Developing privacycommand

privacycommand is Swift: a SwiftUI app over a pure-Swift analyzer library, plus a privileged helper, a CLI, and an agent that runs inside a VM.

The layout

Target	Path	Role
`privacycommandCore`	`Sources/privacycommandCore/`	The analyzer. No SwiftUI and no window, so it runs from the CLI, the tests, the GUI and the helper alike
`privacycommand`	`Sources/privacycommand/`	The SwiftUI app — views and view-models only
`privacycommandHelper`	the `privacycommandHelper` directory	Privileged XPC service, installed via `SMAppService.daemon`
`privacycommandGuestProtocol`	`Sources/privacycommandGuestProtocol/`	Wire format shared by host and guest. Zero dependencies, so the agent builds without compiling Core
`privacycommandGuestAgent`	`Sources/privacycommandGuestAgent/`	The `privacycommand-guest` daemon that runs inside a VM
`auditctl` / `auditctlKit`	`Sources/auditctl*/`	The CLI, and the smallest end-to-end exercise of the analyzer

The split is deliberate: a change to the analyzer can be tested with swift test in seconds rather than by launching a GUI. The whole analysis half of Core has no UI dependency at all. Three files under Monitoring/ do import AppKit behind #if canImport(AppKit) — DynamicMonitor launches the inspected bundle via NSWorkspace, LiveProbeMonitor polls NSPasteboard.general.changeCount, and VMHostDetection drives the VM front-ends. Those are on the dynamic path and can’t do their jobs without it. If you’re adding a detector under Analysis/, keep it free of both.

There is a second, stale copy of the helper sources under Sources/privacycommandHelper/. The Xcode project builds the top-level privacycommandHelper directory — that’s the one that ships. Check which you are editing.

Where to start

A new detector — Contributing has the contract, including the Knowledge Base entry that has to come with it.
How the pieces fit — Architecture.
VM mode internals — Guest agent.
Getting it building — Build from source.

Tests

cd privacycommand
swift test

Run this before opening a PR. The Xcode project also carries an XCTest bundle for the app target (⌘U).

Build privacycommand

How it works

The layout

Where to start

Tests

​The layout

​Where to start

​Tests

The layout

Where to start

Tests