How to Install and Manage the CurrentWare Agent on macOS (Cloud)

Estimated time: 15–20 minutes

Overview The CurrentWare macOS client lets you monitor and manage Mac computers right alongside your Windows fleet, all from the same CurrentWare Cloud portal. This guide walks you through downloading, installing, configuring, and managing the macOS agent.

Step 1: Confirm System Requirements

Before installing, make sure the target Mac meets the following:

• Operating System: Latest macOS
• Client Validation Settings: Use computer name only — found under Settings > Advanced Settings >  Client Connection Validations

Step 2: Download the macOS Client

From your CurrentWare portal, download the macOS Client files from Settings > Deploy Clients. 

In the early phases of our Cloud launch this may be grayed out. Please contact www.currentware.com/support or your CurrentWare contact to receive the installation package.

Step 3: Install the Package via Terminal (Recommended)

Open Terminal on the Mac and run:

sudo installer -pkg /Path/To/Package -target /

Then respond to the pop-up window:

1. Enter your Tenant ID (found in your customer portal) in the pop-up window.

Step 4: Alternative — Manual Installation (Double-Click)

If you'd rather install by double-clicking the package, macOS may block it until you grant permission:

1. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security.
2. Select Allow Anyway when prompted.
3. In the confirmation pop-up, click Open and proceed with the installation.
   
4. For the Tenant ID you can find this in the cmd line instructions from the Settings > deploy clients page.
   

Step 5: Configure the Server Connection

If you need to repoint the clients, or were unsure of your pointer during the installation, use the cwConfig utility any time you need to connect or redirect the agent to a server after installation.

Cloud:

sudo "/Library/Application Support/wcsystck/cwConfig" Admin <TenantID>

Alternatively, update the server IP/Endpoint and Port/Tenant ID directly in the installer script, then run:

sudo sh /Path/To/Installer

Step 6: Grant the Required macOS Permissions

CurrentWare needs three macOS permissions to run properly:

• Accessibility — needed by cwAgent for tracking user activity.
• Automation — needed by cwAgent to track browser-specific actions in Chrome, Safari, and Brave.
• Screen & System Audio Recording — needed by cwWorker to capture screenshots.

Accessibility and Automation can be pre-approved through your MDM, so your team never sees a prompt for those. Screen & System Audio Recording is the one exception - and that's Apple's doing, not CurrentWare's. Apple built macOS so that no software, from any vendor, can silently turn on screen capture without the person at the keyboard clicking Allow at least once. It's a hard OS-level rule that can't be engineered around. In practice, the agent installs silently, and the first time it runs, the user sees one system prompt and clicks Allow - everything after that is invisible.

Step 7: Verify the Installation

Confirm the client installed correctly by checking its version:

pkgutil --pkg-info com.currentware.suite

Step 8: Locate Log Files

If you ever need to troubleshoot, the agent logs live here (replace <username> with the Mac's username):

Step 9: Manage the CurrentWare Services

Use these commands to start or stop each service. Replace 501 with the Mac's actual user ID (run id -u to find it).

cwClient (system daemon):

sudo launchctl bootstrap system /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.wcsystck.cwClient.plist   # Start
sudo launchctl bootout system /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.wcsystck.cwClient.plist     # Stop

cwAgent (user agent):

launchctl bootstrap gui/501 /Library/LaunchAgents/com.wcsystck.cwAgent.plist   # Start
launchctl bootout gui/501 /Library/LaunchAgents/com.wcsystck.cwAgent.plist     # Stop

cwWorker (user agent):

launchctl bootstrap gui/501 /Library/LaunchAgents/com.wcsystck.cwWorker.plist   # Start
launchctl bootout gui/501 /Library/LaunchAgents/com.wcsystck.cwWorker.plist     # Stop

Step 10: Uninstalling the Client

To remove the client, double-click cwUninstall.pkg.

If you need to do a clean reinstall instead, run:

sudo sh /Users/cw_tech/Downloads/uninstall.sh Package/Demo/scripts/uninstall.sh
sudo installer -pkg /Users/cw_tech/Downloads/CurrentWareSuite.pkg Project/Demo1/CurrentWareSuite.pkg -target /

Then re-apply your server configuration (see Step 5).

✅ You're all set! The CurrentWare macOS client is installed and reporting into your portal. Our support team is here to help — reach out anytime if you run into issues.