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Gil Burns edited this page Jun 7, 2026 · 6 revisions

Third Party Patcher — Wiki

Third Party Patcher (TPP) is a macOS daemon-based patching system for IT administrators. It automatically discovers, stages, and applies third-party application updates using Installomator labels, with optional swiftDialog prompts so users stay informed without being blocked.


Pages

Page Description
Installation Deploying the pkg to managed Macs
How It Works The four phases: Scan → Check → Stage → Apply
Scheduling LaunchDaemon timing and patching cadence
Command-Line Reference All subcommands for patcher, patcherscheduler, and patcherreport
Preference Keys Full reference for every MDM/plist key
Installomator Integration How labels are downloaded, stored, and used
Installomator Metadata Icons and app metadata used by Available Software and PatcherMenu
Managed Labels Supplying custom or override label files
Deferral and Deadlines How users defer, and when that ability is removed
Patching Walkthrough: Deadline-Based Day-by-day example timeline for deadline-based mode
Patching Walkthrough: Monthly Cadence Day-by-day example timeline for monthly cadence mode
User Prompts swiftDialog integration and prompt behavior
PatcherMenu Menu bar app: icon states, sections, and configuration
Available Software Self-service catalog and managed software viewer
Reporting patcherreport subcommands and output
Logs and Troubleshooting Where logs live and common issues
Contributing Opening issues and pull requests

Quick Facts

Item Value
Binary install path /usr/local/bin/tpp/
Data directory /Library/Application Support/Patcher/
Log directory /Library/Logs/Patcher/
Preference domain com.gilburns.patcher
LaunchDaemon label com.gilburns.patcher.scheduler
Minimum macOS macOS 14 Sonoma
License MIT

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