Self Service Descriptions

Self Service Descriptions

Write consistent, standardised Self Service descriptions from an app name, a website or a script. 💻 Doesn't connect to Jamf Pro.

Self Service Descriptions is based on the original work by Russ Collis. Thank you, Russ.

How to use it

1. Choose an Input Mode:

   Mode	What you enter	What it uses
   App Name	The application's name, for example Google Chrome	The Mac App Store, Homebrew and Wikipedia
   Website URL	The app's website or GitHub page, and an optional display name	The page itself, or the GitHub repository's details
   Script	A script, opened with Open…	The script itself, read on your Mac: what it changes, what it needs and what the user sees

2. Optionally add a Support Portal URL and a Footer, for example Managed by IT Services. They're added to every description.

3. Turn Apple Intelligence on or off (see below).

4. Click Generate Description. The sources it used are listed under Sources.

5. Edit the description in the editor. Switch between Editor, Split and Preview to see how it will look.

6. Click Copy Markdown and paste it into the policy's Self Service description in Jamf Pro, or Export… to save it as a .md file. Clear starts again.

Apple Intelligence

On a Mac with Apple Intelligence turned on, Self Service Descriptions uses Apple's on-device model to write a fuller description: what the app does, key features, typical uses, requirements and installation notes. Nothing is sent to a third-party AI service.

Without Apple Intelligence, the toggle is turned off and you get a basic description built from the web sources.

Always read the description before you publish it. Generated text can be wrong, especially for less well-known apps.

Network connections

Generating a description from an app name or website connects to:

• itunes.apple.com (Mac App Store search)
• formulae.brew.sh (Homebrew)
• en.wikipedia.org and www.wikidata.org
• api.github.com, for GitHub links
• the website you enter, for Website URL

Only the app name or URL you enter is sent. Script mode doesn't connect to anything. See Privacy and Security.

Tips

• Self Service Audit finds Self Service policies with no description.
• Use the same footer and support URL every time, so your whole Self Service catalogue reads the same way.

Permissions: none. Self Service Descriptions doesn't connect to Jamf Pro.