kendfinger/MacHack: Hidden Tools in macOS
A list of built-in tools in macOS that you probably didn't know about.
This tool queries the available Java Virtual Machines from /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines.
$ /usr/libexec/java_home --help
Usage: java_home [options...]
Returns the path to a Java home directory from the current user's settings.
Options:
[-v/--version <version>] Filter versions (as if JAVA_VERSION had been set in the environment).
[-a/--arch <architecture>] Filter architecture (as if JAVA_ARCH had been set in the environment).
[-F/--failfast] Fail when filters return no JVMs, do not continue with default.
[ --exec <command> ...] Execute the $JAVA_HOME/bin/<command> with the remaining arguments.
[-X/--xml] Print full JVM list and additional data as XML plist.
[-V/--verbose] Print full JVM list with architectures.
[-h/--help] This usage information.
An example usage of this tool:
$ /usr/libexec/java_home -v 11 -a x86_64
/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/adoptopenjdk-11.jdk/Contents/Home
This is an extremely useful built-in utility to delete all useless dot files that macOS creates, such as ._MyFile.
Just point it at a folder, and it wipes it free of the cruft!
$ /usr/sbin/dot_clean
usage: dot_clean [-fmnpsv] [--keep=[mostrecent|dotbar|native]] [directory ...]
An example usage of the tool:
$ /usr/sbin/dot_clean /Volumes/Shared/MyFiles
This is a utility for managing GPUs, especially eGPUs. This is what is behind the safe eject functionality of the eGPU in the System UI.
It is useful for:
$ /usr/bin/SafeEjectGPU
usage: SafeEjectGPU [Commands...]
Commands:
gpuid <gpuid> # specify gpuid of following commands
gpuids <gpuid1>,<gpuid2>,... # specify list of gpuids for RelaunchPIDOnGPU command
gpus # show all GPUs and their applicable properties
apps # show all Apps on specified gpuid
status # show status of all specified gpuid
Eject # Eject (full eject sequence) on specified gpuid
Initiate # Initiate eject sequence on specified gpuid
Relaunch # Relaunch lingering AppKit apps on specified gpuid
Finalize # Finalize eject sequence on specified gpuid
Cancel # Cancel eject sequence on specified gpuid
RelaunchPID <pid> # RelaunchPID can be used in app testing to send Relaunch stimulus in isolation
RelaunchPIDOnGPU <pid> # Send Relaunch stimulus to an app with set of limited GPUs to select from, use gpuids
LaunchOnGPU <path> # Launch an app from given bundle path with set of limited GPUs, use gpuids
zombies # show all zombies (apps holding reference to unplugged eGPU)
zcount # show count of (unhidden) zombies
Zkill # kill zombies
Zrelaunch # relaunch zombies
+fallbackGPUEjectPolicy # allow builtin fallbacks to take effect (default)
-fallbackGPUEjectPolicy # deny builtin fallbacks
Notes:
Unspecified gpuid (==0) indicates all "removable" GPUs
Capitalized commands may have system-wide effects
Non-capitalized commands are informative only
See description of Info.plist "SafeEjectGPUPolicy" key. Use values:
"ignore", "wait", "relaunch", or "kill" for per-app policy
+/-fallbackGPUEjectPolicy can appear multiple times on the commandline and applies to following commands
Example of the gpus command:
$ /usr/bin/SafeEjectGPU gpus
gpus
2020-12-27 15:30:35.949 SafeEjectGPU[55941:9041424] Device PreExisted [00000001000008b2] AMD Radeon RX 570
2020-12-27 15:30:35.949 SafeEjectGPU[55941:9041424] Device PreExisted [00000001000008b5] AMD Radeon Pro 560X
2020-12-27 15:30:35.949 SafeEjectGPU[55941:9041424] Device PreExisted [0000000100000876] Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630
gpuid 0x56ce - Intel® UHD Graphics 630
registryID=0x0000000100000876 integrated
location - BuiltIn
locationNumber - 0
maxTransferRate - 0
gpuid 0x9f05 - AMD Radeon Pro 560X
registryID=0x00000001000008b5 discrete
location - BuiltIn
locationNumber - 1
maxTransferRate - 0
gpuid 0x5d0e - AMD Radeon RX 570
registryID=0x00000001000008b2 removable
Razer Core X - enclosureRegistryID=0x0000000100000472
location - External
locationNumber - 1
maxTransferRate - 5000000000
This command gives information about File Sharing. It should look similar to the File Sharing section in the Sharing preference pane.
$ /usr/sbin/sharing
Usage:
sharing -a <path> [options] : create a sharepoint for directory specified by path <path>
sharing -e <name> [options] : edit sharepoint named <name>
sharing -r <name> : remove sharepoint with name <name>
sharing -l [-f json] : list existing sharepoints
options:
-A <name> :use share point name <name> for afp. Obsolete but left in for backwards compatibility.
-F <name> :use share point name <name> for ftp. Obsolete but left in for backwards compatibility.
-S <name> :use share point name <name> for smb.
-s [<flags>] :enable sharing, restricted by flags if specified;
flags = 000,001,010 ...111; 1 = share, 0 = do not share;
with digits indicating afp (no longer supported), ftp (no longer supported) and smb in that order;
default is 001 if -s is specified with no flags.
-g [<flags>] :enable guest access, restricted by flags if specified;
flags = 000,001,010 ...111; 1 = enabled, 0 = disabled;
with digits indicating afp (no longer supported), ftp (no longer supported) and smb in that order;
default 001 if -g is specified with no flags.
-i [<flags>] :enable inherit privileges from parent (afp only). Obsolete but left in for backwards compatibility.
-n <name> :set record name to use (by default this is the directory name of the shared directory)
-R <0/1> :make share read only for smb. 1 is enable, 0 is disable.
-E <0/1> :make share encrypted for smb v3 and later. 1 is enable, 0 is disable.
-f <format> :when listing shares, outputs in specified format. Formats supported: json
The Apple T2 security chip (a built-in ARM chip in newer Intel Mac models) communicates with your system with a modified HTTP/2 protocol. There is also a command-line interface for various functions of the chip. Note that this chip is merged with the Apple Silicon chips, and remotectl is no longer used on Apple Silicon Macs.
