Glossary
Hover-dwell
Opening the panel by resting the cursor over the pill for a moment.
What it means
Hover-dwell is the interaction where pointing at the notch and staying there — dwelling — springs the panel open. Leave, and it collapses again. The delay is the whole trick: too short and the panel ambushes every pass with the mouse; too long and it feels sullen.
Why it matters
This is the gesture that makes a notch app feel native rather than bolted on. Nothing is clicked, nothing is summoned from a menu — the panel opens because you brought your attention, and closes when you take it away.
How notchos does it
Dwell is the default, click mode is there for people who prefer it, and the open and close delays are tunable. Hover-out closing checks the rendered slab rectangle with cursor motion, so careless mouse exits do not slam the panel shut.
Fair questions
- Can I open it with a click instead?
- Yes — click mode replaces dwell entirely if that suits you better.
- Will the panel open while I am dragging a window past it?
- Window snap wants that contact; everything else ignores quick passes. The dwell delay is exactly this dial.
Related terms
Twenty tools. One hover. $9.99, once.