Slipway keeps an eye on your releases while it's running. A paper-plane icon in the menu bar shows where each app stands, and macOS notifications tell you when something changes, so you don't have to keep App Store Connect open.
What you need#
- At least one connected team. See Add your first team.
- Notifications allowed for Slipway. Slipway asks for permission the first time it starts watching, after you connect a key.
The menu bar panel#
Click the paper-plane icon in the menu bar to open Releases. It lists up to eight apps, most urgent first:
- Approved versions waiting to be released, highlighted in green as Approved — ready to release
- Rejected versions
- Versions in review
- Versions waiting for review
- Versions being prepared for submission
- Everything else
Each row shows the app's icon, name and version, with its status underneath. Click a row to open that app in Slipway. If Open apps in a new window is on in Settings ▸ General, it opens in its own window.
At the bottom of the panel:
- Open Slipway brings the main window forward.
- The circular arrow reloads your apps from App Store Connect now. The "updated …" time at the top of the panel shows when you last did this from the panel.
If you haven't connected a key yet, the panel says Connect a key in Slipway to see releases.
Status notifications#
Every 10 minutes, Slipway reloads your apps from App Store Connect and compares each app's status with the last check. When a status changes, you get a notification:
| Change | Notification |
|---|---|
| Approved | "App version was approved" — Manual release — open Slipway to release it. |
| Rejected | "App version was rejected" — App Review left a message. Open Slipway to reply. |
| Live | "App version is live" — Now on the App Store. |
| In review | "App version is in review" — A reviewer picked it up. |
| Anything else | "App version: new status" |
To release an approved version or reply to a rejection, see Submit and release.
Low-rating notifications#
With Notify on 1–2★ reviews turned on in Settings ▸ General (the default), each 10-minute check also looks at the latest reviews for every app. A new one- or two-star review sends a notification such as "2★ review for App" with the start of the review.
The first check only records the reviews that already exist, so turning this on never floods you with old reviews. To answer a review, see Reviews.
How the watcher runs#
- It starts when you connect your first key, and on every launch after that.
- It skips a check if no team is connected or if Slipway is already reloading your apps.
- It pauses while your Mac sleeps and starts a fresh 10-minute wait when it wakes.
- It's part of the Slipway app, so it only runs while Slipway is open. Quitting Slipway stops the menu bar icon and the notifications.
Each check is an ordinary App Store Connect request made with your own key, the same as reloading the apps list. Nothing goes through a Slipway server.
Tips#
- If you have a webhook server, Apple can push events to it instead; see Webhooks. Without one, the menu bar watcher is how Slipway keeps up.
- If you see "App Store Connect is rate-limiting" messages, Apple is throttling your key; Slipway retries on its own. See Troubleshooting and FAQ.
Troubleshooting#
No notifications arrive. Open System Settings ▸ Notifications ▸ Slipway and make sure notifications are allowed. If you clicked Don't Allow when Slipway first asked, turn them on there.
A status changed but I wasn't notified. Checks run every 10 minutes, so a change can take that long to show up. Slipway also has to be running, and the change has to happen after its first check.
I don't want review notifications. Turn off Notify on 1–2★ reviews in Settings ▸ General. Status notifications continue.