Tag

Automatically tag your folders by Git status
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Download for macOS
~ Compatible with macOS 15 and later. ~

Tag is a macOS app that applies Finder tags to folders based on their Git status.

• Automatically keeps tags up to date in the background ⏱️
• Customize Tag colors and names 🏷️
• Display Git origin as a comment ☁️
• Customize the sync schedule 🔄
• Selectively enable or disable different types of tags ⚙️

How it works

You select one or more “root” folders (for example ~/projects). Tag scans each direct child folder. When a non-repo child contains immediate child Git repositories, Tag marks the parent as “Multiple Git Repos” and scans those immediate children too.

For scanned folders, it:

• Detects whether the folder is a Git repo
• Checks for uncommitted changes and unpushed commits
• Applies a configurable Finder tag (name + color)
• Optionally writes owner/repo as the Finder comment (requires macOS Automation permission for Finder)

Build & Test

• Open tag.xcodeproj in Xcode and run the tag scheme.
• Or use the Makefile:
  • make build
  • make test
  • make test-integration

For CI runners (or local machines without signing set up), disable code signing:

• make test CI=1
• make test-integration CI=1

Permissions

• Finder Automation: needed if “Write Finder comment from git origin” is enabled.
• Terminal Automation: only needed if you use “Open in Terminal”.

macOS will prompt the first time; you can manage this in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation.

Background Scheduler (LaunchAgent)

Tag can install a per-user LaunchAgent to run periodic scans (default: every 5 minutes). The scheduler runs the app executable with --run-once and persists scan results so the UI can show the most recent scan on next launch.

The LaunchAgent and logs live under your home directory:

• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
• ~/Library/Logs/

Data & Privacy

What’s stored locally (and where)

Per-user config + scan state:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.monotonic.tag/config.json (selected roots, tag settings, schedule, etc.)
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.monotonic.tag/scan-history.json (last scan results/statuses; may include derived owner/repo strings from git remotes for display)
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.monotonic.tag/scan-progress.json (in-progress scan status)

If you enable the background scheduler (LaunchAgent), it also writes:

• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.monotonic.tag.scheduler.plist
• ~/Library/Logs/com.monotonic.tag/scheduler.out.log
• ~/Library/Logs/com.monotonic.tag/scheduler.err.log

On the folders you scan, Tag modifies Finder metadata (Finder tags and optionally Finder comments).

Network & Tracking

No tracking: Tag does not collect analytics/telemetry.

No network: Tag does not make outbound network requests (no HTTP clients or webviews). The only external commands it runs are local binaries like git (to read repo status) and launchctl (to manage the optional LaunchAgent).

Sandbox

Tag is currently not sandboxed (ENABLE_APP_SANDBOX = NO in tag.xcodeproj). Tag is designed to only operate on folders you explicitly select, but you should treat it like any other non-sandboxed desktop app (review the source, build it yourself, etc).