# kcrawford/dockutil

command line tool for managing dock items

Repository: https://github.com/kcrawford/dockutil
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/dockutil
Homepage: http://patternbuffer.wordpress.com
Language: Swift
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2025-12-30T05:42:26+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 49/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 59, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5526, "days_push": 246, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1596, forks 133 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:09.153137+00:00)

## What it is
dockutil is a Swift command line utility for managing macOS Dock items, supporting add, remove, move, find, and list operations on applications, folders, stacks, URLs, and spacer tiles. It can target a specific dock plist or every dock plist across a folder of home directories, making it well suited to scripted and enterprise deployments.

## Use cases
- add an app to the macOS dock from a script
- remove all dock items for new user setup
- script dock configuration across multiple user home directories
- find or move a dock item by label or bundle identifier
- add spacer tiles or URL items to the dock
- standardize dock layout during macOS provisioning

## When to choose
- you need to automate dock customization on macOS in shell scripts or MDM workflows
- you manage many user accounts and want to modify dock plists in bulk
- you want a maintained tool compatible with recent macOS versions

## When to avoid
- you need a GUI for customizing your own dock
- you are on Linux or Windows
- you need to manage macOS settings beyond the dock

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: cli, configuration-management, developer-tools
- domain: operating-systems, apple-ecosystem, developer-tools
- platform: cli
- tags: macos-dock, dock-management, plist, swift, system-administration, mdm, command-line, automation, macos

## Member repositories
- kcrawford/dockutil (main) score 49

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:09.153137+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:54:03.493770+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/kcrawford/dockutil (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:09.153137+00:00, sha 1f10e4528af6)
  - homepage: http://patternbuffer.wordpress.com (fetched 2026-08-29T11:24:51.513394+00:00, sha d9f6b9e44a8e)
  - site_page: https://patternbuffer.wordpress.com/about (fetched 2026-08-29T11:24:51.523165+00:00, sha 88eef77f1de7)
  - site_page: https://patternbuffer.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/load-or-reload-a-launchagent-from-installer-script (fetched 2026-08-29T11:24:51.525141+00:00, sha e9718a816f4e)
  - site_page: https://patternbuffer.wordpress.com/tag/installer (fetched 2026-08-29T11:24:51.526870+00:00, sha 7c6bb0db8972)
  - site_page: https://patternbuffer.wordpress.com/tag/postinstall (fetched 2026-08-29T11:24:51.528493+00:00, sha 518449fb0fc1)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.