Tutorial Setting Up Automations

Setting Up Automations in NOOP

This tutorial walks you through NOOP's automations features on macOS — how to use your WHOOP strap as a physical remote to trigger Mac actions, lock on wrist-off, run Shortcuts on wear/remove, and set up haptic coaching and firmware alarms.

Note: These automations are macOS only. Android has similar strap interactions but through different mechanisms. See Automations on Android for the Android version.

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Getting started

Open NOOP and navigate to Automations in the sidebar. You'll see five sections, each controlling a different automation type. A reminder at the top tells you when the strap is bonded and ready — some automations require a bonded connection.

Requirements:

• A WHOOP strap (4.0 or 5.0) paired with NOOP over Bluetooth
• Strap bonded (green connection status in the sidebar)
• For some automations: macOS Shortcuts.app with custom shortcuts already defined

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1. Double-tap to act

The strap exposes one gesture: a double-tap. Use it to trigger a Mac action instantly.

What you'll see

• A dropdown menu labeled "When I double-tap"
• Five action options: Nothing, Lock the Mac, Buzz back (confirm), Mark a moment, Run a Shortcut…

Step-by-step

1. Open the Double-tap section and tap the "When I double-tap" dropdown menu.

2. Choose an action:

   • Nothing — disabled; double-tap does nothing
   • Lock the Mac — locks the screen immediately, same as the Apple menu "Lock Screen"
   • Buzz back (confirm) — the strap buzzes once to confirm you tapped it
   • Mark a moment — records a timestamped marker (the strap also buzzes to confirm). Useful for tracking events during a workout
   • Run a Shortcut… — runs any macOS Shortcut by name. You must have the Shortcut already created in Shortcuts.app

3. If you pick "Run a Shortcut…":

   • A text field appears below the dropdown
   • Type the exact name of your Shortcut (e.g., "Mute Zoom", "Open Slack")
   • The name is case-sensitive; it must match the Shortcut's display name in Shortcuts.app

4. Test before relying on it:

   • Tap the "Test action" button (with a play icon)
   • This runs the action without the strap, so you can verify it works right now
   • You'll see "Strap bonded" (green) or "Strap not connected" (amber) to the right — if it says not connected, Strap Support and Pairing covers reconnecting

5. Double-tap your strap to fire the live action

   • If you chose "Mark a moment", it appears below in "Recent moments", showing the date, day, and time
   • Up to 5 recent moments are shown; tap "Clear" to erase them

Tips

• You can change the action anytime from the dropdown — no need to "save" anything; changes apply instantly
• If the Shortcut name is wrong or the app isn't installed, running the Shortcut silently fails (no error message). Check the spelling and that Shortcuts.app has the Shortcut
• "Mark a moment" is great for marking race starts, workout transitions, or recovery decisions during a session
• The strap allows only one double-tap gesture; it doesn't distinguish between taps in different zones

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2. Lock on wrist-off / Wear & presence

React automatically when you take the strap off or put it back on.

What you'll see

• A toggle: "Lock the Mac when I take the strap off" with an explanation
• Two text fields: "Run a Shortcut when taken off" and "Run a Shortcut when put back on"
• Each field can hold a Shortcut name

Step-by-step

Lock on take-off (optional)

1. Toggle "Lock the Mac when I take the strap off" to ON
   • The instant the strap leaves your wrist (sensor loses skin contact), your Mac locks
   • Useful if you always lock before stepping away, or for privacy habits
   • macOS handles the actual lock through its built-in screen-lock mechanism

Run Shortcuts on wear/remove (optional)

2. In "Run a Shortcut when taken off":

   • Type a Shortcut name (e.g., "Go away" or "Pause music")
   • The Shortcut runs the moment the strap is removed
   • Example use: set a Focus to "Away", pause your music, or post to a status channel

3. In "Run a Shortcut when put back on":

   • Type a Shortcut name (e.g., "Go back" or "Resume music")
   • The Shortcut runs when the strap returns to your wrist
   • Example use: undo the "away" focus, resume music, or update your status back to available

What you'll see happen

• When the strap leaves your skin and the wear state changes, you get instant execution
• No confirmation needed — the Shortcut fires immediately
• If a Shortcut name is wrong or not found, it fails silently (same as double-tap)

Tips

• These automations work only when the Mac and strap are connected and the strap is worn
• If you close NOOP or the Mac goes to sleep, the automations pause; reconnect to resume
• The strap's wear sensor is sensitive to fit — make sure it's snug; loose straps may trigger false on/off
• macOS reserves true auto-unlock for Apple Watch — NOOP can lock but not unlock
• Combine "lock on wrist off" with a "go away" Shortcut to fully automate your Mac's away state

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3. Haptic coaching

Train by feel — your strap buzzes to coach you without you watching a screen. Two types are available.

