Set Up Your Mac

Written & tested for accuracy by a developer (not AI) · Updated June 2026

Set Up Your Mac for Coding

This is a free Mac app that sets up your Mac for coding with AI. It is from the author of the Mac Install Guide. It is the fastest path to a working, verified setup for building software with AI tools.

Building software on a Mac starts with a working developer environment: the command line, a configured shell, Homebrew, a good terminal, AI coding tools, a code editor, and the languages you build with. Setting all of that up by hand means following several tutorials, editing shell files, and fixing PATH problems, and it is easy to end up with a setup that looks finished but does not quite work.

This app does the whole foundation for you, the way experts do it, and then verifies it works so you can start building instead of troubleshooting. It is free. You do not need an account to download it, it shows you every change before it makes it, and it never touches a file without asking. If you would rather read the why, my Mac Install Guide tutorials cover every step. If you would rather just have a working environment for coding with AI right now, download this app.

Download the app "Set Up Your Mac for Coding"

No account is needed. There is no trial, no paid upgrade. Most setups finish in a few minutes.

Who it is for

You do not have to be an experienced developer to use this app. You might be:

  • New to coding, ready to build your first project or game with an AI assistant, and wanting the tools in place before you start.
  • Returning after a break, with a Mac that has drifted out of date, and wanting a clean, current setup.
  • An occasional builder who codes now and then and wants the environment handled so you can focus on the project.
  • A developer who just wants the foundation installed and the shell configured correctly, without wiring up PATH, Homebrew, AI tools, and Git by hand.

The app asks a short question about your experience level at the start and uses your answer to guide the setup, so you get what you need without the parts you do not.

If you want to set up your Mac to build software with AI, with a complete and convenient setup, this app is for you.

What the app does, step by step

I built this to be an app I can trust, so nothing happens behind your back. The app shows you each step in detail before it runs anything, and you can skip any optional step.

  1. It checks what you have. It looks for your macOS version, a terminal application, the Xcode Command Line Tools, your shell configuration, Homebrew, Git, AI coding tools, and a code editor, then explains what is missing in plain language. Whatever passes, it skips.
  2. It sets up the command-line foundation. With your permission, it installs the Xcode Command Line Tools, configures your ~/.zprofile and ~/.zshrc, and installs Homebrew, so a new terminal finds your tools.
  3. It sets up a good terminal. It recommends an upgraded terminal application so you have a comfortable place to work at the command line.
  4. It installs AI coding tools. With your permission, it installs an AI coding assistant and the tools you need to build software with AI help.
  5. It sets up a code editor and languages. It helps you install a recommended code editor and the popular programming languages you choose.
  6. It sets up Git and GitHub. It sets your name and email for commits, then helps you sign in to GitHub so you can save your work without retyping a password.
  7. It verifies the setup. It opens a fresh shell and confirms your tools run, so you know the setup genuinely works, not just downloaded.

Every step is optional and shown to you first. You choose how far to go.

Why use the app instead of doing it by hand

You can set all of this up manually, and my Mac terminal, Command Line Tools, Homebrew, Claude Code, and Git tutorials cover every step. Reading them is still the best way to understand the why.

Two things make the app worth it even if you could do it by hand. First, verification: it proves your tools work in a fresh terminal, so you are not left with a setup that looks finished but will not run. Second, the shell configuration most people get wrong: the PATH and shell-file changes are the step that produces command not found, and the app does them correctly and backs up your files first. The app does all of it in one pass, the way I would, far faster than reading the whole set of tutorials and with a verified result.

I am the author of the Mac Install Guide and have written macOS tutorials since 2018. I added the Set Up Your Mac apps recently because I kept seeing that some setups are simply easier with a tool than with a tutorial. You can still read the tutorials to learn the details; sometimes it is just better to get the setup done correctly the first time and learn the rest later.

Is it safe to run?

Short answer: yes, and you can verify every part of it.

  • Signed and notarized by Apple. macOS Gatekeeper launches it without warnings, after the standard "downloaded from the internet" first-launch confirmation.
  • Every change is shown first. Before it acts, the app shows you what it will install, the shell lines it will add, and the backups it will make. Nothing is stealthy or tricky.
  • Your password stays with macOS. Anything that needs a password uses Apple's standard authorization dialog, so the system handles your password, never the app.
  • It never overwrites your files. Your shell configuration is backed up before any edit.
  • It does not linger. No background process, no menu bar app, no launchd service, no auto-launch at login, no auto-update. Quit it and it is gone until you open it again.
  • It does not uninstall anything. Whatever you already have stays exactly where it is.

Your privacy

The app sends anonymous event counts so I can tell whether it is actually helping people, for example "the check step finished" or "the verify step passed." It does not send your name, email address, IP address, or any identifier I could use to contact you, and it does not send your shell config or a list of what is installed on your Mac. Each launch gets a random session identifier that resets when you quit. Full details are in the Mac Install privacy article.

Download the app "Set Up Your Mac for Coding"

System requirements and how to run it

The app runs on macOS 13 (Ventura) or later, on Apple Silicon (M-series) or Intel Macs. It needs a small amount of disk space, plus temporary space during the install for the developer tools, along with an internet connection for the downloads.

First, check the macOS version. If you are running an older version, upgrade macOS to the latest macOS version. Then:

  1. Download Set-Up-Your-Mac-for-Coding.dmg from downloads.install.guide.
  2. Double-click the file to mount the disk image.
  3. Drag the app to /Applications/.
  4. Launch the app from /Applications/ or from Spotlight.
  5. Accept the first-run consent screen.
  6. Click "Check" to begin.

The app takes care of the rest. I hope you like it.