Download
Free. macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later on every Mac. Signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so the apps open without a security warning.
Pick the app for each Mac
Each app comes as a disk image (.dmg) or a zip. Either works.
The dashboard
SystemStatusRemote
For the Mac you look at. Shows every Mac you watch, accepts pairing requests, and records history.
Each Mac you watch
SystemStatusClient
A menu-bar agent with no window. Install it on every Mac you want to see on the dashboard.
Optional
SystemStatusUninstaller
Removes either app or both, with their settings, pairings, history and keychain identities.
Checksums for every file, and every earlier release: the latest release on GitHub.
Verify with shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS in the download folder.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| macOS | macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later, on every Mac involved |
| Network | The Macs must reach each other. The host listens on TCP port 47820. |
| Number of Macs | Designed for about 10 watched Macs per dashboard; load-tested with 200 |
| Disk (history) | About 16 MB a day for 10 Macs at the default 10-second interval, only if history is on |
Installing
Copy it to Applications
Open the .dmg and drag the app onto the Applications shortcut beside it, or unzip the .zip and drag the app to your Applications folder. If an older copy is running, quit it first.
Open it and answer the prompts
Keychain: each app keeps its own identity key there. Choose Always Allow. Signed releases keep that permission across updates.
Incoming connections (the host): choose Allow.
Local network (a client): choose Allow. If you missed it, turn it on in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network.
Pair your Macs
Follow the three-step setup guide: open the host, request pairing from the client, then compare the three words, accept on the host and confirm on the client.
Updating from 1.0? Version 1.1 comes from Blinken Labs, so macOS sees the apps as new ones: settings and history start afresh, and each Mac pairs again once. Export your history from the 1.0 host first if you want to keep it. See Updating from 1.0.
Leave nothing behind
SystemStatusUninstaller removes either app or both, with everything they saved: settings, pairings, history and their keychain identities.
- Lists what it found for each app, with sizes. Untick an app to leave it alone.
- Turn off Remove the apps themselves to keep the apps but return them to a first-launch state.
- Running copies are quit first. macOS may ask for your password to delete the keychain items.
- It finds the 1.0 apps too, and what they left behind.
After a fresh start, remove the Mac on the host too before pairing again, or the host refuses the new request (it still trusts the old identity).
images/screenshots/uninstaller.png
Questions
Does my data go to the internet or a cloud service?
No. Clients connect straight to your host over an encrypted connection. There's no account, no server in between, and history stays on the host Mac.
Can I watch a Mac that's on a different network?
Yes, as long as it can reach the host. In the client, choose Enter an Address and type the host's address and port 47820. The host's network must let that connection in (for example through a VPN or a forwarded port).
What happens when a watched Mac sleeps or goes offline?
The dashboard marks it Not responding when it goes quiet, and Offline once the connection drops. Offline Macs stay in the sidebar but take no room in the Overview. When the Mac wakes, the client reconnects on its own.
The check-phrase words don't match. What do I do?
Deny the request. Different words mean the two Macs aren't seeing each other's certificates directly; something on the network may be posing as one of them. A denied client is turned away for 15 minutes, or until you click Clear Denied Requests.
Can I pair without the request and the words?
Yes. On the host, open Add Client… › Pair with a code instead. On the client, turn on Use a pairing code, enter the code and click Pair. The code works once, while that sheet is open.
Does the host have to keep its window open?
No. The host keeps running, and recording, with its window closed. Quit it from its menu-bar item or with ⌘Q. It can also open at login and start quietly in the menu bar.
How do I read recorded history?
Use Export… to write CSV or JSON for the Macs and time range you choose. A history viewer inside the dashboard is planned.
Why does macOS ask for Keychain access?
Each app keeps its own identity key in your Keychain; that key is what proves the Mac is the one you paired. Choose Always Allow. Signed releases keep the permission across updates.
Is there a Windows or Linux client?
Not yet. A Windows client is planned; Linux may follow later.
How do I update to a new version?
Quit the running copy, then install the new version over it. Your pairings, settings and history carry over. The exception is 1.0 to 1.1, which starts fresh and pairs each Mac again: see Updating from 1.0. For a completely fresh start, run the uninstaller first (it's never required).
The client says it can't reach the host. What now?
Its menu-bar item says why. Support lists each message and its fix, including a macOS 27 problem that can leave the client refused the local network without asking.
Known limits
These are the ones we know about.
- A disconnect is a gap. Clients don't yet buffer samples while offline and send them on reconnect.
- No history viewer yet. Export is the way to read history today.
- Pairing queue. Up to 20 pairing requests can wait at once. If the host restarts while a request waits, the request starts over with new words.
- Chart drawing uses a noticeable share of one core with many charts on screen at once. Cheaper drawing is planned.
- A backwards clock change can overwrite history rows that share a timestamp.
- Panels tile automatically in the Overview; pinning and resizing them is planned.
- macOS 27 and the local network. A macOS bug can leave a client refused the local network without ever asking. The fix takes a minute.
- macOS only for now.