$ /usr/libexec/remotectl
usage: remotectl list
usage: remotectl show (name|uuid)
usage: remotectl get-property (name|uuid) [service] property
usage: remotectl dumpstate
usage: remotectl browse
usage: remotectl echo [-v service_version] [-d (name|uuid)]
usage: remotectl echo-file (name|uuid) path
usage: remotectl eos-echo
usage: remotectl netcat (name|uuid) service
usage: remotectl relay (name|uuid) service
usage: remotectl loopback (attach|connect|detach|suspend|resume)
usage: remotectl bonjour ((enable|enable-loopback interface_name)|(disable))
usage: remotectl convert-bridge-version plist-in-path bin-out-path
usage: remotectl heartbeat (name|uuid)
usage: remotectl trampoline [-2 fd] service_name command args ... [ -- [-2 fd] service_name command args ... ]
Example of the list command:
$ /usr/libexec/remotectl list
MY_UUID localbridge iBridge2,3 J680AP 5.1 (18P3030/18.16.13030.0.0,0) -
Example of the show command:
$ /usr/libexec/remotectl show MY_UUID
Found localbridge (bridge)
State: connected (connectable)
UUID: MY_UUID
Product Type: iBridge2,3
OS Build: 5.1 (18P3030)
Messaging Protocol Version: 2
Heartbeat:
Last successful heartbeat sent 8.825s ago, received 8.822s ago (took 0.003s)
64402 heartbeats sent, 0 received
Properties: {
AppleInternal => false
CPUArchitecture => arm64
ChipID => 32786
EffectiveProductionStatusSEP => true
HWModel => J680AP
HasSEP => true
LocationID => MY_LOCATION_ID
IsUIBuild => true
RegionInfo => LL/A
DeviceSupportsLockdown => false
EffectiveSecurityModeAp => true
SigningFuse => true
BuildVersion => 18P3030
OSVersion => 5.1
BridgeVersion => 18.16.13030.0.0,0
SensitivePropertiesVisible => true
BoardRevision => 1
Image4CryptoHashMethod => sha2-384
ProductType => iBridge2,3
SerialNumber => MY_SERIAL_NUMBER
BootSessionUUID => MY_BOOT_SESSION_ID
BoardId => 11
DeviceColor => black
EffectiveProductionStatusAp => true
EffectiveSecurityModeSEP => true
UniqueChipID => MY_UNIQUE_CHIP_ID
UniqueDeviceID => MY_UNIQUE_DEVICE_ID
RemoteXPCVersionFlags => MY_XPC_VERSION_FLAGS
CertificateProductionStatus => true
CertificateSecurityMode => true
DeviceEnclosureColor => black
ModelNumber => Z0V16LL/A
RegionCode => LL
SecurityDomain => 1
OSInstallEnvironment => false
InterfaceIndex => 4
HardwarePlatform => t8012
Image4Supported => true
}
Services:
com.apple.nfcd.relay.uart
com.apple.bridgeOSUpdated
com.apple.videoprocessingd.encode.remote
com.apple.corespeech.xpc.remote.record
com.apple.bootpolicyd.remote.internal
com.apple.icloud.findmydeviced.bridge
com.apple.xpc.remote.mobile_obliteration
com.apple.bootpolicyd.remote
com.apple.eos.BiometricKit
com.apple.osanalytics.logTransfer
com.apple.internal.xpc.remote.kext_audit
com.apple.xpc.remote.multiboot
com.apple.powerchime.remote
com.apple.aveservice
com.apple.recoverylogd.bridge
com.apple.sysdiagnose.stackshot.remote
com.apple.corespeech.xpc.remote.control
com.apple.RestoreRemoteServices.restoreserviced
com.apple.corecaptured.remoteservice
com.apple.nfcd.relay.control
com.apple.mobileactivationd.bridge
com.apple.sysdiagnose.remote
com.apple.CoreKDL.remoteXPC
com.apple.eos.LASecureIO
com.apple.multiverse.remote.bridgetime
com.apple.lskdd
com.apple.private.avvc.xpc.remote
This is a utility related to "CloudDocs", also know as iCloud Drive.
$ /usr/bin/brctl
Usage: brctl <command> [command-options and arguments]
-h,--help show this help
COMMANDS
diagnose [options] [--doc|-d <document-path>] [<diagnosis-output-path>]
diagnose and collect logs
-M,--collect-mobile-documents[=<container>] (default: all containers)
-s,--sysdiagnose Do not collect what's already part of sysdiagnose
-t,--uitest Collect logs for UI tests
-n,--name=<name> Change the device name
-f,--full Do a full diagnose, including server checks
-d,--doc=<document-path>
Collect additional information about the document at that path.
Helps when investigating an issue impacting a specific document.
-e,--no-reveal Do not reveal diagnose in the Finder when done
[<diagnosis-output-path>]
Specifies the output path of the diagnosis; -n becomes useless.
log [options] [<command>]
-a,--all Show all system logs
-p,--predicate Additional predicate (see `log help predicates`)
-x,--process <name> Filter events from the specified process
-d,--path=<logs-dir> Use <logs-dir> instead of default
-S,--start="YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS" Start log dump from a specified date
-E,--end="YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS" Stop log dump after a specified date
-b Only show CloudDocs logs
-f Only show FileProvider related logs
-F Only show FruitBasket related logs
-g Only show Genstore related logs
-i Only show SQL and CloudDocs logs
-z,--local-timezone Display timestamps within local timezone
dump [options] [<container>]
dump the CloudDocs database
-o,--output=<file-path>
redirect output to <file-path>
-d,--database-path=<db-path>
Use the database at <db-path>
-i,--itemless
Don't dump items from the db
-u,--upgrade
Upgrade the db if necessary before dumping
[<container>] the container to be dumped
status [<containers>]
Prints items which haven't been completely synced up / applied to disk
[<container>] the container to be dumped
quota
Displays the available quota in the account
monitor [options] [<container> ...]
monitor activity
-g dump global activity of the iCloud Drive
-i dump changes incrementally
-S,--scope=<scope>
restrict the NSMetadataQuery scope to docs, data, external or a combination
[<container> ...] list of containers to monitor, ignored when -g is used
A pretty cool command here is a utility to get the quota left on your iCloud Drive:
$ /usr/bin/brctl quota
2098962726220 bytes of quota remaining
Basically an all around useful tool for managing users, as well as manage full-disk encryption (FileVault).
$ /usr/sbin/sysadminctl
Usage: sysadminctl
-deleteUser <user name> [-secure || -keepHome] (interactive || -adminUser <administrator user name> -adminPassword <administrator password>)
-newPassword <new password> -oldPassword <old password> [-passwordHint <password hint>]
-resetPasswordFor <local user name> -newPassword <new password> [-passwordHint <password hint>] (interactive] || -adminUser <administrator user name> -adminPassword <administrator password>)
-addUser <user name> [-fullName <full name>] [-UID <user ID>] [-GID <group ID>] [-shell <path to shell>] [-password <user password>] [-hint <user hint>] [-home <full path to home>] [-admin] [-roleAccount] [-picture <full path to user image>] (interactive] || -adminUser <administrator user name> -adminPassword <administrator password>)
-secureTokenStatus <user name>
-secureTokenOn <user name> -password <password> (interactive || -adminUser <administrator user name> -adminPassword <administrator password>)
-secureTokenOff <user name> -password <password> (interactive || -adminUser <administrator user name> -adminPassword <administrator password>)
-guestAccount <on || off || status>
-afpGuestAccess <on || off || status>
-smbGuestAccess <on || off || status>
-automaticTime <on || off || status>
-filesystem status
-screenLock <status || immediate || off || seconds> -password <password>
Pass '-' instead of password in commands above to request prompt.
'-adminPassword' used mostly for scripted operation. Use '-' or 'interactive' to get the authentication string interactively. This preferred for security reasons
*Role accounts require name starting with _ and UID in 200-400 range.
A pretty useful command in this tool is to check if FileVault is enabled:
$ sudo sysadminctl -filesystem status
2019-10-13 10:16:41.266 sysadminctl[61797:3404423] Boot volume CS FDE: NO
2019-10-13 10:16:41.298 sysadminctl[61797:3404423] Boot volume APFS FDE: YES
CloudKit controls, probably useful for some advanced users.
$ /usr/sbin/ckksctl
usage: ckksctl [-p] [-j] [-s] [-v arg] [status] [fetch] [push] [resync] [reset] [reset-cloudkit] [ckmetric]
Control and report on CKKS
positional arguments:
optional arguments:
-p, --perfcounters Print CKKS performance counters
-j, --json Output in JSON format
-s, --short Output a short format
-v arg, --view arg Operate on a single view
optional commands:
status Report status on CKKS views
fetch Fetch all new changes in CloudKit and attempt to process them
push Push all pending local changes to CloudKit
resync Resync all data with what's in CloudKit
reset All local data will be wiped, and data refetched from CloudKit
reset-cloudkit All data in CloudKit will be removed and replaced with what's local
ckmetric Push CloudKit metric
This is the Octagon Trust utility. It's a pretty neat view of the underlying trust network being used by your Apple Devices.
