MercuryMail, Instant Gmail push notifications for macOS

Because of disputes between Apple and Google over push notifications, Mail.app on MacOS takes forever to retrieve e-mails from Gmail. This is a simple solution for those who want to keep using Gmail in Mail.app while having instant notifications.

Download for Mac View on GitHub

Free and open source. Requires macOS 13 or later.

Mercury's dropdown menu listing recent messages from two example accounts, with unread dots and the menu's actions below.

What it does

Instant notifications

Gmail pushes to Mercury over IMAP IDLE. A native macOS notification appears when the mail lands, with sender and subject if you want them.

Up to two accounts

Unread counts sit next to the menu bar icon, one color per account. Each account can notify, or hide itself while it has nothing unread.

Quick actions

Flag a message, mark it read or unread, copy a verification code, or pick a link out of the email, without opening it.

Swipeable panel (beta)

An optional floating panel where you swipe messages with two fingers, like Mail.app, with a Liquid Glass look on macOS 26.

Stays out of the way

No Dock icon. A global shortcut opens the list and pressing it again closes it. Pause notifications for an hour, or launch at login.

No telemetry

Mercury talks only to imap.gmail.com, plus GitHub when it checks for updates. There is no server of mine in between, and your app password lives in the Keychain.

Automatic updates

Mercury checks for new versions on its own and installs them with one click. Updates are signed and notarized, and you can turn the check off.

Reply in Gmail

Hit Reply on any message and a Gmail compose window opens, already addressed to the sender with the subject filled in.

Make it yours

Pick the color of each unread count, hide an account while it has no unread mail, and set your own global shortcut.

A closer look

Mercury's first-run window with the app icon, a welcome message, and progress dots.

First run walks you through it

Turn on 2-Step Verification, create an app password, and enter it. Mercury tries a real Gmail login before it saves anything, so a typo can’t leave a broken account behind.

Mercury's Menu Bar preferences: a live preview of the menu bar badge with one account and with two, and color pickers for each account's unread number.

Colors with a live preview

Unread numbers sit next to the menu bar icon. Pick a color for each account and see how the badge will look right in Preferences.

Mercury’s Accounts preferences with two example accounts, each with display name, address, and notification options.

Two accounts, set up separately

Name each account, choose whether it notifies you, and hide it from the list while it has no unread mail so the menu only shows what needs you.

Mercury’s swipeable panel listing recent messages from two example accounts, with unread dots and quick actions below.

The swipeable panel

Unread first, grouped by account, with the actions you use most one click away. It’s a beta, off by default, and the classic dropdown is still there.

How it signs in

Mercury signs in with a Google app password rather than “Sign in with Google”. Google treats full mailbox access over IMAP as a restricted scope, and apps that use it have to pass a verification process and a paid security assessment. For a small free app that wasn’t worth it, and an app password keeps everything on your Mac.

The trade-off is a one-time setup step, which is what the first-run window is for. It needs 2-Step Verification on your Google account.

Under the hood

Built with

Swift
AppKit
Network.framework
IMAP IDLE

IMAP client

Written from scratch on Network.framework (TLS to port 993), so the app is a single small binary with no third-party dependencies.

Distribution

Built as a Swift package and shipped as a DMG on GitHub Releases.

Privacy

No analytics or tracking. Credentials stay in the macOS Keychain and mail is read straight from Gmail.

License

Open source. Source and issues on GitHub.