Deploy JFrog Boost with Jamf Pro MDM
Deploy JFrog Boost on managed macOS devices with Jamf Pro MDM.
IT administrators can use Jamf Pro to install JFrog Boost on managed macOS devices and report installation status through Jamf inventory.
Notes
- The deployment path described in this section was tested with Jamf Pro. Future mobile device management providers should follow the same source-file layout under
docs/customer-installation/mdm/<provider>.- For more information about individual developer setup, see JFrog Boost Quickstart.
This page describes the following rollout tasks:
Add the Install Script
Create a Jamf Pro script from install.sh. The script installs Boost for the logged-in console user, initializes the selected agent integrations, and refreshes Jamf inventory.
To add the Boost install script to Jamf Pro:
- In Jamf Pro, go to Settings > Computer Management > Scripts and create a new script.
- Paste the install script that follows into the Jamf Pro script editor.
- Save the script for use in a deployment policy.
Installation script (install.sh)
#!/bin/bash
# Boost CLI - Jamf install (per-user, macOS).
# Installs to $HOME/.local/bin/boost for the console user, runs `boost init`
# as them, removes the legacy /usr/local/bin/boost if present, and refreshes
# Jamf inventory so the Boost CLI Status EA reflects this run immediately.
#
# Optional:
# BOOST_TARGETS default: "cursor claude"
# Jamf parameter $4 same as BOOST_TARGETS
set -euo pipefail
repo="jfrog/boost"
targets="${4:-${BOOST_TARGETS:-cursor claude}}"
log() { printf '[boost] %s\n' "$*"; }
die() { log "ERROR: $*" >&2; exit 1; }
# curl with retries — handles transient corporate-network resets (curl 56,
# 7, 18, 35, …). --retry-all-errors covers mid-stream resets that plain
# --retry won't catch.
fetch() {
curl -fsSL \
--retry 5 --retry-delay 2 --retry-all-errors \
--connect-timeout 10 --max-time 300 \
"$@"
}
# Repair root-owned leftovers in the dirs `boost init` writes to. Earlier
# POC runs may have created these as root, leaving the user unable to
# overwrite them. Recursive chown is safe: if the dir itself is root-owned,
# the user couldn't have created files inside it anyway.
normalize_boost_paths() {
local user="$1" home="$2" path owner
for path in \
"$home/.local" \
"$home/.boost" \
"$home/.claude" \
"$home/.cursor" \
"$home/.codex"; do
[ -e "$path" ] || continue
owner="$(/usr/bin/stat -f '%Su' "$path" 2>/dev/null || true)"
if [ "$owner" != "$user" ]; then
log "fixing ownership: $path (was $owner)"
/usr/sbin/chown -R "$user" "$path" || log "chown failed for $path (non-fatal)"
fi
done
}
# ---- Console user is required for per-user install ----------------------
user="$(/usr/bin/stat -f "%Su" /dev/console 2>/dev/null || true)"
if [ -z "$user" ] || [ "$user" = "root" ] || [ "$user" = "loginwindow" ]; then
log "no console user; per-user install needs a logged-in account — skipping"
