Settings Reference

VeilWin has 8 settings pages: General, Appearance, Profiles, Rules, Displays, Hotkeys, Automation and License. All settings are stored locally and take effect immediately.

General

• Launch at login: start VeilWin automatically when you sign in (resides in the tray)
• Start minimized: start without showing the settings window, tray-only
• When no window is focused:
  • Keep last window: keep using the most recent focused window (default)
  • Pause: pause dimming until something is focused again
  • Dim all: dim everything
• Temporarily reveal desktop: hold a modifier to restore the display (Fn / Globe on macOS, Ctrl+Alt on Windows by default; Ctrl+Shift, a custom hotkey or off are available)
• Follow system appearance: automatically activate the profile tagged for light/dark when the system theme changes
• Pause on system views: automatically pause dimming during Mission Control/Stage Manager (macOS) or Task View/Alt-Tab (Windows) — on by default
• Accessibility status: view or request the macOS Accessibility permission

Appearance

• UI theme: built-in presets — Apple (apple), Serene (serene) and Dark (dark) — switch instantly
• UI language: 9 languages (see Language support)
• Default dim intensity: initial intensity (0–100%) for new profiles
• Default dim tint: initial tint for new profiles (pure black by default, any RGB color allowed)

Profiles

A profile saves a set of dimming parameters: intensity, tint, animation, focus mode and focus limit.

• Two built-in templates: “Standard” and “Eye Care” (55% intensity + warm tint, ideal for long sessions at night)
• Profiles can be tagged for light/dark appearance and auto-activated with “follow system appearance”
• Bind an “Activate profile” hotkey under Hotkeys for one-key switching

Rules

Rules match apps by process name (case-insensitive):

• Never dim: all windows of the app stay in the bright area (e.g. media players, screen recorders)
• Pause when frontmost: dimming pauses entirely while the app is in front

Each rule can be toggled independently — ideal for an “exceptions list”.

Displays

Each display can be controlled independently:

• Enable/disable: whether the display participates in dimming
• Mode: follows global by default (each display focuses its own window); can be overridden to “dim displays without focus only”
• Intensity override: per-display intensity
• Profile binding: pin a specific profile to the display

Hotkeys

Conflicting bindings are flagged immediately and must be resolved first.

Automation

An automation rule = trigger + action, matched in list order (first match wins). Five presets ship with the app:

Triggers support: daily time (HH:MM), fixed interval (minutes) and system appearance changes. Actions support: enable/disable dimming, activate a profile, set intensity, remind a break and force a break. Every rule can be toggled, edited and deleted.

During a forced break, focus tracking is suspended and the screen stays fully dimmed until the duration ends; the notification’s action button skips it early.

License

• View license status (Free / Pro), bound device count and machine identifier
• Activate Pro with a license key (one-time purchase, lifetime license)
• Unbind the current device (unbind on the old machine before activating on a new one)

The free tier allows 2 hours of usage per day, resetting at midnight; Pro removes the time limit. See Pricing and License.

MCP Interface (advanced)

VeilWin ships a built-in MCP server (default port 18788, enabled in settings with a token). MCP-capable AI assistants can read and drive the app (query settings, toggle dimming, etc.). It listens on localhost only and authenticates with the token; logs and external output never include the token.