macOS Onboarding Script

A one-command macOS bootstrap script to configure system preferences and install common developer tools and apps.

✅ Compatible with macOS default /bin/bash (Bash 3.2)
✅ Designed for fresh setups / onboarding
✅ Installs apps via Homebrew, Mac App Store (mas), and Installomator
✅ Applies common macOS defaults, configures Dock, enables Touch ID for sudo, and installs Oh My Zsh

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What This Script Does

1) System Preferences / macOS Defaults

Applies common defaults using defaults write, including:

• Dock positioning and behavior
  • Dock at bottom
  • Auto-hide enabled
  • Recent apps disabled
  • Spaces not reordered automatically
• Finder improvements
  • Show Path Bar + Status Bar
  • Group by Kind
  • Column view by default
  • Allow text selection in Quick Look
  • Disable extension-change warning
• Global UI behavior
  • Expand Save/Print dialogs by default
  • Show all file extensions
  • Disable smart quotes and smart dashes (better for coding)
• Time Machine
  • Disable prompts to use newly connected disks for backup
• Filesystem hygiene
  • Prevent .DS_Store creation on network volumes

After applying preferences, the script restarts Dock/Finder/SystemUIServer where needed.

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2) Installs / Updates Homebrew

• If Homebrew is missing, it installs it
• If Homebrew exists, it runs:
  • brew update
  • brew upgrade
  • brew cleanup
• On Apple Silicon (arm64), it ensures Homebrew shell env is configured for future sessions

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3) Installs Homebrew Apps (Formula + Casks)

The script installs a defined list of apps from Homebrew:

• GUI apps via casks
• CLI utilities via formulae

It skips anything already installed and shows a progress bar while installing.

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4) Installs Mac App Store Apps (via mas)

Installs Mac App Store apps by ID (e.g. Xcode, Keynote, Pages, Numbers, etc.).
If you’re not signed into the App Store, installs may prompt or fail.

Also attempts:

• mas upgrade

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5) Installs Installomator + Installs Labels (as root)

• Installs the latest Installomator .pkg dynamically from GitHub Releases
• Runs a list of Installomator labels
• Installomator runs as root using sudo
• Default Installomator flags:
  • DEBUG=0
  • NOTIFY=silent

Installomator path used:

• /usr/local/Installomator/Installomator.sh

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6) Installs Tart from GitHub Release

Downloads and installs the latest Tart release from GitHub into:

• /opt/homebrew/bin (Apple Silicon if available)
• /usr/local/bin (Intel / fallback)

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7) Configures the Dock

Uses dockutil to set the Dock to a specific app layout for the currently logged-in user.

• Clears existing Dock items
• Adds apps in order from the DOCK_APPS list
• Adds Downloads stack

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8) Enables Touch ID for sudo

If the system supports Touch ID PAM modules (e.g. pam_tid.so*), the script:

• Backs up /etc/pam.d/sudo

• Inserts the Touch ID line after any header comments:

  auth sufficient pam_tid.so

This allows Touch ID authentication when running sudo.

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9) Installs / Updates Oh My Zsh + Links .zshrc

• Installs Oh My Zsh (or updates it if already present)
• Creates a symlink from an iCloud-managed .zshrc into $HOME/.zshrc

Expected iCloud .zshrc location:

~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Documents/profiles/.zshrc

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Requirements / Assumptions

Before running:

• ✅ macOS with Terminal access
• ✅ Stable internet connection
• ✅ You can authenticate with sudo
• ✅ You are signed in to the Mac App Store (recommended)
• ✅ You trust what the script installs/configures

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How to Run

Option A — Run Directly from GitHub (Recommended)

bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bmortens115/macOS-Onboarding/main/macOS_Setup.sh)"

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Option B — Download, Review, Then Run (Safer)

    curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/<YOUR_USER>/<YOUR_REPO>/main/macOS_Setup.sh -o macOS_Setup.sh
    less macOS_Setup.sh
    chmod +x macOS_Setup.sh
    ./macOS_Setup.sh

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Option C — Clone Repo and Run

    git clone https://github.com/<YOUR_USER>/<YOUR_REPO>.git
    cd <YOUR_REPO>
    chmod +x macOS_Setup.sh
    ./macOS_Setup.sh

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Customization

This script is designed to be easy to customize by editing these lists:

• APPS — Homebrew formulae & casks
• MAS_APPS — Mac App Store apps (IDs)
• INSTALLOMATOR_APPS — Installomator labels
• DOCK_APPS — Dock app layout (path|label)

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Troubleshooting

Mac App Store installs fail

Make sure you are signed in:

• Open App Store and sign in
• Re-run the script

Touch ID for sudo doesn’t work

• Confirm Touch ID is supported and enrolled in System Settings
• macOS updates may overwrite /etc/pam.d/sudo — re-run script if needed

Dock apps missing

The script skips apps that do not exist at the listed paths.
Make sure the apps are installed and located in /Applications.

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Security Note

This script makes system changes and installs software.
Always review scripts before running:

✅ Use the download/review method if running on a corporate or production machine.

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License

MIT License (c) 2026 Mort