macOS
Enable an AI agent to recognise a macOS installation, assess its operational and security state, and determine which changes are compatible, authorised and recoverable.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 33 questions
Platform and installation identity Establishes what macOS environment is being modelled and which installation observations belong to.
Release identification
Records evidenced macOS product and build identity.
macOS product and build
The model should distinguish a verified macOS release identity from names inferred from appearance, hardware or a kernel string.
- Which observed product version and build identify this macOS installation? definition
- Which command, system interface or offline installation record supplied that identity, and when? provenance
Installation context
Separates the target installation from its host and the environment used to inspect it.
Target system boundary
The model should bind observations to a specific startup installation and identify whether inspection occurs from that installation, Recovery or another environment.
- Which host and startup volume or volume group identify the target installation? boundary
- Does the current session describe the target macOS installation, macOS Recovery, an installer or a different booted system? boundary
Mac and software compatibility Relates macOS release requirements to the host and the software that must run.
Host and release fit
Evaluates a particular macOS release against the actual host environment.
Supported host context
The model should distinguish documented host compatibility from an installation that merely appears to run.
- What Mac model or virtual-machine configuration and processor architecture host this installation? measurement
- What authoritative compatibility evidence covers this host and the installed or proposed macOS release? provenance
Application and extension fit
Assesses required software, architecture translation and system integration constraints.
Required software execution
The model should record whether required applications and extensions can execute and integrate under this macOS release and its effective policies.
- Which required applications or extensions depend on a particular architecture, Rosetta availability, macOS API or approval mechanism? boundary
- What vendor evidence or observed workflow test establishes compatibility with the installed or proposed build? provenance
- Which compatibility failures must be resolved before installing software or changing macOS? action
Startup and operational health Captures whether macOS reaches a usable session and sustains required system functions.
Startup and session
Locates failures between system startup, volume unlocking, login and usable sessions.
Usable session readiness
The model should distinguish inability to start macOS from inability to unlock storage, authenticate or sustain a user session.
- At which observed stage does progress stop: startup selection, volume unlock, macOS startup, login or session operation? measurement
- Which macOS diagnostic records or directly observed symptoms support that assessment? provenance
Services and system storage
Assesses macOS service behaviour and the storage conditions relevant to operation.
System function constraints
The model should connect failed required functions to evidence about launchd-managed services, resource pressure and relevant system or data volumes.
- Which required macOS functions are failing, and what service status, crash reports or resource observations correspond to those failures? measurement
- What capacity, mount, access or volume-health conditions constrain the installation's system and data storage? measurement
- Which supported diagnostic or repair action fits the evidence and the agent's current execution context? action
Security, privacy and control Records applicable macOS protections and the effective authority governing changes.
Platform protections
Assesses macOS protection mechanisms individually and in host context.
Effective protection states
The model should retain separate evidence for applicable encryption, system-integrity, application-execution and startup protections.
- What are the evidenced states of FileVault, System Integrity Protection, Gatekeeper and the startup-security controls applicable to this host? measurement
- Which protections constrain the proposed action, and what supported procedure satisfies those constraints? action
Permissions and management
Relates local privileges, privacy consent and device-management policy to a specific action.
Action-specific authority
The model should distinguish user authorisation, process permissions and enforced management settings without recording secret credentials.
- Which local privileges, privacy permissions or interactive approvals does the acting process require for this action? action
- Which configuration profiles or device-management restrictions govern the setting or operation being changed? boundary
- What evidence establishes that the person or organisation authorising the change has authority over this installation? provenance
Updates, migration and recovery Evaluates transitions between macOS states and the means of recovering from unsuccessful changes.
Release transition readiness
Assesses a named target release and the conditions for reaching it.
Target update decision
The model should record the proposed target build, its provenance, compatibility gates and operational prerequisites.
- Which target macOS version and build are proposed, and what trusted release or update source establishes their identity? provenance
- What storage, power, connectivity, authorisation, management or restart conditions currently permit or block the transition? action
- Which post-update checks will demonstrate that macOS and the required workflows remain usable? action
Restoration and migration paths
Qualifies recovery and migration options against the actual failure or replacement scenario.
Verified recovery path
The model should distinguish reinstalling macOS, restoring user state, migrating to another installation and returning to an earlier release.
- For the specified failure scenario, which Recovery, reinstall, backup-restoration or migration procedure is applicable to this host and release? action
- What evidence verifies access to the necessary backups, recovery material and authorisation without exposing secrets? provenance
- What system state or user data would the selected procedure preserve, replace or leave unrecoverable? boundary
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of macOS this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of macOS this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of macOS this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of macOS this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of macOS this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of macOS this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of macOS this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of macOS this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
- Other names and narrower kinds
- OSx86, macOS Server, Mac OS X 10.0
What it is Filled
macOS is Apple's Unix-based operating system for Macintosh personal computers, combining a Darwin foundation that includes the XNU kernel and POSIX userland with proprietary Aqua, Cocoa and system frameworks.
