macrift

Preview every macOS change before it happens — then apply with one key

_{Extensible via plugins · journaled undo · nothing changes until you confirm}

        

Why macrift? · Quick Start · Features · Plugins · Customize

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Why macrift?

See every macOS tweak before it touches your system. One keypress to apply or skip.

• Preview, then apply — every defaults write shown with current value, new value, and a reset option. No surprise reboots, no "what did I just change"
• Pick what you want — 70+ tweaks, Homebrew bundles, Mac App Store apps, bundled configs — all multi-select, none forced
• Move your setup — save the full environment (Brewfile, defaults, dotfiles, editor, iTerm2, dock, Raycast) and restore on a fresh Mac

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Quick Start

Homebrew (recommended):

brew install emylfy/macrift/macrift

Run macrift to start; update later with brew upgrade macrift.

curl (no Homebrew):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/emylfy/macrift/main/install.sh | bash

Installs to ~/.macrift, creates a global macrift command, and launches automatically. Both channels download a pinned, sha256-verified release tarball — never floating main. Doesn't touch your system until you choose what to apply.

Prefer to read it first? Download, inspect, then run:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/emylfy/macrift/main/install.sh -o install.sh
less install.sh && bash install.sh

Alternative install methods

Git clone:

git clone https://github.com/emylfy/macrift.git ~/.macrift && ~/.macrift/macrift.sh

Manual download: grab the latest tarball from the Releases page (verify it against the published .sha256), extract to ~/.macrift, and run ~/.macrift/macrift.sh

Run once without installing — useful for check on someone else's Mac:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/emylfy/macrift/main/install.sh | bash -s -- check

Downloads to /tmp, runs the command, cleans up. Leaves nothing behind.

Subcommands

Skip the menu and run a single action directly:

Subcommand	Description
fix [<path>...]	Remove com.apple.quarantine xattr (fixes "damaged" errors)
gatekeeper [on|off|status]	Toggle Gatekeeper (alias: gk)
check	Mac diagnostics — DEP/MDM, activation lock, SMART, battery
drift	Show which applied tweaks still hold vs. drifted
undo [<session>|list]	Revert a journaled session (default: last)
apply [<file.json>]	Apply a declarative manifest (settings, packages, dotfiles, configs)
save [<file.json>]	Snapshot current settings + packages to a manifest
plugin <subcommand>	Manage plugins (see macrift plugin help)

Pair with the one-shot install above to inspect someone else's Mac without leaving anything behind.

CLI flags

Flag	Description
--dry-run	Show what would change without applying
--no-confirm	Skip all confirmation prompts (auto-approve)
--log	Write session log to ~/.macrift/macrift.log
--uninstall	Remove macrift from this system
--help	Show usage info

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Features

	Feature	What it does
⚙️	System Tweaks	Dock, Finder, Keyboard, Trackpad, Screenshots, Misc, Privacy
📦	Apps & Packages	7 Homebrew bundles, Mac App Store, Spotify, Xcode CLT, .brewbak backup
🎨	Customize	Profile, Terminal, Shell, FastFetch, Editor, Dock Layout, Launchpad
🛡️	Security & Privacy	Security status, hostname, DNS benchmark, update control
🧹	Cleanup	System cleanup via Mole — caches, logs, leftovers

⚙️ System Tweaks

Tweak wizard with per-item skip, apply, or reset to system default. Batch apply or pick individually.

Category	What it does
Dock	Tile size, animation speed, minimize effect, Spaces, recents
Finder	Show hidden files & extensions, path bar, full path in title bar, list view, no .DS_Store, quit menu, spring folders
Keyboard & Text	Key repeat speed, press-and-hold, auto-correct, smart substitutions
Trackpad & Mouse	Tap to click, tracking speed, right-click, three-finger drag, drag windows anywhere
Screenshots	Format, save location, shadow, date in filename
Hot Corners	Shortcut to System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Hot Corners
Misc	Boot sound, app open dialog, save/print panels, window animations, tiled margins
Privacy	Ad tracking, guest access, screen lock, analytics, Siri, Gatekeeper
Privacy (Strict)	Aggressive opt-in hardening — fully disable Siri, prevent Gatekeeper auto-rearm
Spotlight Hotkey	Free up ⌘Space by disabling the Spotlight shortcut (for Raycast/Alfred)
Dithering	Apple Silicon — disable GPU/DCP temporal dithering (Stillcolor port); runs as a background daemon, no menu bar app
Space Switcher	Instant macOS workspace switching via Ctrl+←/→ daemon

📦 Apps & Packages

Homebrew Bundles — multi-select installer with 7 curated Brewfiles + fzf search across all packages.

What's in each bundle

• Development — git, gh, lazygit, node, python, go, rust, docker, fzf, ripgrep, plus editors (VS Code, Cursor, Zed) and terminals (iTerm2, Ghostty, Warp) — 35 packages
• Utilities — Raycast, Alfred, AltTab, AeroSpace, 1Password, BetterDisplay, Keka, and more — 17 packages
• Browsers — Chrome, Arc, Zen, Ungoogled Chromium, Helium
• Communication — Ayugram, Telegram, Discord, Vesktop
• Media — IINA, OBS, Spotify, Figma, Affinity
• Games — Steam, Heroic Games Launcher
• Fonts — Fira Code, Maple Mono (Nerd Fonts)

Mac App Store — mas entries in Brewfiles installed individually with App Store redirect for unpurchased apps.

