Updater
Updater is a macOS command-line and text interface tool for scanning installed software and checking or applying app updates across multiple sources.
What is Updater?
Updater is a macOS utility for finding installed apps, checking whether updates are available, and applying update actions from several common software sources. It is designed for users who manage many Mac apps and want one place to review updates across Sparkle-based apps, Homebrew casks and formulae, the Mac App Store, GitHub Releases, and selected developer-tool ecosystems. The app supports both command-line use and an interactive text interface, so it can fit manual maintenance workflows as well as scripted setups. It also includes dry-run planning, pinning, per-app update policies, cleanup options, and rollback support for some install-based updates. Published by Zhengda Lu, it is aimed at power users and developers who prefer a centralized update workflow on macOS.
Key features
- Scan installed apps and detect where their updates come from
- Check available updates across Sparkle, Homebrew, Mac App Store, and GitHub Releases
- Apply updates for one app or run updates for all supported apps
- Preview planned update actions with a dry run before making changes
- Pin selected apps and set per-app update behavior policies
- Use JSON output for scripting and automation workflows
- Roll back some install-based updates when a direct install fails
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Safety overview
Status: Mostly safe
Updater is a legitimate macOS update-management tool that can download installers, run package-manager updates, and open source-specific update flows consistent with its purpose. Those actions can modify installed software, so you should review its planned changes before broad update runs, especially when using all-app updates or automatic behavior. The dry-run mode, pinning controls, and rollback support help reduce accidental changes. If you installed it from Homebrew or from the project's source repository, keep using the same trusted source for future updates.
Recommendation: Keep Updater if you actively use it to manage software updates on your Mac. Run a dry run first when testing it or before updating many apps at once, and pin any apps you do not want changed automatically. If you no longer use command-line update tools, you can remove it without affecting macOS itself, though you will lose its centralized update workflow.
Common paths
~/.config/updater/config.yaml
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