Whimbrel for Capture One — Setup & Options
Whimbrel sends your processed photos from Capture One straight to your self-hosted Immich server. It runs as a small menu-bar app: you point it at your Immich once, route an export recipe through it, and from then on exporting in Capture One uploads to Immich.
Requirements
- macOS 13 Ventura or later
- Capture One for Mac
- A self-hosted Immich server, reachable from your Mac
- An Immich API key (see below)
Get an Immich API key
- In Immich, open Account Settings → API Keys → New API Key.
- Capture One only uploads, so the
asset.uploadpermission is enough (a full-access key also works). - Copy the key — you'll paste it into Whimbrel once.
Set it up
- Download and open Whimbrel for Capture One (drag it to /Applications first). It lives in the menu bar (the Whimbrel bird).
- Open the window from the menu-bar icon, go to Settings, and under
Immich Connection paste your Server URL (e.g.
https://immich.example.com) and API key. - Click Test Connection to confirm Whimbrel can reach your server.
- Choose how Capture One should reach Whimbrel (one of these):
- Create Immich-Only Recipe — clones a recipe that exports to a temp folder, uploads to Immich, and auto-deletes the local file. Best if you want a dedicated "send to Immich" recipe.
- Existing Presets — tick any export presets you already use; on Save, Whimbrel sets their Open With to itself, so those exports also upload.
- Click Save. If you ticked existing presets, Capture One is briefly closed and reopened so the change takes effect (you'll be asked first). If you created the Immich-Only Recipe instead, restart Capture One yourself so the new recipe appears.
Using it
Export in Capture One as you normally do, using the Immich recipe (or a preset you routed through Whimbrel). Capture One exports the file and hands it to Whimbrel, which uploads it to Immich. Watch progress from the menu-bar icon.
Re-exporting the same shot is safe — Immich de-duplicates by checksum, so you won't get copies.
Options reference
| Section | Option | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Immich Connection | Server URL | Your Immich address. https:// anywhere; plain http:// only on a local network (LAN/localhost). |
| Immich Connection | API key | Stored in your macOS Keychain, never sent anywhere but your server. |
| Immich Connection | Test Connection | Checks the URL + key reach your Immich. |
| Existing Presets | (checkboxes) | On Save, sets the Open With of the ticked export presets to Whimbrel. |
| Create Immich-Only Recipe | (button) | Adds a recipe that exports to a temp folder, uploads, and deletes the local file. Restart Capture One to see it. |
| Visibility | Show in Dock | Show a Dock icon (with upload progress). Off by default — it's a menu-bar app. |
| Visibility | Show in Menu Bar | Show the menu-bar icon. If you turn both off, the menu-bar icon comes back on next launch so the app stays reachable. |
| (footer) | Save | Saves your settings and applies any preset/recipe changes. The window stays open. |
Notes
- Local networks: plain
http://is allowed forlocalhostand private ranges (192.168.x,10.x,172.16–31.x). Everything else must behttps://. - Recent uploads are listed in the menu-bar popover.
- Updates are included; the app is signed and notarized by Apple.