Export/import your packages with .brewbak backup files.

Spotify — SpotX ad blocker + Spicetify customization framework + marketplace settings save/restore. Ships as the bundled misc plugin (installed by default; remove with macrift plugin remove misc).

Xcode Command Line Tools — one-shot install (git, clang, make, headers); offered only when not already present.

🛡️ Security & Privacy

Everything here is opt-in and reversible — Gatekeeper, quarantine, and update deferral toggle both ways, and macrift shows the exact command before it runs.

Tool	Description
Security Status	FileVault, Firewall, SIP, Gatekeeper — at a glance; toggle Gatekeeper on/off
Privacy Shortcuts	Jump straight to the relevant System Settings panes (permissions, login items, notifications)
Hostname	Set custom hostname — hide your name from the network
DNS	11 providers, benchmark with current DNS comparison, VPN detection
Update Control	Defer macOS upgrades via MDM profile — 30/60/90 days, status, install/remove
Unquarantine App	Strip com.apple.quarantine from an app (GUI form of the fix subcommand)

🧹 Cleanup

• Homebrew Cleanup — brew cleanup --prune=all && brew autoremove
• Deep Clean — powered by Mole, removes caches, logs, and leftover files

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🔌 Plugins

macrift is extensible. Any git repo with a plugin.json and a menu.sh becomes a new menu entry, inheriting macrift's TUI, dry-run, and journal-backed undo for free.

macrift plugin add github.com/emylfy/claudemac

• Plugin Gallery → — what's available, plus every macrift plugin command
• Write your own → — author contract: manifest schema, public API, lifecycle, do-not-do rules

Plugins run with your user privileges — same trust surface as Homebrew taps or oh-my-zsh. See SECURITY.md.

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How macrift compares

	UI	Dry-run	Undo	Plugin system
macrift	visual TUI	yes	journal / manifest	yes
bkuhlmann/mac_os	letter-keyed	no	restore from backup	—
thoughtbot/laptop	flat script	no	—	—
mathiasbynens/dotfiles	flat script	no	—	—
MikeMcQuaid/strap	flat script	no	—	—
privacy.sexy	GUI / web	preview	per-toggle	—
nix-darwin	declarative	(n/a)	generations	(Nix flakes)

macrift's slot: a visual TUI with dry-run on every action, journaled undo, and an opt-in plugin system — for people who want to see and reverse each change. The other tools aim elsewhere: minimal scripts you run once, or fully declarative setups.

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Customize

Complete environment setup from one menu.

🖥️ Terminal & Shell

Terminal — install & configure iTerm2 or Ghostty:

• iTerm2 Dynamic Profiles — 3 presets (Cyberdrift, Nord Frost, Tokyo Night) with FiraCode Nerd Font, auto-set as default
• iTerm2 Defaults — GPU renderer, compact tabs, hidden scrollbar, focus follows mouse
• Ghostty — config from config/ghostty/; Catppuccin Mocha and Latte themes downloaded automatically

Shell — Zinit plugin manager + Starship prompt + FastFetch + .zshrc with modern aliases:

• Zinit plugins — fast-syntax-highlighting, zsh-autosuggestions, zsh-completions, fzf-tab (turbo/async)
• Catppuccin Mocha — one-click theme for fzf, bat, eza, autosuggestions, syntax highlighting, starship

Shell aliases

Alias	Tool
ls ll lt	eza with icons and tree view
cat	bat with syntax highlighting
grep	ripgrep
find	fd
g gs ga gc	git shortcuts (status, add, commit, push, log, diff, checkout, branch)
lg	lazygit
.. ... ....	quick directory navigation
reload ip ports	shell reload, public IP, listening ports

📝 Code Editors

Shared settings.json applied to any of these editors:

• VSCode · Cursor · Windsurf · VSCodium · Zed

Fira Code, format on save, ligatures, sidebar left, telemetry off.

Extensions — multi-select installer from config/vscode/extensions.txt; auto-detects code/cursor/codium CLI.

🗂️ Dock Layout

Dock management via dockutil:

• Save/Restore — save current layout and restore it on another Mac
• Clear Dock — remove all apps for a clean start
• Add spacer — visual separator between groups
• Reset — restore macOS default dock

🚀 Launchpad

Organize Launchpad apps into folders by App Store category:

• Sort by category — auto-detects app categories via metadata, creates folders (Developer Tools, Productivity, Utilities, etc.), merges small categories into Other
• Reset to default — full Launchpad reset to factory layout

📦 Profile Save & Restore

Save your entire environment to Desktop, Documents, or iCloud Drive. Restore on another Mac or after a clean install with multiselect.

Includes: Brewfile, macOS defaults (Dock, Finder, Keyboard, Screenshots), dotfiles (.zshrc, Starship, FastFetch, Ghostty), editor settings (VSCode, Cursor, Zed), iTerm2 config, dock layout, and Raycast extensions.

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MIT License · Changelog · Contributing · Releases · Report a Bug

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