# Exit 0 so Jamf doesn't flag this as a failure and storm retries.
# Pair with a Login trigger on the policy to catch this machine later.
exit 0
fi
uid="$(/usr/bin/id -u "$user")"
home="$(/usr/bin/dscl . -read "/Users/$user" NFSHomeDirectory 2>/dev/null | /usr/bin/awk '{print $2}')"
[ -n "$home" ] || home="/Users/$user"
install_dir="$home/.local/bin"
boost="$install_dir/boost"
# ---- Architecture --------------------------------------------------------
arch="$(uname -m)"
case "$arch" in arm64|aarch64) arch=arm64 ;; x86_64|amd64) arch=amd64 ;; *) die "unsupported arch: $arch" ;; esac
archive="boost-darwin-${arch}.tar.gz"
# ---- Resolve latest tag and download ------------------------------------
tag="$(fetch -I -o /dev/null -w '%{url_effective}' "https://github.com/$repo/releases/latest" | sed 's#.*/tag/##')"
[ -n "$tag" ] || die "could not resolve latest Boost release"
tmp="$(mktemp -d)"
trap 'rm -rf "$tmp"' EXIT
log "downloading $archive ($tag)"
fetch "https://github.com/$repo/releases/download/$tag/$archive" -o "$tmp/$archive"
tar -xzf "$tmp/$archive" -C "$tmp"
[ -f "$tmp/boost" ] || die "archive missing boost binary"
# ---- Install into the user's ~/.local/bin, owned by them ----------------
/bin/mkdir -p "$install_dir"
/usr/sbin/chown "$user" "$home/.local" "$install_dir" 2>/dev/null || true
/usr/bin/install -o "$user" -g staff -m 0755 "$tmp/boost" "$boost"
log "installed $(/usr/bin/sudo -H -u "$user" "$boost" version 2>/dev/null || echo "$tag") at $boost"
# ---- Remove legacy system install so the EA reports the right path ------
# The EA prefers $HOME/.local/bin/boost but falls back to /usr/local/bin/boost.
# Leaving the old one around means PATH lookups for the user may still hit
# the stale binary depending on shell config. Self-cleanup on every run.
if [ -e /usr/local/bin/boost ]; then
log "removing legacy /usr/local/bin/boost"
/bin/rm -f /usr/local/bin/boost || log "legacy removal failed (non-fatal)"
fi
# ---- Fix any root-owned config leftovers before init --------------------
normalize_boost_paths "$user" "$home"
# ---- Run `boost init` as the console user -------------------------------
flags=(--accept-terms)
for target in $targets; do flags+=(--"$target"); done
log "running '$boost init ${flags[*]}' as $user"
/bin/launchctl asuser "$uid" /usr/bin/sudo -H -u "$user" \
/usr/bin/env HOME="$home" USER="$user" LOGNAME="$user" \
"$boost" init "${flags[@]}"
# ---- Push Jamf inventory so the EA picks up this run --------------------
if [ -x /usr/local/bin/jamf ]; then
log "triggering jamf recon"
/usr/local/bin/jamf recon >/dev/null 2>&1 || log "recon failed (non-fatal)"
fiCreate a Deployment Policy
In Jamf Pro, add the installer as a script, then attach it to a policy scoped to the Macs that should receive Boost. Keep the policy idempotent: rerunning it refreshes the binary and re-applies the selected integrations.
To create a Jamf Pro deployment policy for Boost:
- In Jamf Pro, create a policy scoped to the target Macs.
- Add the install script as a payload and set Run as to Root.
- (Optional) Set Jamf parameter 4 to the space-separated agent targets for your rollout.
- Add a Login trigger so Macs without an active console user receive Boost when a user logs in.
- Save and enable the policy.
The following table lists the recommended policy settings.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Script | Paste install.sh into a Jamf Pro script |
| Run as | Root. The script switches to the logged-in user for boost init. |
| Default install path | $HOME/.local/bin/boost for the console user |
| Parameter 4 | Optional space-separated Boost targets, such as cursor claude |
Target Examples
The following table shows example parameter values for different rollouts.
| Rollout | Jamf parameter 4 |
|---|---|
| Default local agent rollout | cursor claude |
| Cursor, Claude, and Gemini | cursor claude codex |
| CLI-first teams | codex |
Add the Extension Attribute
Add the extension attribute so Jamf Inventory reports whether Boost is installed, which version is present, where the binary was found, which integrations are active, and which AI tools were detected for the console user.
The following table lists the extension attribute settings.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Display Name | Boost CLI Status |
| Inventory | Applications |
| Data Type | String |
| Input Type | Script |
To add the Boost extension attribute to Jamf Pro:
- In Jamf Pro, open Settings > Computer Management > Extension Attributes and create a new attribute.
- Set the display name, inventory category, data type, and input type to match the extension attribute settings in the table in this section.
- Paste the extension attribute script from the Extension attribute script (extension-attribute.sh) accordion into the script field.
- Save the extension attribute.
