Doghouse
Unlock the vault, then click the gear on its card or right-click it and choose Vault Settings…. The sheet holds Require Touch ID to unlock, Show in Finder after unlocking, Unlock automatically when Doghouse starts and the password hint. Click Save.
On this page
Open Vault Settings
The sheet is “Only available while the vault is unlocked”, as its subtitle says. Unlock the vault, then either click the small gear button that appears on the card next to Open and Lock, or right-click the vault and choose Vault Settings…. Settings that apply to every vault, such as auto-lock and the menu bar, live in instead; see auto-lock and the menu bar and app settings.
Require Touch ID to unlock
With this on: “Before the saved password is used, your fingerprint (or Mac login password) is required. Someone at your unlocked Mac can’t open this vault.” It works together with a password saved in the Keychain; if none is saved yet, the sheet notes “This vault has no saved password yet — Touch ID applies once you save one while unlocking.”
The same gate protects the saved password everywhere Doghouse would pre-fill it: Rename, Change Size Limit, Reclaim Free Space, Verify Vault, Change Password and Move Vault to Trash. Remove from List also asks for Touch ID on such a vault. The card shows a fingerprint icon as a reminder. On a Mac without a Touch ID sensor, macOS asks for your login password instead.
Show in Finder after unlocking
Standard Vaults only. On by default: a Finder window opens on the vault folder as soon as it unlocks. Turn it off if you unlock vaults for other apps to use and don’t want Finder windows appearing; the Open button still opens the folder on demand.
Unlock automatically when Doghouse starts
Off by default. When on, Doghouse unlocks this vault once each time the app launches, for example at login if you have Launch Doghouse at login on. It relies on the saved password; without one you get a warning, “Needs the password saved in your Keychain — otherwise you’ll be asked at every start.” A Touch ID requirement still applies, so you may be asked for your fingerprint at startup.
Password hint
Add, change or clear the hint shown under the password field at unlock. Up to 120 characters; it can’t be identical to the saved password. It is kept with Doghouse’s list of vaults, not inside the encrypted image: “Stored as plaintext with the vault file — anyone with the file can read the hint. Does not unlock, recover, or reset the password.” The hint can also be edited while the vault is locked, in the Change Password sheet.
Click Save to apply all four settings at once, or Cancel to discard.