$ /usr/sbin/otctl
usage: otctl [-s arg] [-e arg] [-r arg] [-j] [-i arg] [-E] [-P] [--altDSID arg] [--entropy arg] [--appleID arg] [--dsid arg] [--container arg] [--radar arg] [start] [sign-in] [sign-out] [status] [resetoctagon] [resetProtectedData] [user-controllable-views] [allBottles] [recover] [depart] [er-trigger] [er-status] [er-reset] [er-store] [health] [ckks-policy] [taptoradar] [fetchEscrowRecords] [fetchAllEscrowRecords] [recover-record] [recover-record-silent]
Control and report on Octagon Trust
positional arguments:
optional arguments:
-s arg, --secret arg escrow secret
-e arg, --bottleID arg bottle record id
-r arg, --skipRateLimiting arg enter values YES or NO, option defaults to NO, This gives you the opportunity to skip the rate limiting check when performing the cuttlefish health check
-j, --json Output in JSON
-i arg, --recordID arg recordID
-E, --enable Enable something (pair with a modification command)
-P, --pause Pause something (pair with a modification command)
--altDSID arg altDSID (for sign-in/out)
--entropy arg escrowed entropy in JSON
--appleID arg AppleID
--dsid arg DSID
--container arg CloudKit container name
--radar arg Radar number
optional commands:
start Start Octagon state machine
sign-in Inform Cuttlefish container of sign in
sign-out Inform Cuttlefish container of sign out
status Report Octagon status
resetoctagon Reset and establish new Octagon trust
resetProtectedData Reset ProtectedData
user-controllable-views Modify or view user-controllable views status (If one of --enable or --pause is passed, will modify status)
allBottles Fetch all viable bottles
recover Recover using this bottle
depart Depart from Octagon Trust
er-trigger Trigger an Escrow Request request
er-status Report status on any pending Escrow Request requests
er-reset Delete all Escrow Request requests
er-store Store any pending Escrow Request prerecords
health Check Octagon Health status
ckks-policy Trigger a refetch of the CKKS policy
taptoradar Trigger a TapToRadar
fetchEscrowRecords Fetch Escrow Records
fetchAllEscrowRecords Fetch All Escrow Records
recover-record Recover record
recover-record-silent Silent record recovery
Run the following command to list your peers:
$ /usr/sbin/otctl status
... Lots of Useful Output ...
This is the System Policy management utility. You can enable and disable Gatekeeper and other code-signing features this way.
$ /usr/sbin/spctl
System Policy Basic Usage:
spctl --assess [--type type] [-v] path ... # assessment
spctl --add [--type type] [--path|--requirement|--anchor|--hash] spec ... # add rule(s)
spctl [--enable|--disable|--remove] [--type type] [--path|--requirement|--anchor|--hash|--rule] spec # change rule(s)
spctl --status | --master-enable | --master-disable # system master switch
Developer Mode Usage:
spctl developer-mode <action>
enable-terminal
Add Terminal as a developer tool.
Kernel Extension User Consent Usage:
spctl kext-consent <action> ** Modifications only available in Recovery OS **
status
Print whether kernel extension user consent is enabled or disabled.
enable
Enable requiring user consent for kernel extensions.
disable
Disable requiring user consent for kernel extensions.
add <team-id>
Insert a new Team Identifier into the list allowed to load kernel extensions without user consent.
list
Print the list of Team Identifiers allowed to load without user consent.
remove <team-id>
Remove a Team Identifier from the list allowed to load kernel extensions without user consent.
A useful command is to view the status of the system policy assesments:
$ /usr/sbin/spctl --status
assessments enabled
Network setup is pretty much everything network-related minus some wireless stuff.
$ /usr/sbin/networksetup
networksetup Help Information
-------------------------------
Usage: networksetup -listnetworkserviceorder
Display services with corresponding port and device in order they are tried for connecting
to a network. An asterisk (*) denotes that a service is disabled.
Usage: networksetup -listallnetworkservices
Display list of services. An asterisk (*) denotes that a network service is disabled.
Usage: networksetup -listallhardwareports
Display list of hardware ports with corresponding device name and ethernet address.
Usage: networksetup -detectnewhardware
Detect new network hardware and create a default network service on the hardware.
Usage: networksetup -getmacaddress <hardwareport or device name>
Display ethernet (or Wi-Fi) address for hardwareport or device specified.
Usage: networksetup -getcomputername
Display the computer name.
Usage: networksetup -setcomputername <name>
Set the computer's name (if valid) to <name>.
Usage: networksetup -getinfo <networkservice>
Display IPv4 address, IPv6 address, subnet mask,
router address, ethernet address for <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setmanual <networkservice> <ip> <subnet> <router>
Set the <networkservice> TCP/IP configuration to manual with IP address set to ip,
Subnet Mask set to subnet, and Router address set to router.
Usage: networksetup -setdhcp <networkservice> [clientid]
Set the <networkservice> TCP/IP configuration to DHCP. You can set the
DHCP client id to the optional [clientid]. Specify "Empty" for [clientid]
to clear the DHCP client id.
Usage: networksetup -setbootp <networkservice>
Set the <networkservice> TCP/IP configuration to BOOTP.
Usage: networksetup -setmanualwithdhcprouter <networkservice> <ip>
Set the <networkservice> TCP/IP configuration to manual with DHCP router with IP address set
to ip.
Usage: networksetup -getadditionalroutes <networkservice>
Get additional IPv4 routes associated with <networkservice>
Usage: networksetup -setadditionalroutes <networkservice> [ <dest> <mask> <gateway> ]*
Set additional IPv4 routes associated with <networkservice>
by specifying one or more [ <dest> <mask> <gateway> ] tuples.
Remove additional routes by specifying no arguments.
If <gateway> is "", the route is direct to the interface
Usage: networksetup -setv4off <networkservice>
Turn IPv4 off on <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setv6off <networkservice>
Turn IPv6 off on <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setv6automatic <networkservice>
Set the service to get its IPv6 info automatically.
Usage: networksetup -setv6LinkLocal <networkservice>
Set the service to use its IPv6 only for link local.
Usage: networksetup -setv6manual <networkservice> <address> <prefixlength> <router>
Set the service to get its IPv6 info manually.
Specify <address> <prefixLength> and <router>.
Usage: networksetup -getv6additionalroutes <networkservice>
Get additional IPv6 routes associated with <networkservice>
Usage: networksetup -setv6additionalroutes <networkservice> [ <dest> <prefixlength> <gateway> ]*
Set additional IPv6 routes associated with <networkservice>
by specifying one or more [ <dest> <prefixlength> <gateway> ] tuples.
Remove additional routes by specifying no arguments.
If <gateway> is "", the route is direct to the interface
Usage: networksetup -getdnsservers <networkservice>
Display DNS info for <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setdnsservers <networkservice> <dns1> [dns2] [...]
Set the <networkservice> DNS servers to <dns1> [dns2] [...]. Any number of dns servers can be
specified. Specify "Empty" for <dns1> to clear all DNS entries.
