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Im building a cli app that can run in server mode for osx in golang. I come from the server world and have no idea how properly distribute a consumer cli tool for osx. The cli can run as a service which can be easily achieved with launchd.

Launchd config:

<plist version="1.0">
    <dict>
        <key>KeepAlive</key>
        <true/>
        <key>Label</key>
        <string>focus-daemon</string>
        <key>RunAtLoad</key>
        <true />
        <key>Program</key>
        <string>/usr/local/bin/focus</string>
  </dict>
</plist>

Building and running is also quite simple:

go build main.go
sudo cp main /usr/local/bin/focus
rm main
sudo chown root /usr/local/bin/focus
sudo chmod 4555 /usr/local/bin/focus
cp focus.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.21stio.focus.plist
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.21stio.focus.plist

When being build the process requires sudo to set a sbit on the binary.

I don't want the user having to run a .sh script. Maybe I could use brew and/or a DMG for that. But I have no idea how I can put the Launchd config at the right spot then.

21st
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1 Answers1

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As was suggested in the comments, installer pkgs are usually the way to go with this type of software. You're probably familiar with them if you've manually installed device drivers, OS updates and other lower-level software on the Mac.

You can also generate them with command-line utilities, and don't necessarily need to use the 3rd party app that pvg suggested in the comment. This answer is a good starting point. Using the command-line tools also lets you automate package building as part of your standard build process.

Note that Apple's own old "PackageMaker" GUI tool no longer works properly with newer versions of macOS/OSX, I strongly advise you not to use that.

pmdj
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