macOS Setup Client

Modular macOS setup script with array-driven configuration. Installs Homebrew packages, App Store apps, applies system defaults, configures the Dock, and sets the default browser.

One-Liner Installation

Run directly from the web without cloning:

# Default profile
curl -fsSL https://craftu.re/macos | bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/samsoeapp/init-macos/main/prep.sh | bash

# With a specific client profile
curl -fsSL https://craftu.re/macos | bash -s -- --client acme
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/samsoeapp/init-macos/main/prep.sh | bash -s -- --client acme

# Revert all defaults
curl -fsSL https://craftu.re/macos | bash -s -- --revert
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/samsoeapp/init-macos/main/prep.sh | bash -s -- --revert

Quick Start

# Run with default profile
./prep.sh

# Run with a specific client profile
./prep.sh --client acme

# Revert all defaults to system defaults
./prep.sh --revert

What It Does

The script executes 17 steps in sequence:

Step	Description
1	Initialize sudo (request credentials, test, keep alive)
2	Apply admin-level macOS defaults (immediately after sudo)
3	Unhide /Volumes (immediately after sudo)
4	Set computer name (ComputerName, HostName, LocalHostName, NetBIOSName)
5	Install Xcode Command Line Tools
6	Install Homebrew
7	Install Homebrew formulae (CLI tools)
8	Install Homebrew casks (GUI apps)
9	Install App Store apps (if signed in)
10	Close System Settings
11	Initialize Safari (open/close to create writable preferences)
12	Apply Safari defaults (sandboxed on macOS 14+)
13	Apply user-level macOS defaults
14	Configure Dock items
15	Set default browser (Google Chrome)
16	Restart affected apps (Finder, Dock)
17	Finalize and show summary

Configuration

All configuration is defined in arrays at the top of prep.sh:

Dock Items

DOCK_ITEMS=(
  "/Applications/Google Chrome.app"
  "/Applications/Slack.app"
  "SPACER"  # Adds a spacer tile
  "/System/Applications/System Settings.app"
)

Homebrew Packages

BREW_FORMULAE=(
  "mas"
  "dockutil"
)

BREW_CASKS=(
  "google-chrome"
  "slack"
  "1password"
  "arc"
)

App Store Apps

# Format: "app_id|App Name"
MAS_APPS=(
  "409201541|Pages"
  "409203825|Numbers"
)

macOS Defaults

# Format: "domain|key|value|type"
# Types: bool, string, int, float
DEFAULTS_USER=(
  "com.apple.finder|ShowPathbar|true|bool"
  "NSGlobalDomain|AppleShowAllExtensions|true|bool"
  "-currentHost|com.apple.Spotlight|MenuItemHidden|1|int"
)

# Admin defaults (requires sudo)
DEFAULTS_ADMIN=(
  "/Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow|AdminHostInfo|HostName|string"
)

Default Browser

DEFAULT_BROWSER="Google Chrome"

Computer Name

# Set to empty string to skip, or use "__SERIAL__" for serial number
COMPUTER_NAME=""
COMPUTER_NAME="MacBook-Pro"
COMPUTER_NAME="__SERIAL__"

Client Profiles

Edit the apply_client_profile() function to add custom profiles:

apply_client_profile() {
  case "$CLIENT_PROFILE" in
    default)
      BREW_CASKS=("google-chrome" "slack")
      ;;
    acme)
      BREW_CASKS=("firefox" "zoom" "microsoft-teams")
      DOCK_ITEMS+=("/Applications/Zoom.app")
      ;;
  esac
}

Run with: ./prep.sh --client acme

Output

Console Output

Clean step-by-step progress with status indicators:

macOS Setup Script V1.17
========================
Log file: /Users/user/Downloads/prep-20260115-143022.log

[ 1/17] Initializing sudo..................... OK
[ 2/17] Installing Xcode CLI Tools............ OK
[ 3/17] Installing Homebrew................... OK
[ 4/17] Installing Homebrew formulae.......... OK (2/2)
[ 5/17] Installing Homebrew casks............. OK (6/6)
[ 6/17] Installing App Store apps............. SKIPPED (not signed in)
...

==================
Summary
==================
All tasks completed successfully.
Log file: /Users/user/Downloads/prep-20260115-143022.log

Log File

Full verbose output is written to ~/Downloads/prep-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.log

Command Line Options

Option	Description
--client NAME	Apply a specific client profile
--revert	Revert all defaults to system defaults
--accept-xcode-license	Automatically accept Xcode license
-v, --version	Show version number
-h, --help	Show help message

Requirements

• macOS (tested on Sonoma and later)
• Internet connection
• Admin account (for Homebrew and some defaults)

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Permission denied	Run chmod +x prep.sh
Homebrew fails	Check internet or install manually from https://brew.sh
App Store apps skip	Sign into App Store first: mas signin or open App Store app
Dock not updating	Ensure dockutil is in BREW_FORMULAE
Check full log	~/Downloads/prep-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.log

Files

File	Description
prep.sh	Main script with all configuration
~/Downloads/prep-*.log	Execution logs