Installory support

Help for scanning local package metadata, granting folder access, and reviewing cleanup scripts safely.

What Installory does

Installory is a native macOS app that inventories developer packages installed on your Mac. It reads package metadata for Homebrew, pip, pipx, npm, Cargo, RubyGems, and Mac App Store receipt-bearing apps, then presents names, versions, locations, manager labels, dependencies, and related package details in one place.

Installory is not a package manager. It does not install, upgrade, or uninstall packages directly.

Grant or re-grant folder access

Installory is sandboxed. It can only scan directories you grant through the macOS folder picker. Access is read-only and stored with security-scoped bookmarks so future scans can use the same folders.

  1. Open Installory and use the app's directory access or recommended grants controls.
  2. Choose the relevant folder, such as /opt/homebrew, /usr/local, ~/.local/share/pipx, ~/.cargo, a RubyGems directory, /Applications, or ~/Applications.
  3. If a previously granted folder moved, was deleted, or stopped scanning, remove the stale grant and choose the folder again.

Why scans may show no packages

An empty scan usually means Installory cannot see the folder where that package manager stores metadata, or that the selected manager has no packages in the granted directory.

  • Homebrew can be under /opt/homebrew on Apple silicon Macs or /usr/local on Intel Macs.
  • Python packages can live under multiple interpreter-specific directories, so one grant may not cover every Python installation.
  • Mac App Store apps appear only after granting access to an Applications folder, and only apps with local App Store receipts are counted.

How cleanup scripts work

When you choose cleanup, Installory generates a reviewable shell script or uninstall command. The script is shown to you as text with actions to copy it or save it. Installory does not execute the script, open Terminal for you, invoke package manager commands, or remove packages itself.

Generated scripts are defensive by default. They include a shell preamble, echo commands before running them, skip read-only packages, and comment out common essentials that should not be removed casually.

Safety warning: review every line before running a script. If you do not understand a command or package name, leave it out until you are sure.

Privacy and provenance in App Store v1

Installory makes no network calls and does not transmit your package inventory. App Store v1 does not read shell history or AI assistant transcripts. Provenance collection from those sources is disabled for v1.