Comprehensive Coding Rules for writing automation scripts, MDM profiles, and operational run-books that manage macOS devices remotely and securely.
Stop juggling multiple SSH sessions, dealing with inconsistent device states, and manually pushing security updates to hundreds of Mac devices. Transform your approach to macOS remote management with production-ready automation that scales from 10 to 10,000 devices.
Managing macOS devices remotely isn't just challenging—it's a productivity killer. You're dealing with:
Configuration Drift: Every device becomes a unique snowflake after users customize settings, install software, and bypass security policies. What works perfectly in testing breaks mysteriously in production.
Security Compliance Chaos: FileVault enabled on some devices, disabled on others. Recovery keys scattered across spreadsheets. Security updates deployed inconsistently across your fleet.
Manual Intervention Overhead: SSH-ing into individual machines to troubleshoot, manually enrolling devices in MDM, and spending hours on tasks that should take minutes.
Inconsistent Tooling: Mixing Apple Remote Desktop, third-party tools, and custom scripts creates a fragmented management experience where nothing talks to each other properly.
These Cursor Rules deliver enterprise-grade automation frameworks for managing macOS devices at scale. Instead of cobbling together scripts and hoping they work, you get battle-tested patterns that handle the complexity of modern Mac management.
Zero-Touch Device Enrollment: Automate everything from DEP/ABM enrollment through initial configuration. Devices arrive pre-configured and compliance-ready without IT intervention.
Infrastructure-as-Code Management: Version-controlled profiles, peer-reviewed deployment scripts, and idempotent automation that you can run repeatedly without side effects.
Security-First Architecture: Built-in FileVault management, PPPC handling, and MDM profile distribution that maintains Apple's security model while enabling remote management.
Transform inconsistent device management into predictable, repeatable processes:
# Before: Manual SSH to check FileVault status on each device
ssh user@mac1 "fdesetup status"
ssh user@mac2 "fdesetup status"
# ...repeat for 500 devices
# After: Automated fleet-wide compliance checking
./scripts/audit_filevault_compliance.sh --scope production --format json
Result: Cut device audit time from hours to minutes with centralized reporting.
Deploy critical updates and security configurations across your entire fleet simultaneously:
# Automated security profile deployment
jamf_deploy_profile() {
local profile_path="$1"
local scope="$2"
profiles validate -input "$profile_path" || return 1
jamf api upload-profile --file "$profile_path" --scope "$scope"
log_deployment_metrics "$profile_path" "$scope"
}
Impact: Reduce security update deployment from days to hours across thousands of devices.
Handle complex deployment scenarios with intelligent automation:
Before: IT manually configures each device, installs software, sets up security profiles, and enrolls in MDM. Process takes 2-3 hours per device.
After:
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -Eeuo pipefail
# Zero-touch enrollment with automated configuration
configure_new_device() {
validate_dep_enrollment || exit 1
install_corporate_profile
configure_filevault_escrow
deploy_software_catalog
verify_compliance_baseline
}
Result: Devices arrive fully configured and compliance-ready. Provisioning time drops to under 15 minutes with zero IT intervention.
Before: Manually checking hundreds of devices for security compliance, individually fixing non-compliant machines.
After:
# Continuous compliance monitoring with auto-remediation
monitor_compliance() {
local violations
violations=$(audit_security_baseline --format json)
if [[ -n "$violations" ]]; then
remediate_violations "$violations"
generate_compliance_report
fi
}
Result: Maintain 99%+ compliance automatically with real-time monitoring and remediation.
Before: Manually installing software on each device or using inconsistent deployment methods.
After:
# Intelligent software deployment with rollback capability
deploy_software() {
local package_path="$1"
local target_group="$2"
validate_package_signature "$package_path"
create_deployment_snapshot
deploy_to_test_group "$target_group" 5 # 5% rollout first
monitor_deployment_health || rollback_deployment
}
Result: Deploy software to thousands of devices with built-in testing and rollback capabilities.
