Install Partner on macOS

There are two macOS distributions, at two different stages.

	Homebrew formula	.pkg installer
What it is	the command-line/server daemon — the headless piece that makes a Mac reachable	the daemon plus the graphical Partner app
Status	available now	not yet released
Signed and notarized by Apple	yes	yes, when it ships
Runs as	a per-user launchd job you start yourself	a launchd system daemon that starts at boot
Kept up to date by	Homebrew	Partner's own updater

If you want a Mac to be reachable and you are comfortable on the command line, use Homebrew today. If you want the desktop app, wait for the .pkg — we are not going to route an unsigned application through Homebrew to fill the gap.

Install with Homebrew (available now)

brew tap gurupras/partner
brew install partner

This installs the command-line/server daemon only.

It is not the graphical Partner app, and there is no Partner Cask: Homebrew is not a distribution channel for an unsigned or unnotarized graphical application.

The desktop app is not there and will not be until it has its own signed installer.

The archive Homebrew downloads is signed with a Developer ID Application certificate and notarized by Apple, and the formula pins its SHA-256, so Homebrew refuses it if a single byte differs.

Partner does not start on install — being reachable is something you turn on:

brew services start partner     # start now, and at login
brew services stop partner

Homebrew owns this installation. Upgrade it the usual way:

brew update && brew upgrade partner

Partner's own self-update stays out of the way here, so it can never overwrite files Homebrew is tracking. Full setup, pinning and uninstall notes are in the package repository guide.

Install with the .pkg (not yet released)

Coming soon

There is no .pkg build of Partner yet. The download page lists what is available today. The rest of this page describes the planned installer.

Partner will ship for macOS as a signed and notarized .pkg installer. It installs the Partner host and registers a launchd system daemon that starts at boot.

The installer is self-contained — the Partner program is statically built against system libraries only, so there is nothing else to download (no Xcode, no Command Line Tools, no Homebrew).

1. Download Partner.pkg.

2. Double-click it and follow the installer, or install from the terminal:

   sudo installer -pkg Partner.pkg -target /

3. The installer loads the Partner daemon automatically. Confirm it is running:

   sudo launchctl print system/xyz.partner.partnerd

   You should see the daemon listed and running.

Because the package is notarized by Apple, macOS Gatekeeper will let it install without the "unidentified developer" block. If you see that warning, you likely have an unofficial build — re-download from the official source.

Verify it is self-contained

otool -L "$(command -v partnerd)"
# expected: only system libraries (e.g. /usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib)

Check your connection details

partnerd status

This prints your stable machine ID and a short-lived connection code. Continue with Getting started.

Where things live

Installed with Homebrew:

Item	Location
Daemon	$(brew --prefix)/bin/partnerd
Service	per-user launchd job, managed by brew services
Logs	$(brew --prefix)/var/log/partnerd.log and partnerd.err.log

Installed with the .pkg:

Item	Location
Daemon	launchd system daemon xyz.partner.partnerd
Logs	/var/log/partnerd.log and /var/log/partnerd.err.log

To remove Partner later, see Uninstall. For a Homebrew installation:

brew services stop partner
brew uninstall partner
brew untap gurupras/partner