Usage: networksetup -getsearchdomains <networkservice>
Display Domain Name info for <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setsearchdomains <networkservice> <domain1> [domain2] [...]
Set the <networkservice> Domain Name servers to <domain1> [domain2] [...]. Any number of Domain Name
servers can be specified. Specify "Empty" for <domain1> to clear all Domain Name entries.
Usage: networksetup -create6to4service <newnetworkservicename>
Create a 6 to 4 service with name <newnetworkservicename>.
Usage: networksetup -set6to4automatic <networkservice>
Set the service to get its 6 to 4 info automatically.
Usage: networksetup -set6to4manual <networkservice> <relayaddress>
Set the service to get its 6 to 4 info manually.
Specify <relayaddress> for the relay address.
Usage: networksetup -getftpproxy <networkservice>
Display FTP proxy (server, port, enabled value) info for <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setftpproxy <networkservice> <domain> <port number> <authenticated> <username> <password>
Set FTP proxy for <networkservice> with <domain> and <port number>. Turns proxy on. Optionally, specify <on> or <off> for <authenticated> to enable and disable authenticated proxy support. Specify <username> and <password> if you turn authenticated proxy support on.
Usage: networksetup -setftpproxystate <networkservice> <on off>
Set FTP proxy to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: networksetup -getwebproxy <networkservice>
Display Web proxy (server, port, enabled value) info for <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setwebproxy <networkservice> <domain> <port number> <authenticated> <username> <password>
Set Web proxy for <networkservice> with <domain> and <port number>. Turns proxy on. Optionally, specify <on> or <off> for <authenticated> to enable and disable authenticated proxy support. Specify <username> and <password> if you turn authenticated proxy support on.
Usage: networksetup -setwebproxystate <networkservice> <on off>
Set Web proxy to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: networksetup -getsecurewebproxy <networkservice>
Display Secure Web proxy (server, port, enabled value) info for <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setsecurewebproxy <networkservice> <domain> <port number> <authenticated> <username> <password>
Set Secure Web proxy for <networkservice> with <domain> and <port number>. Turns proxy on. Optionally, specify <on> or <off> for <authenticated> to enable and disable authenticated proxy support. Specify <username> and <password> if you turn authenticated proxy support on.
Usage: networksetup -setsecurewebproxystate <networkservice> <on off>
Set SecureWeb proxy to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: networksetup -getstreamingproxy <networkservice>
Display Streaming proxy (server, port, enabled value) info for <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setstreamingproxy <networkservice> <domain> <port number> <authenticated> <username> <password>
Set Streaming proxy for <networkservice> with <domain> and <port number>. Turns proxy on. Optionally, specify <on> or <off> for <authenticated> to enable and disable authenticated proxy support. Specify <username> and <password> if you turn authenticated proxy support on.
Usage: networksetup -setstreamingproxystate <networkservice> <on off>
Set Streaming proxy to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: networksetup -getgopherproxy <networkservice>
Display Gopher proxy (server, port, enabled value) info for <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setgopherproxy <networkservice> <domain> <port number> <authenticated> <username> <password>
Set Gopher proxy for <networkservice> with <domain> and <port number>. Turns proxy on. Optionally, specify <on> or <off> for <authenticated> to enable and disable authenticated proxy support. Specify <username> and <password> if you turn authenticated proxy support on.
Usage: networksetup -setgopherproxystate <networkservice> <on off>
Set Gopher proxy to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: networksetup -getsocksfirewallproxy <networkservice>
Display SOCKS Firewall proxy (server, port, enabled value) info for <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxy <networkservice> <domain> <port number> <authenticated> <username> <password>
Set SOCKS Firewall proxy for <networkservice> with <domain> and <port number>. Turns proxy on. Optionally, specify <on> or <off> for <authenticated> to enable and disable authenticated proxy support. Specify <username> and <password> if you turn authenticated proxy support on.
Usage: networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxystate <networkservice> <on off>
Set SOCKS Firewall proxy to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: networksetup -getproxybypassdomains <networkservice>
Display Bypass Domain Names for <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setproxybypassdomains <networkservice> <domain1> [domain2] [...]
Set the Bypass Domain Name Servers for <networkservice> to <domain1> [domain2] [...]. Any number of
Domain Name servers can be specified. Specify "Empty" for <domain1> to clear all
Domain Name entries.
Usage: networksetup -getproxyautodiscovery <networkservice>
Display whether Proxy Auto Discover is on or off for <network service>.
Usage: networksetup -setproxyautodiscovery <networkservice> <on off>
Set Proxy Auto Discovery to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: networksetup -getpassiveftp <networkservice>
Display whether Passive FTP is on or off for <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setpassiveftp <networkservice> <on off>
Set Passive FTP to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: networksetup -setautoproxyurl <networkservice> <url>
Set proxy auto-config to url for <networkservice> and enable it.
Usage: networksetup -getautoproxyurl <networkservice>
Display proxy auto-config (url, enabled) info for <networkservice>.
Usage: networksetup -setautoproxystate <networkservice> <on off>
Set proxy auto-config to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: networksetup -getairportnetwork <device name>
Display current Wi-Fi Network for <device name>.
Usage: networksetup -setairportnetwork <device name> <network> [password]
Set Wi-Fi Network to <network> for <device name>.
If a password is included, it gets stored in the keychain.
Usage: networksetup -getairportpower <device name>
Display whether Wi-Fi power is on or off for <device name>.
Usage: networksetup -setairportpower <device name> <on off>
Set Wi-Fi power for <device name> to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: networksetup -listpreferredwirelessnetworks <device name>
List the preferred wireless networks for <device name>.
Usage: networksetup -addpreferredwirelessnetworkatindex <device name> <network> <index> <security type> [password]
Add wireless network named <network> to preferred list for <device name> at <index>.
For security type, use OPEN for none, WPA for WPA Personal, WPAE for WPA Enterprise,
WPA2 for WPA2 Personal, WPA2E for WPA2 Enterprise, WEP for plain WEP, and 8021XWEP for 802.1X WEP.
If a password is included, it gets stored in the keychain.
Usage: networksetup -removepreferredwirelessnetwork <device name> <network>
Remove <network> from the preferred wireless network list for <device name>.
Usage: networksetup -removeallpreferredwirelessnetworks <device name>
Remove all networks from the preferred wireless network list for <device name>.
Usage: networksetup -getnetworkserviceenabled <networkservice>
Display whether a service is on or off (enabled or disabled).
Usage: networksetup -setnetworkserviceenabled <networkservice> <on off>
Set <networkservice> to either <on> or <off> (enabled or disabled).
Usage: networksetup -createnetworkservice <newnetworkservicename> <hardwareport>
Create a service named <networkservice> on port <hardwareport>. The new service will be enabled by default.
Usage: networksetup -renamenetworkservice <networkservice> <newnetworkservicename>
Rename <networkservice> to <newnetworkservicename>.
Usage: networksetup -duplicatenetworkservice <networkservice> <newnetworkservicename>
Duplicate <networkservice> and name it with <newnetworkservicename>.
Usage: networksetup -removenetworkservice <networkservice>
Remove the service named <networkservice>. Will fail if this is the only service on the hardware port that <networkservice> is on.
Usage: networksetup -ordernetworkservices <service1> <service2> <service3> <...>
Order the services in order specified. Use "-listnetworkserviceorder" to view service order.
Note: use quotes around service names which contain spaces (ie. "Built-in Ethernet").
Usage: networksetup -setMTUAndMediaAutomatically <hardwareport or device name>
Set hardwareport or device specified back to automatically setting the MTU and Media.
