LetsMoveSwiftly

A lightweight Swift package that prompts users to move your macOS app to /Applications/ on first launch.

When macOS apps are launched from Downloads, Desktop, or a mounted DMG, App Translocation runs them from a randomized read-only path. This breaks auto-updates, file associations, and Spotlight indexing. LetsMoveSwiftly fixes this with a single line of code.

Installation

Add LetsMoveSwiftly to your Package.swift:

dependencies: [
    .package(url: "https://github.com/nicemohawk/lets-move-swiftly.git", from: "1.0.0"),
]

Then add it to your target:

.target(name: "MyApp", dependencies: ["LetsMoveSwiftly"]),

Or in Xcode: File > Add Package Dependencies... and enter https://github.com/nicemohawk/lets-move-swiftly.git.

Usage

SwiftUI

import LetsMoveSwiftly
import SwiftUI

@main
struct MyApp: App {
    init() {
        LetsMoveSwiftly.moveToApplicationsIfNecessary()
    }

    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup { ContentView() }
    }
}

AppKit

import LetsMoveSwiftly

class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
    func applicationWillFinishLaunching(_ notification: Notification) {
        LetsMoveSwiftly.moveToApplicationsIfNecessary()
    }
}

That's it. The call:

1. Returns immediately if the app is already in /Applications/, was installed from the Mac App Store, or the user previously chose "Don't Move"
2. Shows a native dialog with three options: Move to Applications, Not Now, and Don't Move
3. Handles the file move (or copy from a read-only DMG), replaces any existing copy, and relaunches from the new location

API

Method	Description
moveToApplicationsIfNecessary()	Main entry point. Call once at launch.
shouldOfferToMove(...)	Pure decision logic. All parameters are injectable for testing.
isInApplicationsFolder(_:)	Checks if a path is inside /Applications/ or ~/Applications/.
relocateBundle(from:to:...)	Moves or copies an app bundle to a destination directory.
dontAskAgainKey	The UserDefaults key for the "Don't Move" preference. Reset it to prompt again.

How It Works

• App Store detection: Checks if a valid App Store receipt file exists on disk. If so, the prompt is skipped entirely (the App Store handles placement).
• Move vs. copy: If the source directory is writable (ZIP extraction), the app is moved. If read-only (mounted DMG), it's copied.
• Existing app replacement: If a copy already exists in /Applications/, the user is asked to confirm before replacing.
• Relaunch: After moving, the app launches from its new location and the old process terminates.

Requirements

• macOS 13.0+ (Ventura)
• Swift 5.9+
• Xcode 15+

Acknowledgments

Inspired by LetsMove (public domain, Objective-C) and AppMover (Swift). Both libraries implemented this pattern but lack Swift Package Manager support. LetsMoveSwiftly is a simple, modern reimplementation built for SPM from the start.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines. Moar PRs plz.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.