Extension attribute script (extension-attribute.sh)
#!/bin/bash
# Boost CLI — Jamf Pro Extension Attribute
#
# Looks for boost in this priority order:
# 1. $home/.local/bin/boost (per-user, current layout)
# 2. /usr/local/bin/boost (legacy fallback during migration)
# 3. /Users/*/.local/bin/boost (last resort if no console user)
#
# IMPORTANT: EA values refresh ONLY when `jamf recon` runs. The Boost
# install script must call `/usr/local/bin/jamf recon` at its end (or the
# install policy must include a Maintenance → Update Inventory payload),
# otherwise this attribute will keep showing the previously-recorded value.
#
# Deployment:
# Jamf Pro → Settings → Computer Management → Extension Attributes → New
# Display Name: Boost CLI Status
# Inventory: Applications
# Data Type: String
# Input Type: Script
set -u
export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/opt/homebrew/bin"
home=""
boost=""
boost_scope=""
emit() { printf '%s=%s\n' "$1" "$2"; }
resolve_home_for() {
local u="$1" h
h="$(/usr/bin/dscl . -read "/Users/$u" NFSHomeDirectory 2>/dev/null | /usr/bin/awk '{print $2}')"
[ -z "$h" ] && h="/Users/$u"
printf '%s' "$h"
}
have_cli() {
local name="$1" p
for p in \
"$home/.local/bin/$name" \
"/usr/local/bin/$name" \
"/opt/homebrew/bin/$name" \
"$home/.npm-global/bin/$name" \
"$home/.bun/bin/$name" \
"$home/.volta/bin/$name"; do
[ -x "$p" ] && return 0
done
return 1
}
echo "<result>"
# ---- EA metadata (most useful field for diagnosing stale inventory) ----
emit ea_collected_at "$(/bin/date '+%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%z')"
# ---- System --------------------------------------------------------------
emit os "$(/usr/bin/sw_vers -productName 2>/dev/null) $(/usr/bin/sw_vers -productVersion 2>/dev/null)"
emit os_build "$(/usr/bin/sw_vers -buildVersion 2>/dev/null)"
emit arch "$(/usr/bin/uname -m 2>/dev/null)"
# ---- Console user --------------------------------------------------------
console_user="$(/usr/bin/stat -f "%Su" /dev/console 2>/dev/null || echo "")"
if [ -z "$console_user" ] || [ "$console_user" = "root" ] || [ "$console_user" = "loginwindow" ]; then
emit console_user none
console_user=""
else
emit console_user "$console_user"
emit console_uid "$(/usr/bin/id -u "$console_user")"
home="$(resolve_home_for "$console_user")"
emit home "$home"
shell="$(/usr/bin/dscl . -read "/Users/$console_user" UserShell 2>/dev/null | /usr/bin/awk '{print $2}')"
emit shell "${shell:-unknown}"
fi
# ---- Locate boost (priority: console user → system → other users) -------
if [ -n "$home" ] && [ -x "$home/.local/bin/boost" ]; then
boost="$home/.local/bin/boost"
boost_scope="user"
elif [ -x "/usr/local/bin/boost" ]; then
boost="/usr/local/bin/boost"
boost_scope="system"
else
# No console user, or console user has nothing — scan other user homes
# so overnight recon on an unattended Mac still finds boost.
for udir in /Users/*/; do
[ -d "$udir" ] || continue
[ "${udir%/}" = "/Users/Shared" ] && continue
[ "${udir%/}" = "$home" ] && continue
cand="${udir%/}/.local/bin/boost"
if [ -x "$cand" ]; then
boost="$cand"
boost_scope="other_user"
[ -z "$home" ] && home="${udir%/}"
break
fi
done
fi
if [ -z "$boost" ]; then
emit status not_installed
echo "</result>"
exit 0
fi
# ---- Boost binary report -------------------------------------------------
emit status installed
emit boost_path "$boost"
emit boost_scope "$boost_scope"
emit boost_mtime "$(/bin/date -r "$boost" '+%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S' 2>/dev/null)"
emit boost_sha12 "$(/usr/bin/shasum -a 256 "$boost" 2>/dev/null | /usr/bin/awk '{print substr($1,1,12)}')"