Usage: networksetup -getMTU <hardwareport or device name>
Get the MTU value for hardwareport or device specified.
Usage: networksetup -setMTU <hardwareport or device name> <value>
Set MTU for hardwareport or device specified.
Usage: networksetup -listvalidMTUrange <hardwareport or device name>
List the valid MTU range for hardwareport or device specified.
Usage: networksetup -getmedia <hardwareport or device name>
Show both the current setting for media and the active media on hardwareport or device specified.
Usage: networksetup -setmedia <hardwareport or device name> <subtype> [option1] [option2] [...]
Set media for hardwareport or device specified to subtype. Specify optional [option1] and additional options depending on subtype. Any number of valid options can be specified.
Usage: networksetup -listvalidmedia <hardwareport or device name>
List valid media options for hardwareport or device name. Enumerates available subtypes and options per subtype.
Usage: networksetup -createVLAN <VLAN name> <device name> <tag>
Create a VLAN with name <VLAN name> over device <device name> with unique tag <tag>. A default network service will be created over the VLAN.
Usage: networksetup -deleteVLAN <VLAN name> <device name> <tag>
Delete the VLAN with name <VLAN name> over the parent device <device name> with unique tag <tag>. If there are network services running over the VLAN they will be deleted.
Usage: networksetup -listVLANs
List the VLANs that have been created.
Usage: networksetup -listdevicesthatsupportVLAN
List the devices that support VLANs.
Usage: networksetup -isBondSupported <device name ie., en0>
Return YES if the specified device can be added to a bond. NO if it cannot.
Usage: networksetup -createBond <user defined name> <device name 1> <device name 2> <...>
Create a new bond and give it the user defined name. Add the specified devices, if any, to the bond.
Usage: networksetup -deleteBond <bond name ie., bond0>
Delete the bond with the specified device-name.
Usage: networksetup -addDeviceToBond <device name> <bond name>
Add the specified device to the specified bond.
Usage: networksetup -removeDeviceFromBond <device name> <bond name>
Remove the specified device from the specified bond
Usage: networksetup -listBonds
List all of the bonds.
Usage: networksetup -showBondStatus <bond name ie., bond0>
Display the status of the specified bond.
Usage: networksetup -listpppoeservices
List all of the PPPoE services in the current set.
Usage: networksetup -showpppoestatus <service name ie., MyPPPoEService>
Display the status of the specified PPPoE service.
Usage: networksetup -createpppoeservice <device name ie., en0> <service name> <account name> <password> [pppoe service name]
Create a PPPoE service on the specified device with the service name specified.
The "pppoe service name" is optional and may not be supported by the service provider.
Usage: networksetup -deletepppoeservice <service name>
Delete the PPPoE service.
Usage: networksetup -setpppoeaccountname <service name> <account name>
Sets the account name for the specified service.
Usage: networksetup -setpppoepassword <service name> <password>
Sets the password stored in the keychain for the specified service.
Usage: networksetup -connectpppoeservice <service name>
Connect the PPPoE service.
Usage: networksetup -disconnectpppoeservice <service name>
Disconnect the PPPoE service.
Usage: networksetup -getcurrentlocation
Display the name of the current location.
Usage: networksetup -listlocations
List all of the locations.
Usage: networksetup -createlocation <location name> [populate]
Create a new network location with the spcified name.
If the optional term "populate" is included, the location will be populated with the default services.
Usage: networksetup -deletelocation <location name>
Delete the location.
Usage: networksetup -switchtolocation <location name>
Make the specified location the current location.
Usage: networksetup -version
Display version of networksetup tool.
Usage: networksetup -help
Display these help listings.
Usage: networksetup -printcommands
Displays a quick listing of commands (without explanations).
Any command that takes a password, will accept - to indicate the password should be read from stdin.
The networksetup tool requires at least admin privileges to change network settings. If the "Require an administrator password to access system-wide preferences" option is selected in System Preferences > Security & Privacy, then root privileges are required to change network settings.
This utility provides a lot of simpler system setup options.
$ sudo /usr/sbin/systemsetup
systemsetup Help Information
-------------------------------------
Usage: systemsetup -getdate
Display current date.
Usage: systemsetup -setdate <mm:dd:yy>
Set current date to <mm:dd:yy>.
Usage: systemsetup -gettime
Display current time.
Usage: systemsetup -settime <hh:mm:ss>
Set current time to <hh:mm:ss>.
Usage: systemsetup -gettimezone
Display current time zone.
Usage: systemsetup -settimezone <timezone>
Set current time zone to <timezone>. Use "-listtimezones" to list time zones.
Usage: systemsetup -listtimezones
List time zones supported by this machine.
Usage: systemsetup -getusingnetworktime
Display whether network time is on or off.
Usage: systemsetup -setusingnetworktime <on off>
Set using network time to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: systemsetup -getnetworktimeserver
Display network time server.
Usage: systemsetup -setnetworktimeserver <timeserver>
Set network time server to <timeserver>.
Usage: systemsetup -getsleep
Display amount of idle time until computer, display and hard disk sleep.
Usage: systemsetup -setsleep <minutes>
Set amount of idle time until computer, display and hard disk sleep to <minutes>.
Specify "Never" or "Off" for never.
Usage: systemsetup -getcomputersleep
Display amount of idle time until computer sleeps.
Usage: systemsetup -setcomputersleep <minutes>
Set amount of idle time until compputer sleeps to <minutes>.
Specify "Never" or "Off" for never.
Usage: systemsetup -getdisplaysleep
Display amount of idle time until display sleeps.
Usage: systemsetup -setdisplaysleep <minutes>
Set amount of idle time until display sleeps to <minutes>.
Specify "Never" or "Off" for never.
Usage: systemsetup -getharddisksleep
Display amount of idle time until hard disk sleeps.
Usage: systemsetup -setharddisksleep <minutes>
Set amount of idle time until hard disk sleeps to <minutes>.
Specify "Never" or "Off" for never.
Usage: systemsetup -getwakeonmodem
Display whether wake on modem is on or off.
Usage: systemsetup -setwakeonmodem <on off>
Set wake on modem to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: systemsetup -getwakeonnetworkaccess
Display whether wake on network access is on or off.
Usage: systemsetup -setwakeonnetworkaccess <on off>
Set wake on network access to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: systemsetup -getrestartpowerfailure
Display whether restart on power failure is on or off.
Usage: systemsetup -setrestartpowerfailure <on off>
Set restart on power failure to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: systemsetup -getrestartfreeze
Display whether restart on freeze is on or off.
Usage: systemsetup -setrestartfreeze <on off>
Set restart on freeze to either <on> or <off>.
Usage: systemsetup -getallowpowerbuttontosleepcomputer
Display whether the power button is able to sleep the computer.
Usage: systemsetup -setallowpowerbuttontosleepcomputer <on off>
Enable or disable whether the power button can sleep the computer.
Usage: systemsetup -getremotelogin
Display whether remote login is on or off.
Usage: systemsetup -setremotelogin <on off>
Set remote login to either <on> or <off>. Use "systemsetup -f -setremotelogin off" to suppress prompting when turning remote login off. Requires Full Disk Access privileges.
Usage: systemsetup -getremoteappleevents
Display whether remote apple events are on or off.
Usage: systemsetup -setremoteappleevents <on off>
Set remote apple events to either <on> or <off>. Requires Full Disk Access privileges.
Usage: systemsetup -getcomputername
Display computer name.
