Mac diagnostics · v0.1.0

See what's running.
Reclaim what's not.

Live CPU and memory. 12 categories of honest storage cleanup. A process list that actually kills processes. A menu bar item that doesn't lie about being real-time.

Download for Mac Apple Silicon · macOS 14+ On the App Store iPhone & iPad
v0.1.0 2.71 MB Signed + notarized by Apple Auto-updates
12
storage categories
1 Hz
menu-bar refresh
0
tracking events
100%
local · no cloud
Dashboard

Live readouts you can actually trust

Raw signals from the kernel, refreshed once per second. No "boost" buttons, no "speed gauge" out of 100, no fictional optimization scores.

  • CPU per-core via Mach host_processor_info — the same call top uses.
  • Memory pressure + active / wired / compressed / free, color-coded against the kernel's pressure level.
  • App footprint — what this app itself is using, surfaced honestly, not buried.
Storage Cleanup

Honest disk cleaning

Every byte you reclaim is one you reviewed. There is no "Optimize Mac" button. Smart Scan runs the three safe, default-on categories; everything else is opt-in.

  • 12 categories — system caches, logs, Trash, Xcode DerivedData / Archives / Simulators, iOS backups, Homebrew, npm, CocoaPods, Mail attachments, Photos derivatives.
  • Uninstaller drop-zone — drag any .app in, see every leftover the app stashed across ~/Library.
  • Two-phase delete — everything goes to Trash, never permanent. Emptying the Trash stays your call.
  • Large & Old Files — pick a folder, set a size or age threshold, browse the results with "Show in Finder" per row.
Process List

Quit processes without switching apps

Live CPU, memory, and thread count for every running process. Right-click sends SIGTERM, force-quit sends SIGKILL behind a confirmation. Activity Monitor's table without the launch delay.

  • libproc-backed sampling every 2 seconds — public BSD APIs, no private frameworks.
  • Sortable by CPU%, memory, threads, PID, or name. Filter bar matches name / PID / user.
  • Real quit controls — Quit is SIGTERM (apps can save state); Force Quit is SIGKILL behind a confirm alert.
Menu Bar

Always on, never noisy

A live CPU percentage in your menu bar at 1 Hz. Click for a mini dashboard, right-click for Open / Quit. Drops to 0.2 Hz when you've been idle for 5 minutes so it doesn't sip battery in the background.

  • Color-coded — green below 50%, orange to 80%, red above. You can spot a runaway process from across the room.
  • Popover dashboard — full CPU per-core grid + memory pressure without opening the main window.
  • Idle throttle — sampling drops 5× when you stop touching the keyboard. Battery-aware out of the box.
Why CPU Runner

Three things this app refuses to do

CleanMyMac has its lane. iStat Menus has its lane. We pick the same problem space but with a stricter set of self-imposed rules.

No tracking

Zero analytics SDKs. Zero telemetry pings. Zero "anonymous usage statistics" that turn out to track everything. The app talks to your kernel, not to our servers.

No fake "optimize"

No one-click cleanup that hides what it's about to delete. No "your Mac is 73% optimized" gauges. Every byte you reclaim is one you reviewed in a real file list first.

Your data stays local

Scans run on your machine. Cleanup runs on your machine. Process metadata never leaves your machine. There is no cloud component at any point, by design.

FAQ

Quick answers

Is it free?

Yes. No license keys, no trial countdowns, no "Pro" upsells. If you'd like to support development, there will be an optional sponsor link in the About window later — non-blocking.

What macOS does it need?

macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, on Apple Silicon. Intel Macs and macOS 13 are not supported in v0.1.0.

Why not the Mac App Store?

App Store apps must be sandboxed. The sandbox forbids reading /Library/Caches, enumerating processes you don't own, and killing them — which would gut Storage Cleanup and Process List. Apple's Developer ID program is the right channel for this kind of tool, with the same security posture (signed + notarized + Hardened Runtime), just without the feature ceiling.

How do updates work?

Sparkle 2.x, the same auto-update framework that ships with most non-MAS Mac apps (1Password, Transmit, Bartender, dozens more). Updates are EdDSA-signed and verified by the bundle's embedded public key — no man-in-the-middle can push you a malicious build.

Is the source open?

Closed source for v0.1.0. The binary itself is signed and notarized by Apple, which Mac users can verify with spctl --assess --type install /Applications/CPURunner.app.

What about the iPhone app?

The iOS version of CPU Runner ships on the App Store and has been available for years — same brand, different feature set (live diagnostics, hardware tests, GPU benchmarks). Tap "On the App Store" above.

Try it. No account.

2.71 MB. Signed and notarized. Drag to Applications. Auto-updates from here.

Download CPU Runner 0.1.0 Apple Silicon · macOS 14+