Set Up Your Mac for the Command Line

This is a free Mac app that sets up your command-line developer environment for you. It is from the author of the Mac Install Guide. It is the fastest path to a working, verified setup for software development.

Software development starts at the command line: the Xcode Command Line Tools, a configured shell, Homebrew, a good terminal, and Git. 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 avoid installation headaches. 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, fully configured developer environment right now, download this app.

Download the app "Set Up Your Mac for the Command Line"

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 development, told to "set up a developer environment" or "install the command line tools" for a course, a job, or a tutorial, and you would rather not learn shell configuration first.
Stuck on a setup error such as zsh: command not found, and wanting a clean setup that just works.
Setting up a new Mac and wanting the whole command-line foundation, terminal, Homebrew, and Git in place in one step.
A developer who just wants the tools installed and the shell configured correctly, without wiring up PATH, Homebrew, and Git by hand.

If you need to set up your Mac for the command line 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.

It checks what you have. It looks for your macOS version, a terminal application, the Xcode Command Line Tools, your shell configuration, Homebrew, and Git, then explains exactly what is missing in plain language. Whatever passes, it skips.
It installs the Command Line Tools. Apple's Command Line Tools are the basics needed for all software development. With your permission, the app installs them if they are missing.
It configures your shell. It sets up your ~/.zprofile and ~/.zshrc so a new terminal finds your tools, showing you the exact change first and backing up the file before editing it.
It installs Homebrew (optional). With your permission, it installs Homebrew, the macOS package manager, and wires it onto your PATH. You can skip this and the shell and Git steps still complete.
It sets up Git and GitHub. It sets your name and email for commits, then helps you sign in to GitHub so you can push without retyping a password.
It verifies the setup. It opens a fresh shell and confirms your tools run, so you know the setup genuinely works, not just downloaded. This is the step most setups skip, and the reason people see command not found.

It can also keep going and set up the rest of your developer environment, if you want it: a better terminal, a code editor, AI coding tools, and programming languages.

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, 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 the Command Line"

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, Homebrew, and Git, 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:

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

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