Usage: systemsetup -setcomputername <computername>
Set computer name to <computername>.
Usage: systemsetup -getlocalsubnetname
Display local subnet name.
Usage: systemsetup -setlocalsubnetname <name>
Set local subnet name to <name>.
Usage: systemsetup -getstartupdisk
Display current startup disk.
Usage: systemsetup -setstartupdisk <disk>
Set current startup disk to <disk>.
Usage: systemsetup -liststartupdisks
List startup disks on this machine.
Usage: systemsetup -getwaitforstartupafterpowerfailure
Get the number of seconds after which the computer will start up after a power failure.
Usage: systemsetup -setwaitforstartupafterpowerfailure <seconds>
Set the number of seconds after which the computer will start up after a power failure. The <seconds> value must be a multiple of 30 seconds.
Usage: systemsetup -getdisablekeyboardwhenenclosurelockisengaged
Get whether or not the keyboard should be disabled when the X Serve enclosure lock is engaged.
Usage: systemsetup -setdisablekeyboardwhenenclosurelockisengaged <yes no>
Set whether or not the keyboard should be disabled when the X Serve enclosure lock is engaged.
Usage: systemsetup -version
Display version of systemsetup tool.
Usage: systemsetup -help
Display help.
Usage: systemsetup -printCommands
Display commands.
The Airport command-line utility can yield a lot of useful Wi-Fi info.
$ /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport
Usage: airport <interface> <verb> <options>
<interface>
If an interface is not specified, airport will use the first AirPort interface on the system.
<verb is one of the following:
prefs If specified with no key value pairs, displays a subset of AirPort preferences for
the specified interface.
Preferences may be configured using key=value syntax. Keys and possible values are specified below.
Boolean settings may be configured using 'YES' and 'NO'.
DisconnectOnLogout (Boolean)
JoinMode (String)
Automatic
Preferred
Ranked
Recent
Strongest
JoinModeFallback (String)
Prompt
JoinOpen
KeepLooking
DoNothing
RememberRecentNetworks (Boolean)
RequireAdmin (Boolean)
RequireAdminIBSS (Boolean)
RequireAdminNetworkChange (Boolean)
RequireAdminPowerToggle (Boolean)
AllowLegacyNetworks (Boolean)
WoWEnabled (Boolean)
logger Monitor the driver's logging facility.
sniff If a channel number is specified, airportd will attempt to configure the interface
to use that channel before it begins sniffing 802.11 frames. Captures files are saved to /tmp.
Requires super user privileges.
debug Enable debug logging. A debug log setting may be enabled by prefixing it with a '+', and disabled
by prefixing it with a '-'.
AirPort Userland Debug Flags
DriverDiscovery
DriverEvent
Info
SystemConfiguration
UserEvent
PreferredNetworks
AutoJoin
IPC
Scan
802.1x
Assoc
Keychain
RSNAuth
WoW
P2P
Roam
BTCoex
AllUserland - Enable/Disable all userland debug flags
AirPort Driver Common Flags
DriverInfo
DriverError
DriverWPA
DriverScan
AllDriver - Enable/Disable all driver debug flags
AirPort Driver Vendor Flags
VendorAssoc
VendorConnection
AllVendor - Enable/Disable all vendor debug flags
AirPort Global Flags
LogFile - Save all AirPort logs to /var/log/wifi.log
<options> is one of the following:
No options currently defined.
Examples:
Configuring preferences (requires admin privileges)
sudo airport en1 prefs JoinMode=Preferred RememberRecentNetworks=NO RequireAdmin=YES
Sniffing on channel 1:
airport en1 sniff 1
LEGACY COMMANDS:
Supported arguments:
-c[<arg>] --channel=[<arg>] Set arbitrary channel on the card
-z --disassociate Disassociate from any network
-I --getinfo Print current wireless status, e.g. signal info, BSSID, port type etc.
-s[<arg>] --scan=[<arg>] Perform a wireless broadcast scan.
Will perform a directed scan if the optional <arg> is provided
-x --xml Print info as XML
-P --psk Create PSK from specified pass phrase and SSID.
The following additional arguments must be specified with this command:
--password=<arg> Specify a WPA password
--ssid=<arg> Specify SSID when creating a PSK
-h --help Show this help
Probably my favorite use of this command is getting the current network:
$ /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport -I
agrCtlRSSI: -40
agrExtRSSI: 0
agrCtlNoise: -91
agrExtNoise: 0
state: running
op mode: station
lastTxRate: 351
maxRate: 1300
lastAssocStatus: 0
802.11 auth: open
link auth: wpa2-psk
BSSID: MY_BSSID
SSID: MY_SSID
MCS: 7
channel: 44,80
Also, you can scan your local Wi-Fi networks by running:
$ /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport -s
... Networks Here ...
This tool fetches the available Content Caches available to your machine, and other Apple devices on the network. Content Cache is available in Sharing inside System Preferences and allows you to cache System Updates and iCloud content on local machines for bandwidth reduction.
$ /usr/bin/AssetCacheLocatorUtil
2020-12-26 20:35:24.351 AssetCacheLocatorUtil[39485:7741115] AssetCacheLocatorUtil version 116, framework version 116
2020-12-26 20:35:24.351 AssetCacheLocatorUtil[39485:7741115] Determining public IP address...
2020-12-26 20:35:24.494 AssetCacheLocatorUtil[39485:7741115] This computer's public IP address is 8.30.97.117.
2020-12-26 20:35:24.494 AssetCacheLocatorUtil[39485:7741115] --- Information for system services:
.... More Output
The output from this command is pretty large but it will allow you to diagnose access to content cache.
This tool manages the Content Cache service on your machine.
$ /usr/bin/AssetCacheManagerUtil
2020-07-04 01:26:37.394 AssetCacheManagerUtil[2835:949425] Usage: AssetCacheManagerUtil [options] command
2020-07-04 01:26:37.394 AssetCacheManagerUtil[2835:949425] Options are:
-a|--all show all events
-j|--json print results in JSON
-l|--linger don't exit
2020-07-04 01:26:37.394 AssetCacheManagerUtil[2835:949425] Commands are:
activate
deactivate
isActivated
canActivate
flushCache
flushPersonalCache
flushSharedCache
status
settings
reloadSettings
moveCacheTo path
absorbCacheFrom path read-only|and-destroy
An example usage of this command is:
$ /usr/bin/AssetCacheManagerUtil status
2020-07-04 01:29:24.546 AssetCacheManagerUtil[3572:955073] Content caching status:
Activated: false
Active: false
CacheDetails: (none)
CacheFree: 293.24 GB
CacheLimit: unlimited
CacheStatus: OK
CacheUsed: Zero KB
Parents: (none)
Peers: (none)
PersonalCacheFree: 293.24 GB
PersonalCacheLimit: unlimited
PersonalCacheUsed: Zero KB
Port: 0
RegistrationError: NOT_ACTIVATED
RegistrationResponseCode: 403
RegistrationStatus: -1
RestrictedMedia: false
ServerGUID: [GUID HERE]
StartupStatus: FAILED
TetheratorStatus: 0
TotalBytesAreSince: 2020-07-03 17:22:37
TotalBytesDropped: Zero KB
TotalBytesImported: Zero KB
TotalBytesReturnedToChildren: Zero KB
TotalBytesReturnedToClients: Zero KB
TotalBytesReturnedToPeers: Zero KB
TotalBytesStoredFromOrigin: Zero KB
TotalBytesStoredFromParents: Zero KB
TotalBytesStoredFromPeers: Zero KB
seedutil allows you to enroll and un-enroll from AppleSeed programs, such as Public Betas.
