FAQ

During the beta, yes. Every beta is free and includes all features. Sheltie will become a paid app with its final release, and the price will be announced before the beta period ends.

Each beta works for 90 days from its build date. This keeps everyone on a recent build while the app is still changing, so bug reports and feedback are about the current version. The download page shows the exact date for the current beta, and the changelog lists it for every beta release.

Sheltie reminds you before the date and links to the newest version. Once a beta has expired, it stops working until you install a newer beta or the final release. Your connections, settings and Keychain passwords are kept, so the new version picks up right where you left off.

Beta builds are signed ad hoc and are not yet notarized by Apple, so Gatekeeper may block the first launch. Try to open the app, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway. Developer ID signing and notarization are planned. In the meantime, you can check the download against its checksums.

No. The downloadable DMG is built for Apple silicon only and needs macOS 26 or newer.

No. The DMG includes the enhanced FreeRDP engine, its libraries and the OpenSSL providers it needs. If you want to use your own FreeRDP 3 SDL3 client instead, choose it in Settings → FreeRDP Client.

Only in the macOS Keychain, and only if you tick Save in Keychain and the connection succeeds. Otherwise they stay in memory until you quit. Passwords are never written to the connection file or passed on the command line. See Sign-in and security.

The bundled engine is an enhanced FreeRDP build that talks to Sheltie over a private channel. That enables native sign-in and certificate dialogs, Keychain, display discovery and live status. Standard mode works with any stock FreeRDP 3 SDL3 client, with FreeRDP handling sign-in itself. See Settings → FreeRDP client.

Not yet. The current beta supports direct RDP desktop connections. When you import an .rdp file that uses a gateway, RemoteApp, broker routing or enterprise sign-in, those options are skipped with a note. Printer redirection and automatic updates aren’t available yet either.

There are no automatic updates yet. Sheltie reminds you before a beta expires. Download the new DMG from the download page and replace the app in Applications. Your connections and settings are kept, and the bundled engine follows the app.

No. The wake packet is a local broadcast, so your Mac has to be on the same network as the target. See Wake-on-LAN.

No. Sheltie is an independent app built on the open-source FreeRDP client. Its enhanced engine is a FreeRDP fork with an extra bridge to the app.

Email support@sheltie.app with your Sheltie and macOS versions, or open an issue on GitHub. If it’s a connection problem, turn on Settings → Logging → Save session logs, reproduce it, and check the log for private details before attaching it.