Keelhaven

What is Keelhaven

Keelhaven is a macOS app distributed through a small shell installer and a Homebrew cask. The installer script is hosted at https://keelhaven.app/install.sh and is intended to fetch the newest release, mount the DMG, copy Keelhaven.app into /Applications, and launch it. The script text also shows that the app runs in the menu bar, so this is a desktop utility rather than a browser tool.

The installer is designed to work with what ships on macOS already. It uses standard macOS command-line tools such as curl, hdiutil, ditto, open, and xattr, and it only writes to /Applications/Keelhaven.app. If the site mirror is unavailable, it can fall back to the matching GitHub release for the latest DMG.

Key features

• Latest-release installation: the script reads a small JSON manifest at https://keelhaven.app/latest.json to find the current DMG download URL.
• GitHub fallback: if the mirror cannot be reached, it looks up the newest GitHub release from shenxianpeng/keelhaven.
• Mac-only install guard: the script checks uname -s and stops on anything other than Darwin.
• Simple app placement: it removes any existing /Applications/Keelhaven.app and replaces it with the freshly downloaded copy.
• Menu bar launch: after copying the app bundle, it opens the app so it starts running immediately.
• Quarantine cleanup for beta builds: the installer clears the com.apple.quarantine attribute after download, which matches the one-time approval flow mentioned in the site comments.
• Homebrew option: the page text mentions brew install --cask shenxianpeng/tap/keelhaven, which performs the same install path and supports upgrades.

How to use it

1. Open the installer page in a Mac browser or Terminal.
2. Run the shell command shown on the site:
   • curl -fsSL https://keelhaven.app/install.sh | bash
3. Wait for the script to fetch the DMG and mount it.
4. Let the installer copy Keelhaven.app into /Applications.
5. Launch the app automatically, or open it later from /Applications.
6. If you prefer package management, install the cask with Homebrew using the command referenced on the page.

Because the script is re-runnable, you can use the same install command again later to update to the latest release. The script also prints the installed version by reading CFBundleShortVersionString from the app bundle.

Who it is for

Keelhaven is for Mac users who want a lightweight way to install and update a menu bar app without manually hunting for release files. It fits people who are comfortable pasting a shell command into Terminal and those who prefer a Homebrew-based workflow.

It is also a reasonable fit for users who want:

• a direct installer with a visible DMG-to-Applications flow,
• a macOS-only app that stays in the menu bar,
• an installation path that can recover from the site mirror being offline by using GitHub releases,
• a clear single-file entry point rather than a complex package.

What to know before you use it

Keelhaven’s installer is intentionally narrow, and that comes with a few real limits. It only runs on macOS, so it will fail on Linux and Windows. The install script expects a DMG that contains Keelhaven.app; if that bundle is missing, the script exits with an error.

The site text indicates that beta builds are unnotarised, so macOS may treat the download as quarantined. The installer clears that flag, but you should still expect normal macOS security prompts during first launch if Apple’s checks apply to your system.

This listing can confirm the install mechanism, the macOS requirement, the use of /Applications, and the Homebrew cask name. It cannot verify the app’s runtime behavior beyond the installer comments, so for release notes, security details, or the exact current version, use the official site or the GitHub release page instead. If the mirror and GitHub release both fail, the script itself tells you to download the app from keelhaven.app directly.

Keelhaven is best understood as a macOS menu bar application with a focused installation workflow, not as a web app or cross-platform service. For the latest installer, version, and distribution details, rely on the official Keelhaven sources before you update.