$ sudo /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Seeding.framework/Resources/seedutil
usage: seedutil enroll SEED_PROGRAM
seedutil unenroll
seedutil current
seedutil migrate OLD_VERSION NEW_VERSION
seedutil fixup
An example usage of this command is:
$ sudo /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Seeding.framework/Resources/seedutil current
Currently enrolled in: (null)
Program: 0
Build is seed: NO
CatalogURL: (null)
NSShowFeedbackMenu: NO
DisableSeedOptOut: NO
Asset Audience: c80fd46d-7cc7-487e-993c-3876697879dc
kmutil is a tool for managing Kernel Extensions.
$ /usr/bin/kmutil
OVERVIEW: kmutil: KernelManagement Utility (KernelManagement_executables-102.60.20)
USAGE: kmutil <subcommand>
OPTIONS:
-h, --help Show help information.
SUBCOMMANDS:
create Create one or more new artifacts based on the arguments provided.
load Load one or more extensions based on the arguments provided.
unload Unload the named kexts and all personalities.
log Display logging information about the KernelManagement subsystem.
libraries Search for library kexts that define symbols needed for linking by a a kernel extension.
dumpstate Dumps kernelmanagerd(8) state for debugging
inspect Inspect & display a kext collection's contents according to the options provided.
clear-staging Clears all contents of the kext staging locations on the system
find Find kexts available on the operating system.
showloaded Show the loaded state of the extensions on the system, according to the options provided.
trigger-panic-medic Delete and disable loading of third party kexts in order to safely boot into a target volume. (can only be triggered in Recovery mode)
eg usage: `kmutil trigger-panic-medic --volume-root /Volumes/<VolumeName>`
check Check the consistency of kext collections against each other and/or load information in-kernel.
print-diagnostics Perform all possible tests on a specified kext, and indicate whether the kext is loadable.
See 'kmutil help <subcommand>' for detailed help.
An example of using kmutil is to list loaded kexts:
$ /usr/bin/kmutil showloaded
No variant specified, falling back to release
Index Refs Address Size Wired Name (Version) UUID <Linked Against>
1 139 0 0 0 com.apple.kpi.bsd (20.2.0) 82E2050C-5936-3D24-AD3B-EC4EC5C09E11 <>
2 11 0 0 0 com.apple.kpi.dsep (20.2.0) 82E2050C-5936-3D24-AD3B-EC4EC5C09E11 <>
3 168 0 0 0 com.apple.kpi.iokit (20.2.0) 82E2050C-5936-3D24-AD3B-EC4EC5C09E11 <>
4 0 0 0 0 com.apple.kpi.kasan (20.2.0) 82E2050C-5936-3D24-AD3B-EC4EC5C09E11 <>
profiles allows you to manage and inspect macOS profiles. This is most commonly used for MDM.
$ /usr/bin/profiles help
profiles allows you access configuration or application provisioning profiles on macOS.
Use 'profiles help' for this help section, or use the man page for expanded instructions.
Basic usage is in the form: 'profiles <command verb> [<options and parameters>]'
Clients should use the Profiles System Preferences pane to install configuration profiles.
Command Verbs:
status - indicates if profiles are installed
list - list profile information
show - show expanded profile information
remove - remove profile
sync - synchronize installed configuration profiles with known users
renew - renew configuration profile installed certificate
validate - validation of provisioning profile or DEP server enrollment information
version - display tool version number
Options: (not all options are meaningful for a command)
-type=<string> - type of profile; either 'configuration', 'provisioning', 'enrollment', or 'bootstraptoken'
-user=<string> - short user name
-password=<string> - password
-identifier=<string> - profile identifier
-path=<string> - file path
-uuid=<string> - profile UUID
-enrolledUser=<string> - enrolled user name
-verbose - enable verbose mode
-forced - when removing profiles, automatically confirms requests
-all - select all profiles
-quiet - enable quiet mode
An example usage of profiles is viewing the status of profile enrollment:
$ /usr/bin/profiles status -type enrollment
Enrolled via DEP: No
MDM enrollment: No
bputil is a tool for managing Boot Policy. This tool is only available on Apple Silicon. If you run this tool on x86_64, it will output: bputil is not yet supported on this platform.
$ /usr/bin/bputil
This utility is not meant for normal users or even sysadmins.
It provides unabstracted access to capabilities which are normally handled for the user automatically when changing the security policy through GUIs such as Startup Disk in macOS Recovery.
It is possible to make your system security much weaker and therefore easier to compromise using this tool.
This tool is not to be used in production environments.
It is possible to render your system unbootable with this tool.
It should only be used to understand how the security of Apple Silicon Macs works.
Use at your own risk!
bputil v0.1.3 - a tool to modify boot policies
bputil <optional arguments> ...
Optional arguments:
-u, --username <username>
Used to specify the username for a user with access to the signing key to authenticate the change
If this is specified, the below password option is required too
If this is not specified, an interactive prompt will request the username
-p, --password <password>
Used to specify the password for a user with access to the signing key to authenticate the change
If this is specified, the above username option is required too
If this is not specified, an interactive prompt will request the password
-v, --vuid <AABBCCDD-EEFF-0011-2233-445566778899>
Set the Volume Group UUID value
If no option is specified, the default value of Volume Group UUID will be set to the APFS volume group UUID of the running OS
Volume Group UUID for a given OS can be found with 'diskutil apfs listVolumeGroups'
-l, --debug-logging
Enables verbose logging to assist in debugging any issues associated with changing the policy
-d, --display-policy
Display the local policy. If the system has multiple bootable volumes, an interactive prompt will ask you to specify a volume
-f, --full-security
Changes security mode to Full Security. This option is mutually exclusive with all options below which cause security downgrades
-g, --reduced-security
Changes security mode to Reduced Security
Passing this option will explicitly recreate the LocalPolicy, only the options specified via this tool will exist in the output local policy
-n, --permissive-security
Changes security mode to Permissive Security
Passing this option will explicitly recreate the LocalPolicy, only the options specified via this tool will exist in the output local policy
-m, --enable-mdm
Enables MDM management of software updates & kernel extensions
Automatically downgrades to Reduced Security mode if not already true
-k, --enable-kexts
Enables trust in locally SEP-signed AuxilaryKernelCache that contains 3rd party kexts
Automatically downgrades to Reduced Security mode if not already true
-c, --disable-kernel-ctrr
Disables the enforcement of the Configurable Text Read-only Region that protects Kernel code
Automatically downgrades to Permissive Security mode if not already true
-a, --disable-boot-args-restriction
Enables sending custom boot args to the kernel
Automatically downgrades to Permissive Security mode if not already true
-s, --disable-ssv
Disables Signed System Volume integrity checks
Automatically downgrades to Permissive Security mode if not already true
NOTE: SSV cannot be disabled while FileVault is enabled
nscurl is similar to curl but using macOS APIs.
