MIST - macOS Installer Super Tool

A Mac command-line tool that automatically downloads macOS Firmwares / Installers:

ℹ️ Check out Mist for the companion Mac app!

Check out #mist on the Mac Admins Slack to discuss all things mist-cli!

Features

List all available macOS Firmwares / Installers available for download:
- Display names, versions, builds, sizes and release dates
- Optionally list beta versions of macOS
- Filter macOS versions that are compatible with the Mac the app is being run from
- Export lists as CSV, JSON, Property List or YAML
Download available macOS Firmwares / Installers:
- For Apple Silicon Macs:
  - Download a Firmware Restore file (.ipsw)
  - Validates the SHA-1 checksum upon download
- For Intel based Macs (Universal for macOS Big Sur and later):
  - Generate an Application Bundle (.app)
  - Generate a Disk Image (.dmg)
  - Generate a Bootable Disk Image (.iso)
    - For use with virtualization software (ie. Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, VirtualBox)
  - Generate a macOS Installer Package (.pkg)
    - Supports packages on macOS Big Sur and newer with a massive 12GB+ payload!
  - Optionally codesign Disk Images and macOS Installer Packages
  - Check for free space before attempting any downloads or installations
  - Cache downloads to speed up build operations
  - Optionally specify a custom catalog URL, allowing you to list and download macOS Installers from the following:
    - Customer Seed: The catalog available as part of the AppleSeed Program
    - Developer Seed: The catalog available as part of the Apple Developer Program
    - Public Seed: The catalog available as part of the Apple Beta Software Program
    - Note: Catalogs from the Seed Programs may contain beta / unreleased versions of macOS. Ensure you are a member of these programs before proceeding.
  - Validates the Chunklist checksums upon download
- Automatic retries for failed downloads!

Usage

OVERVIEW: macOS Installer Super Tool.

Automatically download macOS Firmwares / Installers.

USAGE: mist <subcommand>

OPTIONS:
  -h, --help              Show help information.

SUBCOMMANDS:
  list                    List all macOS Firmwares / Installers available to download.
  download                Download a macOS Firmware / Installer.
  version                 Display the version of mist.

  See 'mist help <subcommand>' for detailed help.

Note: Depending on what mist downloads, you may require allowing Full Disk Access for your Terminal application of choice via System Settings:

Examples

# List all available macOS Firmwares for Apple Silicon Macs:
mist list firmware

# List all available macOS Installers for Intel Macs,
# including Universal Installers for macOS Big Sur and later:
mist list installer

# List all macOS Installers that are compatible with this Mac,
# including Universal Installers for macOS Big Sur and later:
mist list installer --compatible

# List all available macOS Installers for Intel Macs, including betas,
# also including Universal Installers for macOS Big Sur and later:
mist list installer --include-betas

# List only macOS Sonoma Installers for Intel Macs,
# including Universal Installers for macOS Big Sur and later:
mist list installer "macOS Sonoma"

# List only the latest macOS Sonoma Installer for Intel Macs,
# including Universal Installers for macOS Big Sur and later:
mist list installer --latest "macOS Sonoma"

# List + Export macOS Installers to a CSV file:
mist list installer --export "/path/to/export.csv"

# List + Export macOS Installers to a JSON file:
mist list installer --export "/path/to/export.json"

# List + Export macOS Installers to a Property List:
mist list installer --export "/path/to/export.plist"

# List + Export macOS Installers to a YAML file:
mist list installer --export "/path/to/export.yaml"

# Download the latest macOS Sonoma Firmware for
# Apple Silicon Macs, with a custom name:
mist download firmware "macOS Sonoma" --firmware-name "Install %NAME% %VERSION%-%BUILD%.ipsw"

# Download the latest macOS Sonoma Installer for Intel Macs,
# including Universal Installers for macOS Big Sur and later:
mist download installer "macOS Sonoma" application

# Download a specific macOS Installer version for Intel Macs,
# including Universal Installers for macOS Big Sur and later:
mist download installer "13.5.2" application

# Download a specific macOS Installer version for Intel Macs,
# including Universal Installers for macOS Big Sur and later,
# with a custom name:
mist download installer "13.5.2" application --application-name "Install %NAME% %VERSION%-%BUILD%.app"

# Download a specific macOS Installer version for Intel Macs,
# including Universal Installers for macOS Big Sur and later,
# and generate a Disk Image with a custom name:
mist download installer "13.5.2" image --image-name "Install %NAME% %VERSION%-%BUILD%.dmg"

# Download a specific macOS Installer build for Inte Macs,
# including Universal Installers for macOS Big Sur and later,
# and generate a codesigned Disk Image output to a custom directory:
mist download installer "22G91" image \
     --image-signing-identity "Developer ID Application: Name (Team ID)" \
     --output-directory "/path/to/custom/directory"

# Download the latest macOS Sonoma Installer for Intel Macs,
# including Universal Installers for macOS Big Sur and later,
# and generate an Installer Application bundle, a Disk Image,
# a Bootable Disk Image, a macOS Installer Package,
# all with custom names, codesigned, output to a custom directory:
mist download installer "macOS Sonoma" application image iso package \
     --application-name "Install %NAME% %VERSION%-%BUILD%.app" \
     --image-name "Install %NAME% %VERSION%-%BUILD%.dmg" \
     --image-signing-identity "Developer ID Application: Name (Team ID)" \
     --iso-name "Install %NAME% %VERSION%-%BUILD%.iso" \
     --package-name "Install %NAME% %VERSION%-%BUILD%.pkg" \
     --package-identifier "com.mycompany.pkg.install-%NAME%" \
     --package-signing-identity "Developer ID Installer: Name (Team ID)" \
     --output-directory "/path/to/custom/directory"

Build Requirements

Swift 5.9.
Runs on macOS Big Sur 11 and later.

Download

Grab the latest version of mist from the releases page.
Alternatively, install via Homebrew by running brew install mist-cli
Note: Version 1.15 and newer requires macOS Big Sur 11 or later.
- If you need to run mist on an older operating system, you can still use version 1.14.

Credits / Thank You

Project created and maintained by Nindi Gill (ninxsoft).
Apple (apple) for Swift Argument Parser, used to perform command line argument and flag operations.
JP Simard (jpsim) for Yams, used to export YAML.
Callum Jones (cj123) for IPSW Downloads API, used to determine macOS Firmware metadata.
Timothy Sutton (timsutton) for the mist Homebrew Formula.

License

Copyright © 2024 Nindi Gill

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

ninxsoft / mist-cli