Platypus is a powerful macOS developer tool that transforms command line scripts into fully functional native applications. It wraps scripts in application bundles with a native macOS binary that executes the script, making command line tools accessible to non-technical users.
Key Features
- Multi-language Support: Works with shell scripts, Python, Perl, Ruby, PHP, Swift, Expect, Tcl, AWK, JavaScript, Dart, AppleScript, and custom interpreters
- Multiple Interface Options: Progress bar, text window with script output, droplet, WebKit HTML rendering, or status item menu
- Drag & Drop Support: Apps can receive files or text snippets passed as arguments to scripts
- Security Integration: Execute scripts with root privileges via macOS Security Framework
- Advanced Capabilities: URI scheme handlers, user notifications, background execution (LSUIElement)
- Development Tools: Built-in script editor, command line tool for automation, profile configurations
Use Cases
- Creating installers and droplets from scripts
- Building administrative applications and login items
- Developing status menu items and launchers
- Sharing command line tools with non-technical users
- Automating workflows through application wrappers
Technical Details
- Written in Objective-C/Cocoa for native macOS performance
- Free and open source under BSD license
- Universal 64-bit Intel/ARM binaries
- Requires macOS 10.11 or later
