Usage Guide

Learn how to use Mac Watcher effectively to monitor your Mac.

Basic Usage

Once installed and configured, Mac Watcher works automatically in the background. It will activate whenever your Mac wakes from sleep, capturing information according to your configuration.

No manual intervention is required for normal operation, but you can use various commands to interact with Mac Watcher.

Command Reference

Mac Watcher provides several commands to help you manage and use the tool:

Command	Description
`mac-watcher --setup`	Run the initial setup process
`mac-watcher --config`	Open the configuration utility
`mac-watcher --test`	Test the monitoring functionality
`mac-watcher --diagnostics`	Run diagnostics to check the installation
`mac-watcher --dependencies`	Check and install dependencies
`mac-watcher --help`	Display help information
`mac-watcher --instructions`	Show detailed usage instructions

Testing Mac Watcher

To test Mac Watcher without waiting for your Mac to sleep and wake:

mac-watcher --test

This will simulate a wake event and run the monitoring script, allowing you to verify that everything is working correctly.

Note

The test command will perform all configured actions, including sending email notifications if enabled.

Viewing Captured Data

Mac Watcher stores captured data in the configured storage location (default: ~/Pictures/.access). To view this data:

Open Finder and navigate to your home directory
Press Command + Shift + . to show hidden files and folders
Navigate to Pictures/.access (or your custom storage location)
Browse through the directory structure to find captured media and logs

The data is organized by date and time, making it easy to find information from specific wake events.

Managing the Sleepwatcher Service

Mac Watcher relies on the sleepwatcher service to detect when your Mac wakes from sleep. You can manage this service using Homebrew:

Start the service

brew services start sleepwatcher

Stop the service

brew services stop sleepwatcher

Restart the service

brew services restart sleepwatcher

Check service status

brew services list | grep sleepwatcher

Email Notifications

If you've configured email notifications, Mac Watcher will send emails when your Mac wakes from sleep. These emails include:

Initial Email: Sent immediately after wake detection, containing webcam photo, screenshot, and location information
Follow-up Email: Sent after the configured delay, containing a follow-up screenshot

If your Mac doesn't have an internet connection when it wakes, Mac Watcher will queue the emails and attempt to send them when a connection becomes available.

Uninstalling Mac Watcher

If you need to uninstall Mac Watcher, follow these steps:

Stop the sleepwatcher service:
brew services stop sleepwatcher
Uninstall Mac Watcher:
brew uninstall ramanaraj7/tap/mac-watcher
Remove configuration files:
rm -f ~/.wakeup ~/.config/monitor.conf
Optionally, remove captured data:
rm -rf ~/Pictures/.access