# Pass HOME so a per-user binary reads the right config dir, not /var/root.
if [ -n "$home" ] && [ -d "$home" ]; then
raw_version="$(/usr/bin/env HOME="$home" "$boost" version 2>/dev/null | /usr/bin/head -n1 | /usr/bin/tr -d '\r')"
else
raw_version="$("$boost" version 2>/dev/null | /usr/bin/head -n1 | /usr/bin/tr -d '\r')"
fi
parsed_version="$(printf '%s\n' "$raw_version" | /usr/bin/grep -Eo 'v?[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+([.-][A-Za-z0-9]+)*' | /usr/bin/head -n1)"
emit version "${parsed_version:-unknown}"
emit version_raw "${raw_version:-empty}"
# ---- Integrations + AI tools (need a home dir) --------------------------
if [ -n "$home" ] && [ -d "$home" ]; then
integrations=()
[ -f "$home/.cursor/hooks/boost-rewrite.sh" ] && integrations+=("cursor")
[ -f "$home/.claude/hooks/boost-rewrite.sh" ] && integrations+=("claude")
[ -f "$home/.codex/BOOST.md" ] && integrations+=("codex")
if [ ${#integrations[@]} -eq 0 ]; then
emit boost_integrations none
else
IFS=','; emit boost_integrations "${integrations[*]}"; unset IFS
fi
ai_tools=()
[ -d "/Applications/Cursor.app" ] && ai_tools+=("cursor_app")
[ -d "/Applications/Claude.app" ] && ai_tools+=("claude_app")
have_cli claude && ai_tools+=("claude_cli")
have_cli codex && ai_tools+=("codex_cli")
if [ ${#ai_tools[@]} -eq 0 ]; then
emit ai_tools none
else
IFS=','; emit ai_tools "${ai_tools[*]}"; unset IFS
fi
if [ -f "$home/.boost/config.toml" ]; then
emit config_global present
else
emit config_global absent
fi
last_init=""
for ag in cursor claude codex; do
hook="$home/.$ag/hooks/boost-rewrite.sh"
if [ -f "$hook" ]; then
last_init="$(/bin/date -r "$hook" '+%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S' 2>/dev/null)"
[ -n "$last_init" ] && break
fi
done
[ -n "$last_init" ] && emit last_init "$last_init"
fi
echo "</result>"Smart Group Examples
Use Smart Group criteria, such as the examples in the following table, to quickly locate devices that require Boost updates.
| Criteria | Purpose |
|---|---|
status=not_installed | Finds Macs without the Boost binary. |
version=v0.6.4 | Identifies machines still using an older Boost release. |
ai_tools contains cursor and boost_integrations does not contain cursor | Finds Cursor users without Boost hooks. |
Operational Notes for Jamf Pro Deployments
- Boost is installed per user under
$HOME/.local/bin, and therefore the installer requires a logged-in console user. If no console user is logged in, the script exits successfully without installing. Use a Login trigger to catch the machine later. - The script removes any old system-wide versions of boost (
/usr/local/bin/boost), if found, to prevent conflicts with the new per-user installation. - Before running
boost init --accept-terms, the script repairs root-owned Boost and agent configuration directories left by earlier runs. - The script runs
jamf reconwhen Jamf is available so the extension attribute reflects the latest install immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
This section provides answers to frequently asked questions about deploying JFrog Boost with Jamf Pro.
FAQs
Q: What happens if no console user is logged in during install?
A: The install script exits successfully without installing Boost. Add a Login trigger to the Jamf policy so Boost installs when a user signs in. For more information, see Create a Deployment Policy.
Q: What should I set for Jamf parameter 4?
A: Set parameter 4 to a space-separated list of Boost agent targets, such as cursor claude. See the Target Examples table for rollout-specific values.
Q: How do I verify Boost is installed on a Mac?
A: Review the Boost CLI Status extension attribute in Jamf inventory. You can also create Smart Groups using criteria such as status=not_installed. For more information, see Smart Group Examples.
Related Topics
Updated 23 days ago
