In NameQuick:

1. Pick GMX / web.de, enter your email and password.
2. Select Connect inbox.

The one tile covers both brands: a @gmx.* address connects to GMX's server and a @web.de address connects to web.de's, automatically. GMX and web.de let apps in with your normal account password once IMAP is switched on — there's no separate app-password code to create.

Fastmail#

On Fastmail's side:

1. Open Fastmail and go to Settings → Privacy & Security.
2. Find Connected apps & API tokens and select Manage app passwords and access, then New app password. (You may be asked to confirm your password.)
3. Choose IMAP access and name it NameQuick.
4. Copy the code and paste it into NameQuick.

In NameQuick:

1. Pick Fastmail, enter your Fastmail address, and paste the code.
2. Select Connect inbox.

Fastmail requires a separate app password for every IMAP connection. Your normal password (or a two-step password) won't work for an outside app, so make one specifically for NameQuick.

Yahoo Mail#

On Yahoo's side:

1. Sign in at login.yahoo.com and open your Account Security page.
2. Under External connections, select Create app password and name it NameQuick.
3. Copy the 16-character code and paste it into NameQuick.

In NameQuick:

1. Pick Yahoo Mail, enter your @yahoo.com or @aol.com address, and paste the code.
2. Select Connect inbox.

Proton Mail#

Before you start: Proton keeps your mail end-to-end encrypted, so outside apps connect through Proton Mail Bridge, a small app that runs on your Mac and decrypts mail locally. Bridge is available on paid Proton plans, and it must be running for NameQuick to connect.

On Proton's side:

1. Install and open Proton Mail Bridge and sign in.
2. Copy the IMAP password Bridge shows for your address. (This is Bridge's own password, not your Proton login.)

In NameQuick:

1. Pick Proton Mail, enter your Proton address, and paste the Bridge password.
2. Select Connect inbox.

NameQuick connects to Bridge locally at 127.0.0.1, so your mail still never leaves your Mac.

If it won't connect: The most common cause is that Proton Mail Bridge isn't running. Open Bridge on your Mac, then try again.

Other IMAP#

For any other mail server, pick Other IMAP and enter the details yourself:

1. Enter your email address and app password (or your mailbox password, if your server uses one).
2. Enter your IMAP server (host), port (usually 993), and security (SSL/TLS for most servers, or STARTTLS).
3. Select Connect inbox.

If it won't connect: NameQuick couldn't reach that server. Check the host, port, and security with your mail provider, then try again.

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Privacy, in plain words#

The whole feature is one editable list: the senders you approve. Everything else is designed so you can check that NameQuick never left that list. For how each rename mode handles your file content, see Privacy & Your Data.

The scan is metadata-only and forgetful. If you choose the 90-day scan, NameQuick reads who sent attachments — senders, subjects, dates, and attachment names — never the text of your messages, and it all runs on this Mac. After you tick the senders to keep, the rest of the scan is discarded. Only the senders you approve are stored. (Prefer not to scan at all? Type the addresses yourself, and NameQuick never lists your inbox — it asks the mail server only for messages from the addresses you named.)

Steady state only ever looks at approved senders. Once you're set up, every check asks the mail server for messages from your approved senders only. NameQuick never runs an inbox-wide search, so mail from people you didn't approve is never even listed.

It's read-only. NameQuick can only read mail. It never marks a message as read, moves it, or deletes it. The email itself stays in your inbox, unread and untouched — NameQuick copies the PDF out, it doesn't take anything.

Your sign-in stays in the Keychain. The app password lives in your macOS Keychain on this Mac. It never syncs to us and never leaves your machine. And because it's an app password, you hold the kill switch: revoke it at your provider anytime, and NameQuick's access ends.

Mail it can't verify is held, not downloaded. Some scam mail forges the "from" line to look like a sender you trust. If a message claims to be from an approved sender but your provider couldn't confirm it really came from them, NameQuick holds it and asks you — nothing is downloaded while it's held. You decide whether to file that one PDF or ignore it. (See Living with it for what a hold looks like.)