# Clone and configure the automation framework
git clone your_automation_repo
cd macos-remote-management
./setup/configure_environment.sh --mdm-provider jamf
# Configure your MDM connection
./config/setup_jamf_integration.sh \
--server your-jamf.company.com \
--credentials-keychain \
--test-connection
# Start with FileVault enforcement across a test group
./deploy/enable_filevault.sh \
--scope test-devices \
--escrow-mdm \
--recovery-key-rotation 90d
# Set up continuous monitoring
./monitoring/setup_compliance_dashboard.sh
./monitoring/configure_alerts.sh --critical-only
# Dynamic profile generation based on device context
generate_security_profile() {
local device_type="$1" # laptop, desktop, shared
local security_tier="$2" # standard, elevated, executive
case "$device_type-$security_tier" in
"laptop-executive")
enable_advanced_threat_protection
require_hardware_authentication
;;
"shared-standard")
disable_personal_features
enable_kiosk_restrictions
;;
esac
}
# Integrate with your existing tools via REST APIs
sync_with_identity_provider() {
local users
users=$(curl -s "$IDENTITY_API/users" | jq -r '.active[]')
while IFS= read -r user; do
create_managed_account "$user"
assign_device_profile "$user"
done <<< "$users"
}
Idempotent Operations: Every script can be run multiple times safely, eliminating "works on my machine" issues.
Security-First Design: Built-in validation for FileVault, Gatekeeper, System Extensions, and PPPC requirements.
Enterprise Integration: Native support for Jamf Pro, Kandji, Mosyle, and Apple Business Manager workflows.
Comprehensive Logging: Unified logging integration with structured JSON output for your monitoring systems.
Ready to transform your macOS fleet management from reactive firefighting to proactive automation? These Cursor Rules provide the production-ready foundation you need to scale efficiently while maintaining security and compliance standards.
Your Mac users will notice better performance and fewer interruptions. Your security team will love the consistent compliance posture. And you'll finally have time to work on strategic projects instead of manually configuring devices.
You are an expert in macOS remote management, Bash automation, MDM profile authoring (Apple MDM, Jamf Pro, Kandji, Mosyle, Scalefusion), and Apple Remote Desktop scripting.
Technology Stack Declaration
- macOS 13–15 (Ventura–Sequoia)
- Bash ≥5.1, zsh ≥5.9, sh-compatible POSIX tools
- Apple MDM over APNS, Configuration Profiles (mobileconfig/XML/PLIST)
- Jamf Pro & Jamf Binary (jamf)
- Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) CLI, kickstart
- Swift/Objective-C command-line utilities when Bash is insufficient
- Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) REST APIs (Jamf, Kandji, Mosyle, Intune)
Key Principles
- Enable only the minimum viable set of remote-management capabilities.
- Treat every script & profile as infrastructure-as-code: version-control in Git, fully peer-reviewed.
- Zero-touch first: automate enrollment (DEP/ABM + Automated Device Enrollment).
- Idempotent tasks: every script must be re-runnable without side-effects.
- Fail fast & visibly: log to unified logging (log command) and exit non-zero on unexpected states.
- Security is non-negotiable: FileVault, Gatekeeper, System Extensions, PPPC, and strong auth.
- Prefer Apple-supported mechanisms (MDM commands, profiles) over custom agents.
- Document device-side impact and required entitlements in the commit message.
Shell (Bash/Zsh)
- Start files with `#!/usr/bin/env bash` and `set -Eeuo pipefail`.
- Use lowercase snake_case for variables; CONSTANTS in all caps.
- Read-only constants: `readonly TOKEN="$1"`.
- Functions must be declared before usage and named in verb_noun form (`enable_filevault`).
- Accept all user input via flags parsed with `getopts` (no positional parameters in production scripts).
- Use `printf` instead of `echo` for predictable output.
- Avoid subshells in loops; prefer while-read or mapfile.
- Validate external binaries (`command -v profiles >/dev/null || error "profiles CLI missing"`).
- Example:
```bash
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -Eeuo pipefail
trap 'log_error "${FUNCNAME[0]}" ${LINENO}' ERR
enable_filevault() {
if fdesetup isactive; then
log_info "FileVault already enabled"
return 0
fi
log_info "Enabling FileVault…"
fdesetup enable -user "$USER" || return 1
}
```
Error Handling and Validation
- Always begin with environment checks (`sw_vers`, `uname -v`).
- Validate network reachability to MDM/Jamf endpoints before API calls.
- Guard against missing PPPC/TCC privileges (Screen Recording, Accessibility) and provide remediation.
- Wrap critical commands in functions with explicit `return` codes.
- Centralised logging:
- `logger -t remote_mgmt "$msg"` for syslog.
- Custom JSON log lines when consumed by UEM.
- Use early exits:
```bash
[[ -f /var/db/.AppleSetupDone ]] || exit 0 # abort on Setup Assistant stage
```
Framework-Specific Rules
Apple MDM / Configuration Profiles
- Deliver all security & privacy settings via one signed profile per domain (e.g., `com.company.security.mobileconfig`).
- PPPC: Grant `allowStandardUserToSetSystemService` only when absolutely required.
- Kernel/System Extensions: Use `SystemExtensionTypes` manifest; never load kexts on Apple silicon.
- Use `installApplication` MDM command for pkg installs instead of remote SSH.
- Always sign profiles (`profiles sign -s "CN=MDM Signing"`) before upload.
Jamf Pro
- Scope policies via Smart Groups; never by “All Computers” blindly.
- Naming convention: `mac-policy-<verb>-<feature>-<tier>` (e.g., `mac-policy-enable-filevault-prod`).
- Self Service policies: mandatory README.md per policy.
- Use Jamf API tokens with expiration ≤30 min, refreshed via script.
- Extension Attributes: compute locally, return minimal strings, ≤512 characters.
Apple Remote Desktop (kickstart)
- Enable only `-activate -configure -access -privs -DeleteFiles -ChangeSettings` required set.
- Force password auth (`-AllowAccessFor -SpecifiedUsers`) instead of AllUsers.
- Automate via:
```bash
sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart \
-activate -configure -access -on -users admin \
-privs -DeleteFiles -ChangeSettings -events
```
- Disable ARD once Apple MDM control verified.
Additional Sections
Testing
- Use test cohorts (≤5% of fleet) enrolled via Smart Groups.
- Simulate network loss and APNS failures with packet filters.
- Validate each profile with `profiles validate -input` pre-distribution.
- Continuous integration: GitHub Actions runner on macOS, executing `shfmt`, `shellcheck`, `profile-lint`.
Performance
- Bulk tasks through MDM “ScheduleOSUpdate” instead of remote SSH.
- Cache installers locally with `installinstallmacos.py` + CDN distribution.
- Use `softwareupdate --background` not `--install` during work hours.
Security
- Enforce FileVault escrow to secure token-storing MDM.
- Require SSO enrollment in Setup Assistant using Platform SSO.
- Rotate Recovery Keys every 90 days via MDM command `RotateFileVaultKey`.
- Never embed credentials in scripts; fetch from Keychain or OIDC token.
Compliance & Monitoring
- Maintain real-time dashboards for FileVault, OS compliance, CIS benchmarks.
- Collect unified logs tagged `subsystem=com.company.remote-mgmt`.
- Auto-remediate drift via Jamf’s “execute ongoing” policies.
Documentation
- Each script/profile must include header block:
```
# Name: enable_filevault.sh
# Author: IT Security
# Description: Enforces FileVault on Intel & Apple silicon devices.
# Version: 1.4.0
# Created: 2025-05-21
# ChangeLog: 2026-02-02 – Added Recovery Key rotation logic.
```
- Link back to Confluence page & policy number.