Your Dock Looks the Same for Every Project — That's the Problem
Writing code, designing, or managing — different tasks need different tools. Otterdock lets you build project-specific Dock groups so the right apps are always one click away.
Monday you are coding; Tuesday you are in design review; Wednesday you are buried in spreadsheets. Your head changes modes, but the Dock often does not—it is the same flat parade of icons no matter which hat you are wearing. That sameness is easy to ignore until you realize you are scrolling past tools that matter today because they sit next to tools that only matter on weekends.
Why "same Dock" feels wrong
A single global layout makes sense for a few universal apps: browser, mail, messages. It makes less sense when half your row is domain-specific—debuggers, audio plugins, slide decks—and you only need that cluster during one kind of day. Without structure, everything competes for attention all the time. Your brain wants cues that match the task; the Dock, by default, offers one cue: "everything I ever pinned."
Key insight: Context is not only which window is frontmost—it is which set of tools should feel nearest. When the Dock cannot express that, every task pays a small orientation tax.
Spaces and Stage Manager help—but differently
Virtual desktops and window management tools like Stage Manager organize what is on screen. They do not, by themselves, reorganize which shortcuts sit at the bottom edge of it. You can have a pristine Stage Manager stack and still hunt the right icon in a long Dock. Addressing the Dock layout is its own lever.
Grouping by project or task
Otterdock lets you build workflow groups—each one a named bundle of apps, files, folders, and links—so you can organize your Dock to reflect the kind of day you are having. A "Build" group might hold your IDE, terminal, and local repo folder; a "Ship" group might hold the browser profile, release checklist, and asset folder. You are still using the normal macOS Dock; Otterdock adds grouped icons that expand to show what belongs to that context. Skins (Shelf, Glass, Gradient, Minimal, Otter, or custom) help you tell groups apart at a glance.
Use click-to-expand if you want zero extra permissions, or hover-to-expand if you prefer pointer-driven opening—hover relies on Accessibility permission for mouse position. Configuration is stored locally under ~/Library/Application Support/Otterdock/, for macOS 14 and up. Two groups are free; unlimited groups require Pro. Pricing: $6.99 direct; Mac App Store edition at $2.99 is planned—see the site for current availability.
What success looks like
You are not chasing a screenshot-worthy minimal Dock. You are aiming for a strip where, on a given afternoon, the shortcuts you need are grouped and labeled in a way that matches how you think about the work—not how installers added apps over the years.