Email Setup →
v0.1.3  ·  March 2026

So you downloaded JobDex. Let me walk you through it.

I wrote this to be the guide I wish every tool came with — no marketing, just how things actually work.

This is v0.1. I shipped it when the core things worked well — contacts, pipeline, email, templates — rather than waiting for everything to be perfect. This guide covers what's live today, and is honest about what's not there yet.

Getting Started

Before you start

Supported operating systems:

  • macOS — Apple Silicon (M1 and later)
  • Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
  • Linux (x86_64) — AppImage, .deb, and .rpm packages available

Not supported yet:

  • macOS on Intel (x86_64)
  • Mobile (iOS / Android)

I built this as a desktop app deliberately — your data stays on your machine, no account needed, no cloud dependency. The only time you need internet is when you're sending emails or connecting your email account for the first time.

I develop primarily on a Mac with Apple Silicon, so that's where things are most tested. Windows and Linux builds are generated from the same codebase and should work well, but if you hit something platform-specific, let me know.

Getting Started

Download & install

macOS (Apple Silicon)

Head to the GitHub Releases page and download the .dmg file for the latest version.

Open the .dmg, drag JobDex into your Applications folder, and launch it.

Screenshot: macOS "damaged" error dialog
The error you'll see on first launch — it looks scary, but it's harmless.

"JobDex is damaged and can't be opened" — here's the fix

macOS will show this error on Ventura (13) and later when you try to open the app. It sounds worse than it is. The app isn't actually damaged — macOS is blocking it because it isn't signed with an Apple Developer certificate yet.

The fix takes about 30 seconds and you only need to do it once.

  1. Open Terminal Press ⌘ + Space to open Spotlight, type "Terminal", and press Enter.
  2. Run this command Copy and paste the following line into Terminal and press Enter:
    xattr -cr /Applications/JobDex.app
    You won't see any output. That's normal — it means it worked.
  3. Open the app Go back to your Applications folder and open JobDex normally. The error won't appear again.

What does that command actually do?

When you download anything from the internet, macOS attaches an invisible tag to the file called a quarantine attribute. On unsigned apps, newer versions of macOS refuse to open files with this tag. The xattr -cr command removes it. That's all it does — it doesn't change the app itself in any way.

Intel Macs are not supported in the current release.

Windows (64-bit)

Download the .exe installer from the GitHub Releases page and run it.

Windows may show a SmartScreen warning that says "Windows protected your PC." This happens for the same reason as the macOS warning — the app isn't signed yet. Click "More info" and then "Run anyway."

The installer will place JobDex in your Start menu and optionally on your desktop.

Linux (x86_64)

Three package formats are available from the GitHub Releases page:

  • JobDex_0.1.3_amd64.AppImage — runs on any distro, no installation needed. Make it executable (chmod +x) and run it.
  • JobDex_0.1.3_amd64.deb — for Debian, Ubuntu, and derivatives
  • JobDex-0.1.3-1.x86_64.rpm — for Fedora, RHEL, openSUSE, and derivatives

Where does my data live?

On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/com.jobdex.desktop/
On Windows: C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\com.jobdex.desktop\
On Linux: ~/.local/share/com.jobdex.desktop/

Your entire contact database lives in that folder as an encrypted file called jobdex.db. I chose SQLCipher (encrypted SQLite) specifically so your data is protected even if someone gets access to this file. JobDex never phones home — nothing leaves your machine.

Getting Started

Your first look at the app

When JobDex opens, you'll see a mostly empty interface. That's intentional — I didn't want to fill it with fake sample data. Here's what you're looking at:

Screenshot: JobDex on first launch — empty state with sidebar, People page, and Settings visible
What you see on first launch.

Sidebar (left): This is how you navigate. I kept it minimal — People (your contacts) and Templates are where you'll spend most of your time. The other pages — Emails, Tasks — exist as placeholders. I'm building those next.

Screenshot: Table and Kanban view toggle icons in the top-right of the People page
Toggle between table and Kanban views here.

People page: Your contact database. Starts empty. Supports two views — a table and a Kanban board. Toggle between them with the icons in the top right.

Dashboard: Partially built. I have plans for it, but I wanted to ship the core workflow first. For now, go straight to People.

Settings (bottom of sidebar): This is where you connect your email, configure your pipeline stages, and manage security. You'll visit it once during setup, and probably forget it exists after that — which is the goal.

Screenshot: Settings entry at the bottom of the sidebar
Settings lives at the bottom of the sidebar.

Before you do anything else, go to Settings and connect your email account. Everything else depends on that.

Email Setup →