Bwana
Bwana is a macOS utility from Bruji that lets you read Unix manual pages in a web browser using the man: URL scheme.
What is Bwana?
Bwana is a macOS utility for reading Unix manual pages in a web browser instead of Terminal. It helps developers, administrators, and command-line users open documentation quickly by typing a man: address, browsing an index, or jumping straight to a command's manual page. The app converts local man pages into simple browser-friendly pages with cleaner formatting, clickable links, and easier on-screen reading. It also provides an index of available manual pages and can refresh that index from the system's manual page sources. Bwana is published by Bruji and was offered as a lightweight helper for Mac workflows centered on command-line reference material.
Key features
- Open local man pages from a browser with the man: URL scheme
- Browse an index of available manual pages
- Refresh the manual page index from system sources
- Read browser-formatted man pages with cleaner layout and styling
- Follow links to related manual pages
- Use embedded web and email links found in documentation
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Safety overview
Status: Mostly safe
Bwana is a legitimate utility for viewing local Unix documentation in your browser. Its normal behavior is tied to opening man: links and reading the manual pages already installed on your Mac. The main practical concern is compatibility: Bruji's own support forum notes that Bwana had not been updated since 2018 and users reported problems on macOS Ventura, so it may not work reliably on newer macOS versions. Use it if you want this workflow, but expect older-browser or protocol-handling limitations.
Recommendation: Keep Bwana if you actively use browser-based access to Unix man pages. If you do not use it, removing it is usually low impact and you can still read manual pages through Terminal with the standard man command.
Common paths
/Applications/Bwana.app
Cache paths
~/Library/Caches/com.bruji.bwana
Preference paths
~/Library/Preferences/com.bruji.bwana.plist
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