Stave Support

1. Check if you're signed into Apple ID

Stave cannot read messages if you're not signed into Apple ID on this Mac. This is the most common reason for an empty scan on a new Mac.

To fix:

1. Open System Settings → General → Apple ID
2. Check that you're signed in with your Apple ID (the one linked to your iPhone)
3. If not signed in, sign in and wait a moment for iCloud to sync
4. Return to Stave and rescan

Once you're signed in, messages may take a few minutes to sync to your Mac, especially on a new install.

2. Enable Messages in iCloud

Even if you're signed in, Messages in iCloud must be turned on to sync historical messages to this Mac. Without it, only new messages that arrive after setup will be available.

To enable on this Mac:

1. Open the Messages app on this Mac
2. Go to Messages → Settings → iMessage
3. Enable "Messages in iCloud" and wait for sync
4. Return to Stave and rescan

To check on your iPhone:

Messages in iCloud on your iPhone syncs older messages to this Mac. Go to Settings → Messages → "Messages in iCloud" and make sure it's on. Sync can take several minutes on a fresh install.

3. Enable Text Message Forwarding (for new SMS)

Bank SMS alerts arrive as regular text messages. They reach your Mac only if you have Text Message Forwarding enabled on your iPhone, and only from the moment it's turned on. SMS sent before you enable forwarding won't be available on this Mac.

To enable:

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings → Messages
2. Scroll to Text Message Forwarding
3. Turn on the toggle for this Mac
4. Wait for setup to complete on both devices
5. Return to Stave. New SMS from your banks should now sync here.

Note: Text Message Forwarding and Messages in iCloud are separate features. To bring over historical SMS (older than when you enabled forwarding), enable Messages in iCloud on your iPhone.

4. Check if iCloud storage is full

When iCloud storage is full, Messages in iCloud stops syncing. Recent bank SMS won't reach your Mac, and existing messages may stop updating.

To check and free space:

1. Open System Settings → General → Storage
2. Look for "iCloud" in the storage breakdown
3. If it shows "Full" or very close to your plan limit, you need to free space:
   • Delete large files or old photos from iCloud
   • Empty the Trash in Photos (deleted photos don't free space until Trash is emptied)
   • Upgrade your iCloud plan if storage is regularly full

Stave requires at least 50MB free in iCloud for reliable syncing.

Your banks may not send SMS

Some newer banks in India have moved away from SMS alerts in favour of push notifications in their mobile app. Stave can only read SMS. Check if your bank sends transaction alerts as text messages by looking in the Messages app on your iPhone.

Messages may be too old

If Text Message Forwarding was only recently enabled, messages sent before that date won't appear. SMS alerts before you turned on forwarding simply don't reach this Mac. Future transactions will start appearing immediately.

Parser may not recognise the bank yet

Stave uses on-device parsing to extract transaction details from bank SMS. Some smaller or regional banks may have formats Stave doesn't recognise yet.

You can help expand Stave's parser: if you have bank SMS that aren't being picked up, share them via the Contribute page. Each SMS helps Stave learn new bank formats.

Messages in iCloud may have stopped syncing

The most common cause is a full iCloud storage. Check:

1. System Settings → General → Storage — is iCloud full?
2. Messages app on your iPhone — are new SMS arriving there normally?
3. Try turning off and back on "Messages in iCloud" in Messages → Settings → iMessage on this Mac

Text Message Forwarding may have been turned off

Check that Text Message Forwarding is still enabled on your iPhone for this Mac: Settings → Messages → Text Message Forwarding.

Stave can only read statements from the Mail app

Stave reads statements from Apple's Mail app (~/Library/Mail/). If your bank sends statements to Gmail, Outlook, or another email provider, Stave won't see them. You'll need to download statements manually from your bank's website.

Grant access to the Mail folder

During setup, Stave asks permission to access your Mail folder. You must click "Open" and navigate to ~/Library/Mail/V10. If you skipped this step, you can grant access in Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access.