LaunchManager

A macOS app for managing launchd LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons — view, create, edit, and control your system's scheduled tasks from a clean native UI.

Features

• Browse all LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons across User, System Agent, and System Daemon scopes
• Create & edit plist jobs with a form UI — no manual XML editing required
• Control jobs: load, unload, start, stop
• View logs — both file-based stdout/stderr logs and system log (via log show)
• Handle invalid plists — empty or malformed plist files are shown inline with an option to delete them
• Privilege escalation for system-level operations (prompts for admin password when needed)

Requirements

• macOS 14 Sonoma or later
• Xcode 16 or later (to build from source)

Installation

Homebrew (recommended)

brew tap Sean10000/tap
brew install --cask launchmanager

Direct Download

Download the latest LaunchManager.dmg from Releases, drag the app to your Applications folder.

First launch: right-click the app → Open (required because this build is not notarized by Apple).

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/Sean10000/LaunchManager.git
cd LaunchManager
open LaunchManager.xcodeproj

Build and run with Xcode (⌘R).

Usage

1. Select a scope from the sidebar: User Agents, System Agents, or System Daemons
2. Click + to create a new job, or click the pencil icon to edit an existing one
3. Use the row buttons to load / start / stop a job
4. Expand a row (chevron) to see details and view logs

Comparison with Paid Alternatives

Feature	LaunchManager (Free)	LaunchControl	Lingon Pro 10	LaunchD Task Scheduler
Price	Free & Open Source	~$33	$23.99	$5.00
Distribution	GitHub Direct	Direct / Homebrew	App Store / Direct	App Store
Browse Agents & Daemons	✅	✅	✅	✅
Create & Edit jobs (GUI)	✅	✅	✅	✅
Load / Unload / Start / Stop	✅	✅	✅	✅
Log viewer	✅ File + System log	✅ Advanced	✅	✅
System Agent / Daemon support	✅	✅	✅ (Pro)	Limited
Privilege escalation	✅	✅	✅	—
Invalid plist detection	✅ Inline with delete	❌	❌	❌
App must stay running	❌ Not required	❌ Not required	⚠️ Required	❌ Not required
AI assistant	❌	✅ (7 LLM providers)	❌	❌
XML / Expert editor	❌	✅	❌	❌
Open Source	✅ MIT	❌	❌	❌
macOS requirement	14 Sonoma+	11 Big Sur+	14 Sonoma+	—

LaunchManager is ideal if you want a free, native, open-source tool for everyday launchd management. For power users needing an AI assistant or expert XML editor, LaunchControl is the most feature-complete paid option.

Project Structure

LaunchManager/
├── Models/          # LaunchItem, InvalidPlist data models
├── Services/        # PlistService, LaunchctlService, PrivilegeService, ShellRunner
├── Store/           # AgentStore (ObservableObject)
└── Views/           # SwiftUI views

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Support

If LaunchManager saved you some time, feel free to buy me a coffee ☕ Americano is better.

Acknowledgements

Built with Claude (Anthropic) — AI pair programmer for design, implementation, and code review.