What Installory does
Installory is a read-only checkup for a Mac you code on with AI. It lists packages from Homebrew, pip, pipx, uv tools, npm, Cargo, RubyGems, Mac App Store apps with receipts, agent skills, AI command-line tools, and VS Code and Cursor extensions. It also reviews your AI coding setup (MCP servers, instruction files, permissions and hooks) and sums everything up on the Home checkup.
Installory is not a package manager. It doesn't install, upgrade or uninstall packages, doesn't edit your AI tools' settings, and never runs commands. To try it without granting any folder, choose Explore with Sample Data during setup, or Load Sample Data in Settings → General.
Grant or re-grant folder access
Installory is sandboxed. It can only read folders you grant through the macOS folder picker. Access is read-only and kept as security-scoped bookmarks so future scans can use the same folders.
- During setup, allow your home folder. Package folders such as
~/.cargo, ~/.nvm and ~/.local/share/pipx, AI tool settings (~/.claude, ~/.codex, ~/.cursor) and editor extensions all live there.
- If Homebrew lives outside your home folder (
/opt/homebrew or /usr/local), grant it too. To see Mac App Store apps, grant /Applications. Use Add Folder at the bottom of the sidebar for these or any other folder, such as a projects folder.
- If a granted folder was moved or deleted, the sidebar's Directory Access section shows “Access lost” with a Re-grant button. Choose it and pick the folder again.
- To take back home-folder access, use Revoke Access in Settings → Privacy. To start over, choose Show Onboarding Again in Settings → General.
About the home folder: macOS grants access to the whole folder. Installory reads package folders, AI tool settings and editor extensions, and lists folder names one level down to find your projects. It doesn't read your documents, photos, mail, browser data, or passwords and keychain. The privacy policy lists every file it reads.
Upgraded from 1.5 and asked for your home folder again?
Installory 1.5 could resolve your home folder to the app's sandbox container, so some tools in your home folder were missed. 1.6 uses your real home folder. If you had Install History turned on, Settings → Privacy may show it as paused until you allow your home folder once. AI Setup, agent skills, AI command-line tools, editor extensions, Cargo and pipx also need that grant.
Why a scan may show no packages
An empty result usually means Installory can't see the folder where that package manager keeps its records, or that the manager has nothing installed in the folders you granted.
- Homebrew is under
/opt/homebrew on Apple silicon Macs, or /usr/local on Intel Macs and Rosetta setups.
- Python packages can live in several places, including
~/.local/share/uv/python for uv and .venv or venv folders inside projects you've granted. If one isn't showing, grant the folder that contains its bin/python, or the project folder.
- Mac App Store apps appear only after you grant an Applications folder, and only apps with a local App Store receipt are counted.
What Scan Coverage means
The sidebar's Scan Coverage section lists every package manager Installory checked, what it found, and why anything was skipped.
- “Not found on this Mac, or Installory doesn't have access to its folder yet” usually means the manager isn't installed, or its folder hasn't been granted.
- “Scan took too long and was stopped” can happen with very large
~/.nvm folders. Try Refresh (⌘R), or grant a single Node version's folder instead of the whole tree.
- A failure with a reason means something specific couldn't be read. Please send that reason to support so it can be fixed.
Understanding AI Setup findings
AI Setup reads the MCP servers, instruction files, permissions and hooks of Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and opencode, then lists findings as Fix soon, Worth a look or Good to know. Each finding explains the issue in plain English, shows the file it came from with a Reveal in Finder link, and, where there's something to change, suggests a fix.
- Installory only looks. To fix a finding, edit the file yourself or ask your AI assistant, then choose Check Again.
- A key “written in plain text” is masked: you see its name, the file, and at most its first four characters. Create a new key with the provider, revoke the old one, and keep the new one out of the file, for example in an environment variable.
- If AI Setup or the Home checkup says “not checked yet”, Installory doesn't have access to your home folder or the project folder. Grant it and scan again.
Ask your AI assistant
From a package, a duplicate group, a cleanup selection or an AI Setup finding, Ask Your AI Assistant copies a ready-made prompt for Claude Code, Codex or any assistant. Copy My Setup for My AI Assistant copies a short summary of your installed tools; it's on Home, in the Inventory menu, and in Settings → Scanning.
Installory only puts text on your clipboard; you paste it into your assistant yourself. Every prompt asks the assistant to explain each command and wait for your OK. Paths in your home folder appear as ~/…, and secret values are never included.
How cleanup scripts work
Each package shows a verdict: safe to remove, remove with care, or leave alone. When you choose cleanup, Installory generates a shell script and shows it to you as text, with buttons to copy or save it and a “How to run this” section. Installory doesn't run the script, open Terminal for you, or remove anything itself.
Scripts are cautious by default. Commands run inside a ( … ) subshell, so pasting a script can't change or close your Terminal session. Each command is printed before it runs, read-only packages are skipped, and common essentials are commented out. A bulk cleanup takes a snapshot first so you can restore what you removed, and file-backed items can be moved to the Trash instead of deleted. For single packages, Settings lets you choose whether to take a snapshot always, ask each time, or never.
Before you run a script: read every line. If you don't understand a command or package name, leave it out until you're sure, or ask your assistant to explain it.
Privacy and Install History
Installory has no network code of its own and doesn't send your inventory or AI tool settings anywhere. Install History is off by default. If you turn it on in Settings → Privacy and allow your home folder, Installory compares local shell history and Claude Code, Codex and opencode session records with package timestamps to show which tool installed what. Records are redacted before they are stored and stay on your Mac. Turning Install History off offers to clear the stored history. See the privacy policy for the full list of files read.
Contact support
Questions, bug reports and feature requests are welcome. We aim to reply within two business days.
Email: will.ricchiuti@gmail.com
Submitting this form sends your name, email address and message to Netlify for delivery to the developer. It's used only to answer your request. See the privacy policy for retention and deletion.
You can also open an issue on GitHub at github.com/william-ricchiuti/Installory.