What you'll see

• A toggle: "HR-zone coaching"
• A toggle: "Resting stress nudge (experimental)"

HR-zone coaching (top-zone alert + recovery buzz)

How it works

• Watches your live heart rate and your max HR (from Settings)
• Divides your max HR into 5 zones: zone 1 (low), 2, 3, 4, zone 5 (top effort)
• When you cross into zone 5 (≥90% of max HR): the strap buzzes 3 times (a "slow down" cue)
• When you drop back below zone 2 (≤60% of max HR): the strap buzzes once (a "recovered" cue)

Step-by-step

1. Ensure your max HR is set:

   • Go to Settings
   • Check your Max HR value (either auto-estimated from age via Tanaka, or a number you entered)
   • If it's wrong, the zone crossovers will misfire; adjust it before toggling zone coaching on

2. Toggle "HR-zone coaching" ON in the Automations Haptic coaching section

3. Do an intense workout:

   • During effort that hits zone 5, you'll feel the 3-buzz "ease off" signal
   • When you recover and drop below zone 2, you'll feel the 1-buzz "recovered" signal
   • The coaching silences if you stop wearing the strap or the connection drops

Resting stress nudge (experimental)

How it works

• Watches for a sudden dip in HRV (heart-rate variability) while your heart rate stays calm (55–100 bpm)
• If both happen at once, the strap buzzes once with a log message "take a paced breath"
• The nudge is rate-limited to once every 15 minutes to avoid false alarms
• Off by default because it is still experimental

Step-by-step

1. Toggle "Resting stress nudge (experimental)" ON if you want to try it

   • Requires a bonded strap that is worn

2. The nudge fires when:

   • Your HRV drops below 60% of your recent baseline (a stress signal)
   • AND your heart rate is calm (between 55–100 bpm), not exercising
   • Example: you're sitting down after a stressful meeting and your HRV dips; the strap nudges you to breathe

3. When it fires:

   • You feel a single buzz on your wrist
   • Check the Live screen log to see the "take a paced breath" message
   • Try the Breathe screen to do a guided HRV-paced breathing session

Tips

• Zone coaching is most useful during workouts or training; it gives real-time feedback without looking at the screen
• Your max HR estimate may drift as you train; the Explore screen and Settings let you check and adjust
• The stress nudge is conservative — it fires rarely. If you never feel it, your HRV + HR pattern may not trigger the conditions
• Both require a bonded strap; buttons are disabled if the strap is not connected

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4. Smart alarm (firmware buzz)

Wake to a wrist buzz. The strap runs its own firmware alarm, so it fires even if your Mac is asleep or NOOP is closed.

What you'll see

• A toggle: "Enable smart alarm"
• If enabled: a time picker showing "Wake at" with hours and minutes
• A note about WHOOP 5/MG experimental status

Step-by-step

1. Toggle "Enable smart alarm" ON

   • A time picker appears below

2. Set your wake time:

   • Click the time picker (shows hours and minutes in a compact picker)
   • Scroll or type to set your desired wake time
   • Example: set to 06:30 to wake at 6:30 AM

3. What happens:

   • NOOP arms the strap's firmware alarm with your chosen time
   • The strap stores the alarm locally and will buzz at exactly that time
   • If your Mac sleeps, restarts, or you close NOOP, the alarm still fires
   • Only the strap's wake buzz fires; NOOP does not interact further (no Mac notifications or sounds)

4. Test the alarm:

   • Set the time to 1 minute in the future
   • Leave the Automations screen open or close it — the alarm should buzz at the exact time
   • After it fires, re-enable the smart alarm if you want it armed for the next day

Important notes

WHOOP 4.0: Smart alarm is proven and reliable.

WHOOP 5.0 / MG: The strap accepts the alarm command, but actual wake-up has not been verified on hardware yet. The UI shows a warning: "On WHOOP 5/MG this is experimental — arming is confirmed, but a strap-driven wake-up hasn't been verified yet, so don't rely on it as your only alarm there." If you have a 5.0/MG and test it, report results to the Support or project email.

Tips

• The strap has one firmware alarm; setting a new time overwrites the old one
• The strap buzzes with its standard alarm pattern, not the double-tap pattern
• If you don't want the alarm anymore, toggle "Enable smart alarm" OFF
• The time is stored in your local timezone; changing system time may affect the firing time

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5. Illness early-warning

NOOP watches your biometrics against your personal baseline and alerts you if two or more signals drift together — a classic early-illness signature.

