Running software automatically using launchd — by Howard Oakley (Eclectic Light Company)

intermediatepageLink only (©)

Explains that launchd, driven by launchctl and property list files in the LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons folders, is the macOS way to run things automatically, with cron deprecated. Key plist keys: ProgramArguments, RunAtLoad and StartInterval (seconds).

Quick steps

Set ProgramArguments to the program
Use StartInterval for a repeat interval in seconds

Paraphrased from the source. Menus can differ by version, so check the original for full details.

Read the full article on eclecticlight.co

Source: Running software automatically using launchd by Howard Oakley (Eclectic Light Company). Licence: Link only (©).

Source reviewed: 2026-11-02
Link checked: 2026-11-02
Tested hands-on: Not by Oddbyte.Me

launchdlaunchagentmacosscheduling

More in Scheduling (Task Scheduler, launchd, cron)

Jack of all tasks: launchd, and how to run periodic tasks — by Howard Oakley (Eclectic Light Company)

intermediatepage

Older but useful explanation of launchd replacing cron on the Mac, the five folders where launch plists live, and the difference that agents can interact with the user session while daemons cannot. Suggests checking for legacy crontabs and mentions the Lingon X editor.

LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons: Closing the vulnerability — by Howard Oakley (Eclectic Light Company)

intermediatepage

Security-focused look at the LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons folders: where they are, which are SIP-protected under /System/Library and which are not, and why malware uses them to persist. Useful for knowing which launch folders to audit.

Run bash (.sh) via launchd using a plist in /Library/LaunchAgents — by VikingOSX and etresoft on Apple Community

intermediateforum

VikingOSX shows a working LaunchAgent for a shell script: plist in ~/Library/LaunchAgents with 644 permissions, Label, RunAtLoad, StartInterval and full paths only. The original poster got theirs working after moving the script out of ~/Documents, and etresoft points to privacy permissions instead, noting shell scripts silently fail without Full Disk Access.