macOS Cacher

What the macOS installer caching Worklet does

This Automox Worklet™ downloads the full macOS installer from Apple's software update servers and caches it in the Applications folder on your endpoints. The Worklet verifies that each endpoint meets minimum requirements before downloading, checks if the installer is already cached to avoid redundant downloads, and confirms successful installation before completing.

The Worklet uses macOS's built-in softwareupdate command with the --fetch-full-installer flag to download directly from Apple. This approach verifies you have the exact version specified and leverages Apple's official distribution infrastructure.

Why cache macOS installers on your endpoints

Caching the full installer gives you operational control over OS deployment timing. Rather than each endpoint downloading during update checks, you pre-stage the installer and coordinate upgrades across your fleet when suitable for your business operations.

Cached installers reduce network bandwidth consumption since only one download per unique macOS version occurs. This significantly improves deployment efficiency in organizations with hundreds or thousands of endpoints. Endpoints also gain offline installation capability if network connectivity is unavailable during the upgrade window.

From a troubleshooting perspective, having the installer cached allows faster remediation of OS issues and simpler testing of new macOS versions without network dependency. You maintain version control across your infrastructure while reducing deployment complexity.

How macOS installer caching works

1. Evaluation phase: The Worklet checks the endpoint's current macOS version (Catalina 10.15 or later required), verifies available disk space meets the 20 GB minimum, and checks if the installer is already cached in the Applications folder by looking for the SharedSupport.dmg file.

2. Remediation phase: If the installer is not cached, the Worklet downloads the specified macOS version from Apple's software update servers using the softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer command. Once downloaded, it validates that the installer was successfully placed in the Applications folder and reports completion status.

macOS installer caching requirements

• macOS Catalina (10.15) or later - earlier versions cannot fetch full installers

• 20 GB minimum available disk space on the target volume

• Network connectivity to Apple's software update servers during the evaluation and remediation phases

• Administrator privileges or sudo access to execute the softwareupdate command

• Configure the macOSName and macOSVersion variables in the scripts to match your target macOS version

Expected state after installer caching

After successful remediation, the full macOS installer will be present at /Applications/Install macOS [Version].app on each endpoint. You can verify this by checking the Applications folder or running softwareupdate --list-full-installers to see cached versions.

The Worklet can then be used as a prerequisite before triggering OS upgrade Worklets or manual installation commands. Endpoints with cached installers will report success status, while endpoints that already have the installer cached will exit immediately without re-downloading, saving bandwidth and time across subsequent Worklet runs.

How to validate macos cacher changes

1. Run this Worklet on a pilot macOS endpoint and review evaluation output for macos cacher.

2. Confirm Automox activity logs show successful completion and exit code 0.

3. Verify endpoint state using checks aligned to evaluation script logic, such as exit, else.

4. Validate remediation effects from script operations such as function, logmsgtoerr, exit, then rerun evaluation for compliance.