Switch between integrated, discrete, and auto GPU on Intel Macs via pmset

Features • Quick Start • CLI Reference • Development

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🌟 Features

• 🖥 Integrated GPU Mode — force the Intel iGPU for maximum battery life on long unplugged sessions
• ⚡ Discrete GPU Mode — activate the dedicated dGPU for full graphics performance when you need it
• 🤖 Auto Mode — restore macOS default behaviour, letting the system switch GPUs dynamically
• 🎨 Interactive TUI — arrow-key picker built with Ink/React, shows your current mode at a glance
• 🔋 Headless Subcommands — scriptable integrated|discrete|auto|status for shell scripts and Raycast
• 🛠 Zero Config — thin wrapper around pmset, no daemons, no background processes, no setup
• 📦 Typed & Modern — strict TypeScript, ESM-only, built with tsup

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🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+
• macOS on an Intel Mac with both integrated and discrete GPU (e.g. MacBook Pro 2019 or earlier)

1. Install

npm install -g @kud/gpuswitch-cli

2. Use it

# Interactive TUI — pick a mode with arrow keys
gpuswitch

# Or go straight to a mode
gpuswitch integrated   # save battery
gpuswitch discrete     # full power
gpuswitch auto         # let macOS decide
gpuswitch status       # see what's active

Switching GPU mode requires sudo — you will be prompted for your password.

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📖 CLI Reference

Command	Description
gpuswitch	Open interactive TUI mode (↑↓ + enter)
gpuswitch integrated	Switch to integrated GPU only
gpuswitch discrete	Switch to discrete GPU only
gpuswitch auto	Let macOS manage GPU switching
gpuswitch status	Print the current GPU mode
gpuswitch --help	Show usage

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🔧 Development

Project Structure

gpuswitch-cli/
├── src/
│   ├── gpu.ts        ← pmset read/write logic
│   ├── app.tsx       ← Ink interactive TUI
│   └── index.tsx     ← entry point (headless or TUI)
├── dist/
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── eslint.config.js

Scripts

Script	Description
npm run dev	Run from source with tsx
npm run build	Compile TypeScript to dist/
npm run build:watch	Watch mode with auto-rebuild
npm run typecheck	Type-check without emitting
npm run lint	Run ESLint
npm run format	Format with Prettier

Workflow

git clone https://github.com/kud/gpuswitch-cli.git
cd gpuswitch-cli
npm install
npm run build
node dist/index.js

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🏗 Tech Stack

Component	Details
Runtime	Node.js ≥ 20
Language	TypeScript 5.x (ESM)
TUI	Ink 7.x + React 19
Build	tsup
Linting	ESLint + Prettier
GPU control	pmset (macOS built-in)
Package	npm · @kud/gpuswitch-cli

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MIT © kud — Made with ❤️ for Intel Mac users

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