Third Party Patcher
Latest release Downloads macOS 14+ MIT License

Third-party patching for macOS,
without the babysitting.

Third Party Patcher discovers installed apps, checks for updates, stages installers in the background, and applies them on a schedule you control — with optional swiftDialog prompts so end users always know what's happening. MDM-agnostic, and built on Installomator.

Download latest release View on GitHub Read the docs

Free & open source · MIT licensed · Signed & notarized .pkg for MDM deployment

Available Software app showing a self-service catalog of macOS applications with install status
How it works

Four phases, each on its own schedule

A lightweight LaunchDaemon wakes patcherscheduler every 10 minutes. Each wake is cheap — it exits in milliseconds when nothing is due — and every phase can also be triggered on demand from the command line or from the user-facing apps.

01 · SCAN

Discover

Evaluates Installomator labels to find every installed third-party app on the Mac.

02 · CHECK

Compare

Looks up the latest available version for each app and flags what needs updating.

03 · STAGE

Download

Downloads and validates installers in the background — no interruption, no waiting.

04 · APPLY

Install

Installs staged updates, prompting the user only if a blocking process is running.

Default intervals: Scan every 30 days, Check & Stage every 4 hours, Apply every 24 hours — plus an optional monthly patching cadence that gates Apply to a specific weekday, like the second Tuesday of the month. Every interval is configurable. See the Scheduling wiki page.
User-facing apps

Built for IT — and for the people using the Mac

Two optional apps give end users visibility and choice, without giving up MDM control.

PatcherMenu popover showing pending updates, deadline details, and last activity timestamps

PatcherMenu

An optional menu bar app that gives users real-time visibility into patch status. The icon updates automatically when updates are staged or pending.

  • Pending updates and pending downloads at a glance
  • Deadline countdown and per-phase last-activity timestamps
  • A Run Now menu to trigger any phase immediately
  • Enabled with a single preference key, fully MDM-configurable
PatcherMenu docs →
Available Software app showing a detail view for an app with its publisher, description, links, and update history

Available Software

A standalone window app that gives users a self-service software catalog and a full view of every app under patcher management.

  • Optional titles users can install on demand, IT-configured
  • Every managed app, with status, install path, and history
  • A chronological update history, filterable by event type
  • Toolbar Run Now menu to trigger phases directly
Available Software docs →
User prompts & deferrals

Informed, not interrupted

All interactive UI is powered by swiftDialog, launched in the console user's session. Non-blocking progress windows appear during Scan, Check, and Stage; a deferral prompt appears before Apply when a blocking process is detected — letting users pick a defer duration or install right away.

Focus/DND detection silently defers without incrementing the deferral counter, so a meeting or presentation never pushes someone toward a deadline unfairly.

ThresholdDefaultBehavior
Focus deadline4 daysFocus/DND no longer silently defers
Hard deadline14 daysDefer button removed; update applies unconditionally
User Prompts & Deferral docs →
Animated apply progress dialog installing several app updates one after another
Full-screen apply progress
Deferral prompt asking the user to defer or continue installing four pending updates
Deferral prompt
Features

Everything a fleet-scale patching tool needs

MDM-agnostic

Works with Jamf Pro, Intune, or any MDM that can deploy a package and a configuration profile — no vendor lock-in.

Installomator-powered

Updates are driven by community-maintained Installomator label files, downloaded and kept current automatically.

Managed & custom labels

Supply your own Installomator-compatible label files to override existing labels or support internal apps.

Self-service catalog

Let users install approved optional software on demand from the Available Software app.

Deferral & deadlines

Configurable defer options with Focus/DND awareness and two-tier deadline enforcement.

Compliance reporting

patcherreport generates summary, pending, recent, broken, and deferral reports from local state — no sudo required.

Requirements & installation

Deploy in minutes via MDM

Distribute the signed and notarized .pkg through your MDM. It installs three command-line binaries, the LaunchDaemon, and loads the daemon immediately.

  • macOS 14 Sonoma or later
  • swiftDialog 3.x or later for user prompts — install via patcher ensure swiftdialog
  • Network access to GitHub for Installomator label updates and app downloads
BinaryPurpose
patcherRuns individual patching phases on demand
patcherschedulerDaemon entrypoint; also provides a status subcommand
patcherreportGenerates patch compliance reports
PatcherMenu.appMenu bar status and Run Now trigger
Available Software.appSelf-service catalog and management view
# Preferences are managed via the com.gilburns.patcher domain # MDM configuration profile (preferred): /Library/Managed Preferences/com.gilburns.patcher.plist # Local override: /Library/Preferences/com.gilburns.patcher.plist # Custom / override Installomator labels: /Library/Application Support/Patcher/Managed/Labels/
Documentation

Full IT-admin docs in the project wiki

Home Installation How It Works Scheduling User Prompts Deferral & Deadlines PatcherMenu Available Software Command-Line Reference Preference Keys Installomator Integration Managed Labels Reporting Logs & Troubleshooting Contributing

Ready to stop chasing third-party updates by hand?

Free, open source, and MIT licensed. Deploy today via your MDM of choice.

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