Browser Notification Troubleshooting – Caffeine AI

This article is about browser notifications only: the alerts your browser can show outside the Caffeine page.

It is not about the updates you see inside Caffeine itself, such as chat messages, the status indicator, or the build progress panel.

If Caffeine is not showing browser notifications when a draft is ready, your app goes live, or the chat needs your attention, the problem is usually one of these: browser permission, device notification settings, Focus mode, or the browser slowing down background tabs. This guide starts with the fastest checks.

Before you troubleshoot

Two things matter most:

Notifications must be allowed both in your browser and on your device.
Caffeine notifications work best while Caffeine is still open in a browser tab.

Caffeine does not currently have its own notifications settings page. Notifications are controlled by your browser and your operating system.

How notifications work in Caffeine

Caffeine already shows progress inside the product through the chat, the status indicator, and the build progress panel.

Browser notifications are separate. Caffeine uses your browser's built-in notification system to show alerts outside the page. When browser notifications are allowed, Caffeine can show alerts such as:

your draft is ready
your app is live
Caffeine needs your input in the chat

In most cases, the browser asks for notification permission while you are actively using Caffeine, usually after you send a message.

What to try first

Work through these in order. Most problems are fixed in the first two steps.

Make sure notifications are allowed on your device.
- On macOS: open System Settings -> Notifications and make sure notifications are allowed for your browser.
- On Windows: open Settings -> System -> Notifications and make sure notifications are turned on for your browser.
Check that your browser allows notifications for caffeine.ai.
- Open Caffeine in the browser tab where you use it.
- Click the site controls in the address bar and open the site settings for caffeine.ai.
- Make sure Notifications is set to Allow.
Turn off Focus mode or Do Not Disturb.
- Your device may be hiding notifications even if Caffeine is sending them correctly.
Send another message in Caffeine.
- If the browser has not asked for permission yet, sending a new message may trigger that prompt.
Keep Caffeine open in a normal browser tab while you wait.
- If your browser is fully closed, notifications may not appear.

If you never saw the permission prompt

If you never saw a browser message asking whether caffeine.ai can send notifications, one of these is usually the reason:

You already answered it before. If notifications were blocked earlier, most browsers will stop asking again. Open the site settings for caffeine.ai and change Notifications to Allow.
Your browser is showing fewer pop-ups. Some browsers reduce permission prompts if they were dismissed before. In that case, check the site settings directly.
A browser extension is getting in the way. Temporarily disable privacy or ad-blocking extensions and test again.
You are not using Caffeine directly in your browser. Open https://caffeine.ai in a normal browser tab and try again.

After changing the site permission, reload Caffeine and send another message.

If notifications used to work and now they do not

If notifications worked before and then stopped, check the following:

Open the site settings for caffeine.ai again and make sure notifications are still allowed.
Make sure your browser has not paused the tab in the background. Battery saver, low power mode, memory saver, and sleeping tabs can delay or stop notifications.
Turn off Focus mode or Do Not Disturb again. These settings are often turned back on by schedules or work profiles.
Reset the site data for caffeine.ai or test in a private/incognito window. This is often more useful than clearing your whole browser cache.
Try another browser. If notifications work there, the issue is probably with the original browser settings or an extension.

If you expect notifications after closing the browser

Caffeine notifications are tied to the browser session. They are most reliable when:

Caffeine is still open in a browser tab
your browser is allowed to keep running in the background
your device is not heavily limiting background activity

If your browser is fully closed, Caffeine may not be able to notify you.

Still not working

If you have checked the steps above and still do not see notifications, contact support. See Getting Help and Contacting Support.

Include the following so the team can help faster:

your browser and version
your operating system and version
whether the browser prompt ever appeared
whether caffeine.ai is currently set to Allow for notifications
whether Focus mode, Do Not Disturb, battery saver, or sleeping tabs were active
whether the issue also happens in another browser or a private/incognito window
a screenshot of the site notification settings for caffeine.ai

Frequently asked questions

Why am I not seeing notifications?

Most often, notifications are blocked in the browser, blocked on the device, or hidden by Focus mode or Do Not Disturb.

What if I blocked the prompt before?

Open the site settings for caffeine.ai and change the notification permission to Allow. Most browsers do not keep asking after you block the prompt once.

Will notifications work if I close my browser?

Not reliably. Caffeine notifications work best while the site is still open in a browser tab.

Does Caffeine have its own notifications switch?

No. Notifications are controlled through your browser and operating system settings.

Are browser notifications the same as Caffeine's in-app updates?

No. In-app updates appear inside Caffeine, for example in the chat or build progress panel. Browser notifications are separate alerts shown by your browser outside the page.

What is the fastest way to test whether the issue is my browser?

Open Caffeine in a private/incognito window or a second browser, allow notifications there, and send a new message. If it works there, the issue is usually with the original browser settings or an extension.