@bixu/launchd

v2026.04.23.33

Manage macOS launchd daemons: lifecycle, observability, plist management, discovery, and reporting

Repository

https://github.com/bixu/swamp-launchd

Platforms

darwin-aarch64 darwin-x86_64

Labels

macoslaunchddaemonplist

models

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Install

$ swamp extension pull @bixu/launchd

@bixu/launchdv2026.03.20.2launchd_daemon.ts

Global Arguments

Argument	Type	Required	Description
label	string	yes	The launchd job label (e.g., com.example.mydaemon)
plistPath?	string	no	Path to the plist file. If omitted, searches standard launchd directories.
domain	enum	yes	The launchd domain (system, gui, user)

loadLoad (bootstrap) the daemon into launchd

unloadUnload (bootout) the daemon from launchd

enableEnable the daemon (persists across reboots)

disableDisable the daemon (persists across reboots, does not unload)

startStart (kickstart) the daemon

Argument	Type	Required	Description
force	boolean	yes	Force restart even if already running (-k flag)

stopStop the daemon by sending SIGTERM

restartRestart the daemon (stop + start)

syncRefresh stored daemon state from launchctl

detailGet detailed daemon info: program, environment, mach services, limits

blameShow why and how the daemon was started

diagnoseDiagnose daemon issues: check exit codes, plist validity, loaded state

logsFetch daemon logs from macOS unified logging

Argument	Type	Required	Description
lines	number	yes	Max number of log lines to return
level	enum	yes	Minimum log level
since	string	yes	Time window (e.g., 1h, 30m, 1d)

plistInfoParse and validate the plist file for this daemon

createPlistGenerate a new plist file for a launchd daemon

Argument	Type	Required	Description
outputPath	string	yes	Path to write the plist file (relative to repo or absolute)
programArguments	array	yes	Command and arguments to run
runAtLoad	boolean	yes
keepAlive	boolean	yes
startInterval?	number	no	Run every N seconds
startCalendarInterval?	record	no	Cron-like schedule (Hour, Minute, Weekday, etc.)
watchPaths?	array	no	Paths to watch for changes
environmentVariables?	record	no
workingDirectory?	string	no
standardOutPath?	string	no
standardErrorPath?	string	no

listList daemons loaded in the domain, filtered by status and pattern

Argument	Type	Required	Description
outputPath	string	yes	Path to write the plist file (relative to repo or absolute)
programArguments	array	yes	Command and arguments to run
runAtLoad	boolean	yes
keepAlive	boolean	yes
startInterval?	number	no	Run every N seconds
startCalendarInterval?	record	no	Cron-like schedule (Hour, Minute, Weekday, etc.)
watchPaths?	array	no	Paths to watch for changes
environmentVariables?	record	no
workingDirectory?	string	no
standardOutPath?	string	no
standardErrorPath?	string	no

vendorsReport daemons grouped by software vendor

Argument	Type	Required	Description
status	enum	yes

scanScan plist directories to discover all installed daemons (loaded or not)

Argument	Type	Required	Description
pattern	string	yes	Filter pattern for labels

orphansFind orphaned daemons: loaded but no plist on disk, or plist exists but not loaded

Argument	Type	Required	Description
pattern	string	yes	Filter pattern for labels

diffCompare plist on disk vs loaded state in launchd (drift detection)

healthCheck health of daemons with KeepAlive or RunAtLoad that should be running

Argument	Type	Required	Description
pattern	string	yes	Filter pattern for labels

processesShow CPU and memory usage for running daemon processes

Argument	Type	Required	Description
pattern	string	yes	Filter pattern for labels

startupReport all daemons configured to start at login/boot (RunAtLoad or KeepAlive)

Argument	Type	Required	Description
pattern	string	yes	Filter pattern for labels

Resources

daemon(infinite)— Launchd daemon state

detail(infinite)— Detailed daemon info from launchctl print

logs(1d)— Daemon log output from unified logging

plistInfo(infinite)— Parsed plist file contents and validation

list(infinite)— List of daemons matching filters

vendors(infinite)— Daemons grouped by software vendor

scan(infinite)— Discovered plist files on disk

orphans(infinite)— Orphaned daemons (loaded without plist, or plist not loaded)

health(infinite)— Health check of daemons expected to be running

processes(1h)— Resource usage of running daemon processes

startup(infinite)— Daemons configured to start at login/boot