AppDecoder · macOS 12+

Make sense of your Mac's app sprawl.

Search, filter, and open enriched vignettes to see why every app is installed, what it connects to, and how it treats privacy. Homepage ranking, App Store signals, TestFlight checks, and entitlement summaries in one place.

SwiftUI desktop app Privacy insight Optional LLM summaries

Scan my Mac Enrichment engine

Zero configuration; fast scan; clear reasons to keep or remove an app.

Find the origin. Ranked homepages, App Store metadata, and download hosts show where it came from.

Spot risk fast. Entitlements, usage descriptions, login items, and network hints side by side.

Stay quick. SwiftUI search, sort, and filters for beta-only, category, name, or bundle.

Ship evidence. Copy bundle IDs, paths, and metadata straight from the detail sheet.

Know system traits. Architectures, minimum OS, sandbox status, extensions, menu bar helpers.

Enrichment engine

Surface the signals that matter.

AppDecoder ranks likely homepages, fetches meta descriptions, detects public TestFlight, and highlights App Store signals so you can decide what stays.

Ranked homepages. Domain and `.app` TLD preference, reachability, and name fit.

Status transparency. Captures fetched request outcomes to debug what resolved or timed out.

LLM summaries (optional). Add quick context without changing the workflow; runs only when enabled.

Cache-aware. Fast repeat runs with purge-on-demand.

Integrations

See how apps plug into your system.

Quickly spot login items, menu bar utilities, extensions, and background helpers so you know what is running and why—before it surprises you.

Login items. Understand what auto-starts with your Mac.

Extensions. Capture Quick Look, Spotlight, and app extensions.

Architectures. See architectures, min OS, and sandbox traits.

Network hints. Hardcoded domains and ATS summaries for quick risk checks.

Built for Power Users

AppDecoder combines the ease of a native macOS app with the power of command-line tools. Use the GUI for exploration and the CLI for automation and JSON export in CI.

Terminal

$ swift run AppDecoder --limit 5

Found 247 applications in /Applications

1. Xcode (com.apple.dt.Xcode) - v15.2

2. Safari (com.apple.Safari) - v17.2.1

3. VSCode (com.microsoft.VSCode) - v1.85.1

$ swift run AppDecoder --enrich Safari --json

Enriching Safari (com.apple.Safari)...

$ _

Ready to explore?

Open AppDecoder, scan your Applications folder, and get clarity on every install—origin, privacy, and behavior—in minutes. Nothing leaves your Mac.

See the UI