OPEN SOURCE · MACOS · ONE COMMAND

Fresh Mac.
Full throttle.

All the apps and settings you want, without a weekend of clicking. Pick your setup, preview the changes, and let your Mac get to work.

PASTE THIS IN TERMINAL

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ronaldjonkers/mac-initial-setup/main/install.sh | bash

See how it works Latest release ↗

For Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Requires an admin account and internet. Sign in to the App Store for App Store apps.

✓ apps selected

⌘ your Mac, your way

mac-initial-setup / choose⌘

Mac Initial Setup checklist with sections, app cards and switches

SELECT → PREVIEW → INSTALLv0.2.2

143 CHOICES✳DRY RUN FIRST✳NO TRACKING✳OPEN SOURCE✳YOUR DEFAULTS✳143 CHOICES✳DRY RUN FIRST✳NO TRACKING✳OPEN SOURCE✳YOUR DEFAULTS✳

01 / THE FLOW

From boxed Mac to
your machine.

Start from a clean Mac. Keep control over every app and setting along the way.

Run one command

Paste the command above into Terminal. It downloads the latest release and opens the desktop checklist.

Choose your setup

Search apps, flip sections on or off, and fill in details like your SSH username, Git identity and Dock apps.

Preview, then install

Use Dry run to see commands without changing anything. When ready, install and follow the live progress log.

THE CONTROL PANEL

Every switch is yours.

The app shows the whole setup as a checklist. Nothing is hidden behind a black box. Select what matters, deselect what doesn't, and search when the list gets long.

Explore the full catalog ↗Interface screenshot from an earlier build. The catalog below reflects the current release.

● ● ● mac-initial-setup

Close view of the application checklist and its selected app cards

02 / THE CATALOG

The good stuff,
already queued.

Browse the exact applications and settings from the current catalog. 143 choices and 8 editable settings, with defaults you can change.

Loading catalog… On by default Optional · settings

The defaults are opinionated, not mandatory. You can change every switch in the app before installing.

03 / MAKE IT YOURS

A setup that
speaks your language.

Use the checklist for one Mac, or edit the plain Bash catalog to make your own reusable setup.

⌘

Choose in the app

Search and switch items on or off. Edit your SSH user, Git name and email, PHP version, computer name and Dock list before you press Install.

Default browserYour choice

{ }

Edit the defaults

Fork the repository and edit catalog.sh. Change an item's on or off, adjust a setting, or add your own app.

item my-app on "My App" "cask my-app"

Automate from Terminal

Run a dry run, select specific item IDs, or set values through environment variables. The same engine powers the app and CLI.

./setup.sh --only gemini,grok

COPY A STARTING POINT

One command, your selection.

After the first install, run the local script again whenever you want to add or change something.

Terminal · zsh

cd ~/.mac-initial-setup && ./setup.sh --dry-run

Read the catalog ↗Personalization guide ↗Troubleshooting ↗

THE FINE PRINT

Good to know.

No tracking. No mystery settings. The scripts are open source and the log stays on your Mac.

What does it need to run?

A Mac with an admin account, internet access and macOS. Both Apple Silicon and Intel are supported. Sign in to the App Store before installing App Store apps.

Can I see what it will change?

Yes. Turn on Dry run in the app, or run ./setup.sh --dry-run in Terminal. It prints planned commands without applying them.

Can I run it again later?

Yes. Installed apps are skipped. The run writes a log to ~/Library/Logs/mac-initial-setup.log; failed items can be retried by ID.

Will everything be automatic?

Some account sign-ins and browser extensions still need you. macOS also requires you to place Calendar and Reminders widgets through Edit Widgets after the script clears old widgets.

READY WHEN YOU ARE

Your next Mac
starts here.

Pick a few apps. Pick them all. Make it yours.