Mac Install Medic — Privacy

Mac Install Medic is a family of free macOS apps distributed from Mac Install Guide that diagnose and fix common developer-environment problems.

This page explains what data Mac Install Medic apps collect, what they share, and with whom.

What Mac Install Medic collects

Mac Install Medic apps collect anonymous usage data to understand how they're being used. Specifically:

• A per-install random session ID (UUID, not tied to your Apple ID, email, or any personal identifier).
• App name and version (e.g., Mac Install Medic for Java 0.1.0).
• Event names at each step of the diagnosis-and-fix flow (e.g., diagnosis_reached, remediation_completed).
• Event data: small contextual details about each event — the diagnosis category, the remediation method (Homebrew, Adoptium PKG, etc.), a short excerpt of java -version output to verify the fix worked, and similar non-identifying technical details.

Mac Install Medic does not collect:

• Your name, email, IP address, or any personally identifying information
• The contents of your shell configuration files (we show you the diff and let you approve every modification, but we don't transmit the file contents)
• Your installed software inventory beyond the specific categories the audit needs to know about (e.g., Java install method, terminal app, AI coding tool, package manager)

How Mac Install Medic uses this data

The app is measuring three questions:

1. Do MIG visitors download and run a fix-it tool from the article page?
2. Does the diagnosis → fix → verify loop work reliably?
3. Do users engage with the system audit's recommendations?

Anonyomous aggregate counts and per-event details support these measurements. They are also used to identify bugs and prioritize fixes.

What's shared with whom

Warp (terminal app vendor)

Mac Install Medic's system audit recommends Warp as an AI-aware terminal. Though Warp may pay Mac Install Guide a commission for click-throughs and direct installs driven from our content, our recommendation of Warp predates any compensation agreement.

We may share monthly aggregate counts of Mac Install Medic-driven click-throughs and installs — for example, "247 click-throughs and 32 direct installs in June 2026." We do not share per-user data, per-session data, IP addresses, or any other detail beyond the monthly totals.

Mac Install Medic's audit recommendations are editorial. The recommendation is based on whether Warp is the right tool for our audience. We disclose the commercial relationship inline on the recommendation itself ("We may earn a commission if you install Warp through Mac Install Medic. Our recommendation is editorial.") and in this article.

Mac Install Guide infrastructure

Mac Install Medic's telemetry is hosted on InsForge. Data is retained for 12 months and then deleted.

No third-party analytics

Mac Install Medic does not use Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Segment, or any other third-party analytics service. The telemetry endpoint is our own server only.

Your choices

• Opt out before installing: simply don't install Mac Install Medic. Mac Install Guide's articles remain free to read; the apps are optional.
• Decline at first launch: each Mac Install Medic app's first-run consent screen shows you what data will be collected before the app does anything. If you quit the app, no data is sent and the app exits.
• Remove local data: removing the app + running defaults delete guide.install.mac.medic.java in the terminal clears all locally stored state. The anonymous session ID gets a new value on next install.

Contact

If you have questions about this policy or the data Mac Install Medic has collected, email [email protected]. We respond within 5 business days.

Last updated: 2026-05-17.