$ /usr/bin/nscurl -h
Usage: nscurl [options...] <URL>
Options:
-h --help Display help message
-bg --background Use the background transfer
API to execute the request
--discretionary Marks the transfer as
discretionary (only has an
effect if --background is
passed)
-D --dump-header [ARG] Write the response headers to
the specified file (pass '-'
for stdout)
-o --output [ARG] Write the response data to
the specified file (pass '-'
for stdout)
-i --include Include response headers in
output
-L --location Instruct nscurl to follow
redirects (this is the
default behavior)
--ignore-location Instruct nscurl to ignore
redirects
-H --header [ARG] Specify an additional HTTP
Header ("X-Header-Name:
Value")
-A --user-agent [ARG] Specify the User-Agent string
-u --user [ARG] Specify a username and
password <user:password>
-dl --download Download the resource using a
download task
-dir --download-directory [ARG] Download the resource into
the specified directory
-T --upload [ARG] Upload the specified file
(with HTTP PUT request
-SU --streamed Use a streamed upload instead
of a file upload, when
--upload is passed
-k --insecure Disable cert checking when
using TLS
-ld --large-download Use 'large-download'
properties
--bg-traffic-class Use SO_TC_BK traffic class
-m --max-time [ARG] Timeout in seconds for the
entire request
--window-delay [ARG] Conditional connection window
delay for request
--window-duration [ARG] Conditional connection window
duration for request
-M --method [ARG] Set the HTTP method for the
request
-G --get Send a GET request
-I --head Send a HEAD request
--post Send a POST request
--put Send a PUT request
-r --range [ARG] Specify a byte range
--no-expensive Disallow the use of expensive
networks
--no-constrained Disallow the use of
constrained networks
--start-timeout [ARG] Sets a timeout on starting
the request (expressed in
seconds from now)
--fast-connect-timeout Fail quickly if the server is
unreachable
--payload-transmission-timeout [ARG] Sets a timeout on payload
transmission
post-connection-establishment
-v --verbose Verbose output
--ats-diagnostics Display ATS diagnostic
information for URL
--fingerprint Display fingerprint of URL
TLS configuration
--ats-tls-version [ARG] Minimum TLS version used for
ATS configuration. Allowed
values: TLSv1.0, TLSv1.1,
TLSv1.2, or TLSv1.3
--ats-disable-pfs Do not require Perfect
Forward Secrecy for ATS
configuration
-ec --effective-configuration Exercise effective
configuration
--effective-configuration-dump [ARG] Write effective configuration
to plist
--effective-configuration-read [ARG] Read effective configuration
from plist
--http3 Enable HTTP/3
--http3-prior-knowledge Enable HTTP/3 racing without
service discovery
An example of using nscurl is fetching your external IP from ipify.org:
$ /usr/bin/nscurl 'https://api.ipify.org?format=json'
{"ip":"10.25.0.1"}
taskinfo is a tool for viewing detailed information about a process.
$ /usr/bin/taskinfo -h
usage:
taskinfo [-h|--help] [--threads] [--dq] [--boosts] [process-name|pid]
An example of using taskinfo is fetching information about the taskinfo process itself.
$ sudo /usr/bin/taskinfo taskinfo
process: "taskinfo" [76355] [unique ID: 773167]
architecture: arm64e
coalition (type 0) ID: 30994
coalition (type 1) ID: 30995
suspend count: 0
virtual bytes: 389.20 GB; phys_footprint bytes: 832.69 kB; phys_footprint lifetime maximum bytes: 832.69 kB
run time: 0 s
user/system time (current threads): 0.000781 s / 0.011651 s
user/system time (terminated threads): 0.000000 s / 0.000000 s
interrupt wakeups: 0 (0 / nan% from platform idle)
default sched policy: POLICY_TIMESHARE
CPU usage monitor: none
CPU wakes monitor: 150 wakes per second (over system-default time period)
dirty tracking: untracked dirty
boosts: 0 (0 externalized)
requested policy
req apptype: TASK_APPTYPE_DAEMON_INTERACTIVE
req role: TASK_UNSPECIFIED (PRIO_DARWIN_ROLE_DEFAULT)
req qos clamp: THREAD_QOS_UNSPECIFIED
req base/override latency qos: LATENCY_QOS_TIER_UNSPECIFIED / LATENCY_QOS_TIER_UNSPECIFIED
req base/override thruput qos: THROUGHPUT_QOS_TIER_UNSPECIFIED / THROUGHPUT_QOS_TIER_UNSPECIFIED
req darwin BG: NO
req internal/external iotier: THROTTLE_LEVEL_TIER0 (IMPORTANT) / THROTTLE_LEVEL_TIER0 (IMPORTANT)
req darwin BG iotier: THROTTLE_LEVEL_TIER2 (UTILITY)
req managed: NO
req other:
req suppression (App Nap) behaviors:
effective policy
eff role: TASK_UNSPECIFIED (PRIO_DARWIN_ROLE_DEFAULT)
eff latency qos: LATENCY_QOS_TIER_UNSPECIFIED
eff thruput qos: THROUGHPUT_QOS_TIER_UNSPECIFIED
eff darwin BG: NO
eff iotier: THROTTLE_LEVEL_TIER0 (IMPORTANT)
eff managed: NO
eff qos ceiling: THREAD_QOS_USER_INITIATED
eff qos clamp: THREAD_QOS_UNSPECIFIED
eff other:
imp_donor: YES
imp_receiver: NO
pid suspended: NO
adaptive daemon: NO (boosted: NO)
taskpolicy can be used to adjust certain policies for running programs, and can additionally be used for running programs with a particular policy.
$ /usr/sbin/taskpolicy
Usage: taskpolicy [-x|-X] [-d <policy>] [-g policy] [-c clamp] [-b] [-t <tier>]
[-l <tier>] [-a] <program> [<pargs> [...]]
taskpolicy [-b|-B] [-t <tier>] [-l <tier>] -p pid
An example of using taskpolicy is clamping a command to a particular task QoS:
$ /usr/sbin/taskpolicy -c background sw_vers
ProductName: macOS
ProductVersion: 11.0
BuildVersion: 20A2411
asr stands for Apple Software Restore. It is used for copying volume content.
$ /usr/sbin/asr
Usage: asr <verb> <options>
<verb> is one of the following:
asr help | version
asr restore --source <source> --target <target> [<options>]
asr restore --source asr://<host>/ --file <file> [<options>]
asr server --source <source> --config <plist> [<options>]
asr imagescan --source <source> [--filechecksum] [--nostream]
asr info --source <source> [--plist]
There is a great WWDC talk which dives into ASR around the eleven minute mark.
shortcuts allows you to run and list your shortcuts from the Shortcuts app.
$ /usr/bin/shortcuts
OVERVIEW: Command-line utility for running shortcuts.
USAGE: shortcuts <subcommand>
OPTIONS:
-h, --help Show help information.
SUBCOMMANDS:
run Run a shortcut.
list List your shortcuts.
view View a shortcut in Shortcuts.
sign Sign a shortcut file.
See 'shortcuts help <subcommand>' for detailed help.
An example of using shortcuts is the list command to list your shortcuts:
$ /usr/bin/shortcuts list
Accessibility Assistant
Show me my Doorbell Camera
Show me my Front Camera
networkQuality measures the quality of the network you are connected to.
$ /usr/bin/networkQuality -h
USAGE: networkQuality [-C <configuration_url>] [-c] [-h] [-I <interfaceName>] [-s] [-v]
-C: override Configuration URL
-c: Produce computer-readable output
-h: Show help (this message)
-I: Bind test to interface (e.g., en0, pdp_ip0,...)
-s: Run tests sequentially instead of parallel upload/download
-v: Verbose output
Running without any arguments will give you an assessment of your network.
$ /usr/bin/networkQuality
==== SUMMARY ====
Upload capacity: 24.494 Mbps
Download capacity: 262.640 Mbps
Upload flows: 16
Download flows: 12
Responsiveness: Medium (677 RPM)