Documentation
Checkers
macOS Update Notifications - Monitor macOS Software Updates

macOS Update Notifications - Monitor macOS Software Updates

Update-Watcher’s macOS checker monitors Apple’s native software update system for available updates, including macOS version upgrades, security patches, and system component updates. It uses the built-in softwareupdate command-line tool that ships with every Mac.

The setup wizard auto-detects macOS and offers to enable this checker on Apple systems.

Prerequisites

  • A macOS system (any supported version).
  • No additional software required – softwareupdate is built into macOS.

Adding via CLI

Add a macOS watcher:

Terminal
update-watcher watch macos

Enable security-only filtering to ignore non-security updates:

Terminal
update-watcher watch macos --security-only

Configuration Reference

OptionTypeDefaultDescription
security_onlyboolfalseOnly report security updates. Feature updates and non-security system updates are silently filtered out.

YAML Configuration Example

Basic macOS configuration:

config.yaml
watchers:
  - type: macos

Security-only monitoring:

config.yaml
watchers:
  - type: macos
    security_only: true

How It Works

The macOS checker runs the following command:

Output
softwareupdate -l

This lists all available software updates from Apple’s update servers. The checker parses the output to extract:

  • Update name – The display name of the update (e.g., “macOS Sonoma 14.3” or “Security Update 2024-001”).
  • Version – The version number or build identifier.
  • Update type – Whether the update is flagged as a security update or a recommended/regular update.

When security_only is enabled, only updates that Apple classifies as security-related are included in the results.

Tips

💡

Scheduled Checks on macOS: macOS servers and workstations that run Update-Watcher via cron or launchd benefit from regular checks. Apple releases security updates on an irregular schedule, and this checker ensures you are notified promptly.

Combining with Homebrew: On most macOS systems, you will want to enable both the macOS checker and the Homebrew checker. The macOS checker covers system-level updates from Apple, while Homebrew covers third-party packages and applications installed via brew.

CI and Build Servers: If you manage macOS CI runners (GitHub Actions self-hosted runners, Jenkins agents, etc.), this checker helps ensure the underlying macOS system stays patched. Pair it with a Slack or Teams notifier to alert your infrastructure team.

Combined macOS and Homebrew configuration:

config.yaml
watchers:
  - type: macos
    security_only: true
  - type: homebrew
    include_casks: true

Related

Send macOS update notifications to Slack, Discord, Email, Telegram, or any of the other 16 supported notification channels.

APK Update Notifications - Monitor Alpine Linux Package UpdatesHomebrew Update Notifications - Monitor Formulae & Cask Updates