In scope
- Platform identity, installed macOS version and build, and evidence distinguishing an installed system from an installer or recovery environment
- Compatibility between the installed release, host architecture, applications, extensions and required workflows
- Operating-system services, startup behaviour, system storage relationships and resource constraints
- macOS security controls, privacy permissions and effective administrative or device-management restrictions
- Installation, update, migration and recovery readiness, including evidence needed before consequential changes
Out of scope
- The Mac's physical components, ownership and hardware repair history
- Application-specific business data, functionality and licensing
- People, organisational roles and identity-provider account lifecycles
- Network infrastructure and services external to the installation
- The contents and retention policies of user documents and backups
- Apple's corporate operations and the development histories of other Apple operating systems
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise a macOS installation, assess its operational and security state, and determine which changes are compatible, authorised and recoverable.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Confirm macOS identity using installed-system evidence such as product name, version and build; an Apple logo, desktop appearance or device name is insufficient.
- Distinguish macOS from its host Mac: hardware identity can persist while the installed operating system changes.
- Distinguish the installed operating system from macOS Recovery, an installer image or installation media before interpreting observations or attempting changes.
- Distinguish macOS from Darwin alone by verifying the macOS product identity and expected platform environment rather than treating a Darwin kernel identifier as sufficient.
- Distinguish separate macOS installations on the same host by their startup volume and installation context rather than merging their state under the hardware identifier.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Disable security protections on a user's computer without consent.
- Install software that the user has not approved or that comes from untrusted sources.
- Access user files or accounts without authorization.
- Bypass the operating system's licence terms.
Only with a human decision
- Erasing or reinstalling the system on a computer that may hold data.
May
- Install updates and configure the system on computers it is authorized to manage.
- Report security updates and unsupported versions to the owner.
Moral aspects Filled
- Personal computers hold private lives; access must respect the user's consent.
- Ending support for old hardware can force costly replacements and waste.
Who is affected
- Computer users
- Organizations
- People named in data
Owners Filled
Steward
The person or organization that owns the computer; the vendor licenses the software.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q43627 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.macos
- Wikidata: Q14116 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14116)
Direct properties required Filled
- Observation context: running installation | offline installation | recovery environment | installer | unknown
- Installed release identity: Recorded macOS product version and build identifier, with evidence and observation time
- Host and startup installation: References to the host Mac or virtual machine and the startup volume or volume group
- Execution architecture context: Host architecture, operating-system architecture and native or translated process context, each recorded separately
- Operational readiness: ready | degraded | startup blocked | login blocked | recovery only | unassessed, with supporting symptoms
- Available installation storage: Bytes available on relevant volumes, distinguishing free and reported reclaimable capacity
- Effective security posture: Observed states of applicable controls, including FileVault, System Integrity Protection, Gatekeeper and startup security, with unknown and not-applicable states allowed
- Effective management authority: Relationships to local administrators, device management, enforced profiles and the authority approving the proposed action
- Update disposition: unassessed | eligible | deferred | blocked | staged | restart pending | failed, qualified by a specific target release
- Recovery readiness: unassessed | prerequisites missing | prerequisites evidenced | recovery tested, qualified by a specific failure scenario
Recognition required Filled
- Desktop with a menu bar at the top and a dock of app icons at the bottom.
- Version shown in the system information window.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Inspect and identify a macOS installation using observations whose source, time and execution context are recorded.
- Evaluate a proposed application, extension or operating-system update against the installation and host constraints.
- Diagnose startup, login, service and resource problems using macOS-specific evidence.
- Adjust supported system settings and permissions when the acting agent has the required authority.
- Plan and execute authorised installation or update operations after checking prerequisites and disruption.
- Select and verify a recovery or migration procedure appropriate to the host, installation and available recovery material.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Unpatched versions are exploited by malware.
- Failed updates can leave a computer unbootable.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Single UNIX Specification, The Open Group, under which versions of the system have been certified.
Context of use required Filled
- This desktop operating system manages compatible personal computers and provides the environment in which applications run.
- It is encountered in personal, educational and professional computing for file management, communication, creative work and software development.
- Agents interact with its applications, command-line tools and system settings when performing authorised tasks or assessing compatibility and operational state.
Sources Filled
- macOS - Current product identity, supported Mac hardware, and the public name of the shipping desktop OS.
- macOS - Lineage from Mac OS X through OS X to macOS, Darwin/Unix basis, version chronology, and distinction from Classic Mac OS.
- macOS (Q14116) - Stable identifier, official website, developer, and same-as links used as a registry key.
- Apple Platform Security - Secure Boot, signed system volume, SIP, FileVault, and hardware-bound trust as the security model of current macOS.
Open questions
- Does the existing Vercy catalogue already contain a macOS or operating-system model that this registry entry should reference rather than duplicate?
- How should the registry's PHY / PHY.OBJ placement distinguish macOS as a software platform from a concrete installation and its physical host?
- Which official sources establish host compatibility, update eligibility and security-maintenance status for each release without assuming a fixed support window?
- Which security, approval and recovery mechanisms vary by Mac hardware generation, macOS release and virtualised execution context?
- What minimum evidence and freshness requirements should establish operational readiness and tested recoverability for the intended agent workflows?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q14116/spec.json