Disconnecting keeps your files and forgets the account. When you stop watching an inbox, the files it already filed stay exactly where they are and keep their arrival story in History. NameQuick forgets the account and its senders, the senders you declined, and what it filed, and removes the sign-in from your Keychain. Your mail was never changed. You can also revoke NameQuick's app password at your provider for good measure.

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Living with it#

Once an inbox is connected, it lives in your sidebar under a plain Inbox entry, and its detail view is where you keep an eye on things.

The account view shows, at a glance:

• When it last checked and what it found ("Checked your 6 senders · nothing new," or "3 new PDFs filed"). NameQuick checks every 15 minutes.
• Your senders — the full list of everyone NameQuick may read, with each sender's recent activity ("last PDF Tuesday · 4 filed"). This is the one list that defines what NameQuick can see, shown right where you edit it.
• Add or remove senders anytime. Add a single address or a whole @domain. Remove one and NameQuick stops watching it.
• Scan again for the last 90 days (or 12 months) whenever you want to catch senders you missed. Same rules as the first time, and senders you already declined stay declined.
• The destination folder and which rename setting names your PDFs.
• Access and sign-in — a reminder that it's read-only and revocable at your provider, and that the password sits in your Keychain.

New-sender prompts. If you turn on "Watch for new senders," NameQuick notices when someone you haven't approved sends a PDF and lists them for you to Watch or Ignore. The PDF stays put until you say yes — nothing is renamed or moved until you approve the sender. This is off by default; NameQuick never starts looking beyond your approved list without you turning it on.

History is the full audit trail. Every meaningful thing NameQuick did is there: senders you started or stopped watching, each scan and how many senders it kept, PDFs filed, messages held and why, and when the account was connected, paused, reconnected, or disconnected. If you ever want to answer "what has this ever done," History has it.

Pausing. Pause an inbox and NameQuick stops checking it. Nothing is lost — resume anytime and it picks up where it left off.

Disconnecting. Select Stop watching to disconnect. NameQuick confirms first and reminds you what stays (your files and their history) and what's forgotten (the account, its senders, and the sign-in). See Privacy for the details.

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FAQ#

Why an app password instead of "Sign in with Google"? An app password is the only Gmail method that keeps NameQuick out of your Google account's full access. Your real password never touches the app, the code only grants read-only mail access, and you can revoke it anytime at your provider. For most other providers, it's also the only way an outside app can connect at all.

Does NameQuick read my emails? No. It reads who sent attachments — the sender, subject, date, and attachment name — never the words inside your messages. It connects read-only, so it can't mark mail read, move it, or delete it either.

What counts as an invoice? NameQuick doesn't try to guess. There's no classifier deciding what's an invoice. It simply watches the senders you approve, and copies the PDFs they send. You decide what's worth watching.

What happens to mail NameQuick can't verify? If a message claims to be from an approved sender but your provider couldn't confirm it really came from them, NameQuick holds it and asks you — nothing is downloaded while it's held. You choose to file that one PDF or ignore it, and your sender list is unchanged either way.

Why didn't the scan find a sender I expected? Two common reasons. First, the scan only finds senders who sent PDF attachments — a sender who only emails plain messages won't appear. Second, on Gmail NameQuick watches your All Mail, so archived and filtered messages are covered; for every other provider it watches the mailbox you pointed it at (your inbox by default), so a statement that was auto-filed into another folder won't be seen unless you scan that folder.

Can I point it at a folder I already watch? Yes. If you choose a folder NameQuick already watches, its existing rename setting names whatever lands there — there's nothing extra to set up. If you choose a new or empty folder, NameQuick starts watching it for you.

What does disconnecting delete? Your filed PDFs and their arrival history stay. NameQuick forgets the account, its senders, and the sign-in (removed from your Keychain), and it stops checking. Your mail is never touched. You can also revoke the app password at your provider.

Is Outlook / Microsoft 365 supported? Not yet. Today NameQuick supports Gmail and Google Workspace, iCloud Mail, GMX / web.de, Fastmail, Yahoo Mail, Proton Mail (via Proton Mail Bridge), and any other IMAP server you configure by hand.

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New to NameQuick? Start with the Quick Start, then come back to point an inbox at a folder.