# RhetTbull/osxphotos

Python app to work with pictures and associated metadata from Apple Photos on macOS. Also includes a package to provide programmatic access to the Photos library, pictures, and metadata.

Repository: https://github.com/RhetTbull/osxphotos
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/osxphotos
Language: Python
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: apple-photos, photos-export, library-photos, photos-database, apple-photos-export, python, photos, pictures, macos, macosx, osx, apple
Last push: 2026-07-22T12:32:11+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 93/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 93, release rhythm 88, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2635, "days_push": 42, "days_rel": 80, "gap_med": 14, "n_releases_24m": 28}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3781, forks 159 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:18.347402+00:00)

## What it is
A Python CLI tool and library for querying and exporting photos and metadata from Apple's Photos.app library on macOS (with partial Linux support). It exposes file paths, keywords, faces, albums, and export capabilities both via command line and a Python API.

## Use cases
- export photos from Apple Photos library
- query Apple Photos database for keywords and albums
- bulk export photos with metadata from Photos.app
- access Photos library programmatically from Python
- migrate photos out of Apple Photos
- export faces and person metadata from Photos

## When to choose
- you use Apple Photos on macOS and need scripted access to your library
- you want to export originals and edited versions with full metadata
- you need to query albums, keywords, or faces from the Photos database

## When to avoid
- you need a cross-platform photo manager independent of Apple Photos
- you primarily work on Windows or Linux without a Photos library copy
- you need shared album support on macOS 26.x

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: image-processing, cli, file-system, developer-tools
- domain: photography, apple-ecosystem, files, media
- platform: python, cli
- tags: apple-photos, photos-export, photo-library, metadata, exif, iphoto, command-line, macos, linux

## Member repositories
- RhetTbull/osxphotos (main) score 93

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:18.347402+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 2026-08-29T18:27:44.841867+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/RhetTbull/osxphotos (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:18.347402+00:00, sha adf540a2c325)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.