What you'll see

• A toggle: "Watch for early-illness signs"
• A help note explaining it needs 14+ days of history

How it works

NOOP compares the last 2 days against your 28-day baseline (from 3+ days ago) for:

• Resting HR (up ≥5 bpm = anomaly)
• HRV (down ≥20% = anomaly)
• Skin temperature deviation (up ≥0.6 °C = anomaly)
• Respiration rate (up ≥1.5 bpm = anomaly)

When 2+ anomalies appear together:

• A banner appears on Control Center (your home dashboard): "Your body looks strained — … Consider taking it easy."
• A system notification fires (once per day) if NOOP is closed
• No false alarm on a single signal; the pattern threshold keeps them rare

Step-by-step

1. You need at least 14 days of history:

   • If you just paired the strap, wait ~2 weeks for baselines to build
   • Or import a WHOOP export in Data Sources to backfill history
   • The toggle is grayed out until you have enough data

2. Toggle "Watch for early-illness signs" ON

   • NOOP starts watching your metrics
   • macOS may prompt you to allow notifications (one-time)
   • Click "Allow" to receive the daily notification

3. What you'll see:

   • If no anomalies appear, nothing happens — the app runs silently
   • If 2+ signals drift: a banner appears on Control Center with a summary ("resting HR +6 bpm, HRV −22%")
   • A notification fires at most once per day

4. When the banner appears:

   • Open Control Center to read the full message
   • Check Trends or Sleep to see your recent metrics and compare them to your baseline
   • If multiple signals are truly elevated, consider rest, hydration, or consulting a healthcare provider
   • The banner stays until signals recover; no action needed on your part

What it is and isn't

What it is:

• A wellness nudge based on your own data, on-device only
• Designed to surface patterns you might miss
• An early signal to take it easy or get more sleep

What it is NOT:

• A medical diagnosis (NOOP is not a medical device)
• A substitute for consulting a healthcare provider
• Predictive of illness (it reacts to current signals, not predicts future illness)
• Clinically validated (the thresholds are heuristic, not clinical)

Tips

• The banner appears on Control Center, not as a popup — it's designed to be glanceable, not intrusive
• If you turn off "Watch for early-illness signs", the banner stops appearing but your data is still stored
• The toggle is opt-in on macOS (off by default) to respect attention; Android has it opt-out
• True illness or overtraining should be validated by sleep, HRV, and RHR patterns across several days, not a single anomaly

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Troubleshooting

The strap is not bonded / button says "not connected"

• See Strap Support and Pairing to reconnect and bond the strap
• Most automations require a bonded connection; check the green status pill

Double-tap doesn't work

• Verify you actually tapped the strap twice (firmly on the sensor)
• Check Live screen to see if the BLE connection is active
• If it is, open the AutomationsView and tap "Test action" — that confirms the Mac is receiving commands

Lock on wrist-off doesn't trigger

• The strap must be bonded and worn continuously
• Ensure the sensor is flush against skin; a loose strap won't detect removal
• If you take it off while NOOP is closed, nothing fires (automations pause)

Shortcut runs but nothing happens

• Check the Shortcut name is spelled exactly as it appears in Shortcuts.app (case-sensitive)
• If the name is wrong, the run fails silently with no error
• Open Shortcuts.app and verify the Shortcut exists and can run manually first

HR-zone coaching doesn't buzz

• Verify max HR is set correctly in Settings; if it's way off, zones won't align
• Check that you actually entered zone 5 (90%+ of max HR) — easy to miss during gentle activity
• Open Live to confirm HR is streaming and the strap is bonded

Smart alarm didn't buzz

• On WHOOP 4.0: verify the time was set before leaving the screen, and the strap didn't get disconnected during the night
• On WHOOP 5.0 / MG: the feature is experimental; it may not fire. Strap Support and Pairing has notes on 5.0 bonding quirks
• Try toggling the alarm off and on, and resetting the time

Illness early-warning isn't showing

• You need at least 14 days of history; if you just imported, baseline may still be calibrating
• Two or more signals must drift at the same time; a single anomaly won't trigger
• Check Trends to see if your recent metrics actually deviate from baseline

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Cross-references

• Strap Support and Pairing — bonding, troubleshooting, WHOOP 4 vs 5
• Installation — first launch and setup
• Getting Started — pairing walkthrough
• Live — real-time strap diagnostics and the BLE log
• Breathe — HRV biofeedback training (pairs well with stress nudge)
• Settings — profile, max HR, and other preferences
• Control Center — home dashboard where the illness banner appears
• FAQ — common questions about automations and strap behavior