install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install batt

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

Control and limit battery charging on Apple Silicon MacBooks

Project links

Commands and aliases

batt

history

Project history and usage

batt is a macOS utility for controlling and limiting battery charging on Apple Silicon MacBooks, available as a command-line daemon/client and a native menu-bar app.

Project history

The README states the maintainer created batt because existing tools were unsatisfactory. It focuses on predictable charge limiting, with the common use case of stopping charge around a configured maximum such as 80 percent.

batt's design is intentionally daemon-based: the README compares it to docker, with a client sending requirements to a background daemon that performs the charging control.

By 2026, the README notes a changed platform landscape: macOS 26.4 and later supports native charge limiting from 80 to 100 percent, while batt remains useful on older macOS versions or when users want limits below 80 percent.

Adoption history

batt is Homebrew-packaged and its README documents `brew install batt` followed by running it as a brew service. It also offers an installation script and release binaries.

The repository page showed about 1.6k stars at enrichment time, reflecting a niche but visible Apple Silicon power-user audience.

How it is used

Typical CLI usage is to install the daemon, check status with `sudo batt status`, set an upper charge limit with commands such as `sudo batt limit 80`, disable the limit with `batt disable` or `batt limit 100`, and optionally control adapter power.

Advanced usage includes lower and upper charge bands, MagSafe LED control, idle/sleep handling, automatic calibration, scheduled calibration, and logs under `/tmp/batt.log`.

Why package nerds care

batt is interesting because it is a package-manager-distributed hardware-control tool that depends on private-feeling macOS power behavior and firmware compatibility rather than a stable cross-platform Unix API.

It also captures a packaging moment: before native macOS charge limits became broader, power users installed a daemon through Homebrew to get ThinkPad-style charge thresholds on Apple Silicon MacBooks.

Timeline

2025: v0.4.1 release highlights an experimental GUI and macOS Tahoe compatibility work.
2026: README update says macOS 26.4 adds native charge limiting, reducing batt's necessity for some users.
2026: v0.7.x releases include auto-calibration and scheduling work.

Related projects

The README links third-party GUI projects BattGUI and batt-helper.
macOS Optimized Battery Charging and macOS 26.4 native charge limiting are the platform features batt complements or replaces depending on OS version.

Sources

https://github.com/charlie0129/batt
https://github.com/charlie0129/batt/releases
source_facts.package-manager

security posture

Risk level: orange

formula declares a Homebrew service.

Risk classifier

orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure

Why

formula declares a Homebrew service

Signals

metadata:service

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Formula metadata declares a service or daemon block.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 3 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

macOS: /opt/homebrew/etc/batt.json/etc/batt*

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`batt`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-26

manager version0.8.0

manager updated2026-07-21

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/charlie0129/batt

infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/charlie0129/battnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:batt
Version	0.8.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/batt
Homepage	https://github.com/charlie0129/batt
Repository	https://github.com/charlie0129/batt
Upstream docs	https://github.com/charlie0129/batt#readme
License	GPL-2.0-only
Source archive	https://github.com/charlie0129/batt.git
Last updated	2026-07-21T07:10:34Z
Pulse	updated
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	declared
Caveats	The batt service must be running as root before most of batt's commands will work.

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	batt
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Requirements	arch macos
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/batt.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install batt with Homebrew