# Install mactop with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix Apple Silicon Monitor Top written in Go Lang. Version 2.1.5 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-14. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:mactop ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install mactop ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install mactop ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/mactop/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#mactop ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ma/mactop/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:mactop - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.1.5 - **Source summary:** Apple Silicon Monitor Top written in Go Lang - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-14T03:26:36Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - mactop (cli) - mactop (alias) ## Build dependencies - go ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Service: declared - Bottle: available on arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.1.5 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-14 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/metaspartan/mactop - Upstream latest detected: v2.1.5 (current) ## Project history and usage mactop is a terminal system monitor for Apple Silicon Macs. The project describes itself as a `top`-style monitor for real-time Apple Silicon CPU, GPU, ANE, DRAM, power, temperature, fan, process, and I/O metrics. ### Project history The tool is written in Go with CGO and uses native Apple APIs such as SMC, IOReport, IOKit, and IOHIDEventSystemClient. Its official README frames it as Apple Silicon only, requiring macOS Monterey 12.3 or later. ### Adoption history mactop became useful in the Apple Silicon era because many traditional Unix monitoring tools do not expose SoC-specific measurements such as efficiency and performance cores, GPU frequency, Neural Engine activity, and power telemetry. Its official repository shows Homebrew installation instructions and a public GitHub project with substantial stars and forks for a platform-specific system tool. ### How it is used Users normally run `mactop` interactively for a terminal UI. The README also documents flags for update interval, foreground and background colors, headless JSON output, output formats such as YAML and CSV, Prometheus metrics, and optional menu bar mode. ### Why package nerds care mactop matters to package and systems people because it fills a macOS-on-ARM observability gap from the command line. It is the kind of package developers install immediately after getting Apple Silicon hardware because it exposes metrics that `top`, `htop`, and cross-platform libraries often do not provide. ### Timeline - Public repository: Official Git tags start at v0.0.1. - Current README: Documents Homebrew installation, headless output, Prometheus metrics, menu bar mode, and support for all Apple Silicon models. ### Related projects - mactop is related to traditional terminal monitors such as top and htop, but targets Apple Silicon-specific telemetry through macOS native APIs. ### Sources - - source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** mactop - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Requirements:** arch, macos - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - mactop: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ma/mactop/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - MacPorts - mactop: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/mactop/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Language runtime packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/language-runtime-packages/) - Matched language runtime, compiler, or interpreter metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [go](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [asitop](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/asitop/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: apple-silicon, cli, macos, monitoring, system. - [devcockpit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/devcockpit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: apple-silicon, cli, macos, monitoring, system. - [macmon](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/macmon/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: apple-silicon, cli, macos, monitoring, system. - [collectd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/collectd/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, monitoring, system. - [ctop](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ctop/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, monitoring, system. - [duf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/duf/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, monitoring, system. - [dwatch](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dwatch/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, monitoring, system. - [gotop](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gotop/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, monitoring, system. - [m1ddc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/m1ddc/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: apple, apple-silicon, cli, macos, silicon. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/mactop.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/mactop.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph