Adam Engst introduces SetShot, a free and open-source app for macOS users, providing snapshot comparison and a history of system configuration changes to help power users monitor and manage their system settings more effectively.
Adam Engst has turned a personal frustration about silent setting changes into a new Mac utility called SetShot, a free and open-source app that records macOS preferences, compares snapshots, and highlights what has changed. The project grew out of a separate iPhone troubleshooting episode involving iCloud Private Relay, which led him to wonder whether the same kind of hidden configuration drift could be detected on the Mac. According to TidBITS, SetShot is available in beta form and runs on macOS 13 Ventura and later. The GitHub release pages provide the download.
SetShot’s core workflow is simple: take a snapshot, make or wait for a change, then compare the two states. The app recognises nearly 1,400 changes across macOS settings files, although not every difference is a genuine preference change. Engst says roughly half the entries are useful settings and the rest are system noise. Snapshots are timestamped, compressed, and stored locally, while a bundled baseline from a clean macOS install helps users see how far their own systems have drifted. The interface uses a single-column snapshot list, with clear Before and After labelling, and supports automatic comparisons when a new snapshot differs from the previous one.
A useful extension is the Journal view, which turns those comparisons into a running record of configuration changes over time. That gives SetShot a practical role beyond curiosity: it can help users rebuild a Mac after a reinstall or migration by showing what they had previously adjusted. The journal can be searched, annotated, exported as HTML, and pruned when entries are no longer useful. Engst also says the app deliberately avoids writing settings back to macOS, both for technical caution and because direct editing of property list files would be risky.
Privacy and transparency appear to have been central to the design. SetShot limits what it scans by default, and some categories require extra permission before the app can inspect them. Engst says optional access covers areas such as Music and TV-related settings, as well as Full Disk Access for privacy permissions data. Feedback on recognised and unrecognised changes can be submitted through the app, with a Cloudflare Worker relaying reports into GitHub issues under his account. He also keeps the recognition knowledge base outside the app so updates can be refreshed without shipping a new binary each time.
The wider test now is whether SetShot proves genuinely useful or remains a specialist tool for power users who want to monitor macOS behaviour. A TidBITS Talk thread is already collecting beta feedback, suggesting there is at least some appetite for the idea. Engst says he expects to move the app towards a full release if the beta stabilises, and may eventually give it a dedicated website. For now, SetShot is a neat example of a small, technically ambitious Mac utility built to answer a deceptively simple question: what changed?
Disclaimer: This content is intended for informational purposes only. Readers are advised to exercise their own judgement, conduct due diligence, or consult a qualified expert before acting on any information provided.
