Launchd Buddy Support

Need help with the app? Learn more about the app or browse our support documentation below.

About the App

Launchd Buddy is a native macOS app that provides a modern graphical interface for managing launchd agents and daemons — the scheduled tasks and background services that power your Mac.

Getting Started

1. Download Launchd Buddy from the Mac App Store
2. Launch the app — it opens a standard window with a sidebar
3. Your user agents from ~/Library/LaunchAgents are loaded automatically
4. System agents from /Library/LaunchAgents are also listed (read-only)
5. Click any agent in the sidebar to view its details

Features

Agent Browser

• Sidebar navigation: Agents grouped by domain (user, system, global)
• Status indicators: Green (running), red (failed), grey (unloaded)
• Search: Filter agents by label or path
• Quick filters: Show only running, failed, or disabled agents

Agent Detail View

Click any agent to see its full details, organised in tabs:

• Overview: Label, program path, status, last exit code, schedule summary
• Schedule: Visual editor for RunAtLoad, StartInterval, and StartCalendarInterval
• Environment: View and edit environment variables
• Logs: View stdout/stderr with real-time tail mode
• Raw Plist: Structured tree view of the full plist file

Quick Actions

• Load / Unload: Register or unregister an agent with launchd
• Start / Stop: Manually trigger or stop a running agent
• Enable / Disable: Toggle whether an agent runs on schedule

Create New Agent

The wizard walks you through creating a new launchd agent step by step:

1. Choose a label (reverse-DNS format recommended)
2. Set the program or script to run
3. Configure the schedule (interval, calendar, or run at load)
4. Set environment variables (optional)
5. Configure run conditions (optional)
6. Review and save

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why can't I edit system agents?

A: System-level agents in /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons require administrator privileges to modify. Launchd Buddy shows them for reference but currently only supports editing user-level agents in ~/Library/LaunchAgents.

Q: Why does an agent show as "failed"?

A: An agent shows as failed when its last exit code was non-zero. Check the Logs tab for the agent's stdout/stderr output to diagnose the issue.

Q: Can I create cron jobs with this app?

A: Launchd Buddy creates launchd agents, which are Apple's recommended replacement for cron on macOS. They support more features than cron, including run-at-load, keep-alive, and resource limits.

Q: What macOS version is required?

A: macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later.

Q: Does the app require Full Disk Access?

A: No. Launchd Buddy reads from standard LaunchAgent directories which are accessible without special permissions. Log files may require appropriate read access depending on their location.

Troubleshooting

No agents found

If no agents appear, check that ~/Library/LaunchAgents exists and contains .plist files. You can verify in Terminal: ls ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

Agent won't load or unload

Some agents may require specific permissions or have dependencies. Check the Console app or run launchctl list | grep [label] in Terminal for more details.

Logs not showing

Logs are only available if the agent's plist specifies StandardOutPath or StandardErrorPath. Many agents don't configure these by default.

Support Contact

For support inquiries, please contact us via our contact form or email support@lostendfound.com.

Version Information

Current Version: 1.0.0 Requires: macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later