Arkiv

A native macOS archive manager in early development. ARKIV_SPEC.md is the authoritative implementation specification.

The first foundation contains an AppKit archive table, folder navigation, search, multi-selection, selected/all extraction into a new directory, progress/cancellation, and a reusable Swift engine backed by system libarchive. It does not require users to install an external compressor.

Validation: macOS CI runs engine/security fixtures, Swift/AppKit tests, branding checks, arm64 and Universal app verification, and mounted DMG verification. Interactive Finder discovery, UI/accessibility, and Gatekeeper behavior still require a real Mac; this is not a production release.

Fixture-verified on Linux and macOS CI: stored/Deflate ZIP, TAR, one basic 7z and one stored RAR5. This is not blanket codec/encryption/multipart support. Creation, modification, passwords, preview/open, Quick Look, drag/drop and advanced tools are not implemented yet.

Download for Mac testing

Open the macOS foundation Actions page, sign in, and choose a successful main run with DMG artifacts. Download Arkiv-arm64-development-dmg for Apple Silicon or Arkiv-universal-development-dmg for Intel/Apple Silicon. Unzip GitHub's artifact wrapper, open the enclosed Arkiv-…-development.dmg, and drag Arkiv.app to the Applications shortcut. Eject the Arkiv volume and launch the installed app from Applications.

These are development builds: the app is ad-hoc signed, the DMG is unsigned, and neither is notarized. Gatekeeper may block first launch with an Apple-could-not-verify/unidentified-developer warning. If you trust this build, attempt launch, then use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway for Arkiv. See exact artifact names, checksums, installation and Gatekeeper details. No GitHub Release is published.

Develop on macOS

swift test
scripts/test-engine.sh
scripts/build-app.sh
scripts/build-dmg.sh
open build/Arkiv-arm64-development.dmg

Xcode command-line tools with Swift 5.9+; macOS 13+. App bundle defaults to arm64. Python 3 is needed only for developer fixture tests. No runtime Homebrew dependencies. See release/build details.

The repository is already isolated in Codex cloud tasks; reuse its checkout and do not create a worktree unless requested. Linux can test ArkivCore/CArkiv with Swift plus the system libarchive library, but cannot validate AppKit or produce Arkiv.app.

• Architecture
• Format evidence and backend research
• Feature matrix
• Security and known limits
• Finder integration
• Original icon direction
• Third-party notices

Next: confirm/fix macOS CI and real-Mac browser behavior, then implement owned preview workspaces, single-entry Open/Quick Look and TAR creation with round-trip tests. ZIP creation is implemented. Complete those Priority A slices before encryption or modification.

Finder extraction

Right-click one ZIP or uncompressed TAR archive → Services for Open in Arkiv, Extract Here with Arkiv, Extract to Folder with Arkiv, or Extract To… with Arkiv. Enable these under System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Services if needed. Extraction never overwrites or merges existing items. Services support single-archive extraction; creation is available through the direct Finder menu or File → Create Archive…. See Finder setup, limitations, and test steps.

Development self-updates

Arkiv integrates Sparkle 2 with Arkiv → Check for Updates… and optional background checks. One manual installation of a build containing your configured public key is required. Subsequent development updates use a signed Universal ZIP and signed GitHub prerelease feed. See updater setup and testing for the one-time EdDSA key/Actions secret setup. Builds remain ad-hoc signed and not notarized; keyless builds clearly report that updates are not configured.

Direct Finder menu

Use the first-run Finder setup, or Arkiv → Finder Integration…, for a direct Arkiv submenu when right-clicking one ZIP or uncompressed TAR in your home folder. Actions include Open, Extract Here, Extract to an archive-named folder, and Extract To. Extraction requests execute directly after validation; Extract To retains its destination chooser. The custom-URL trust tradeoff is documented in Finder integration. Services remain the fallback outside this scope. See Finder Sync setup and real-Mac tests.

Finder setup shows the manual macOS Settings path and refreshes enabled status when you return. Not Now is remembered; setup remains available from the menu.

ZIP creation

Select files/folders in Finder for Add to Archive… or direct Compress to ZIP. The File menu also offers Create Archive…. Store/Deflate, mixed selections, nested/empty folders, Unicode, progress and cancellation are supported with transactional no-overwrite publication. Password and 7z creation remain unavailable. See creation behavior, safety and real-Mac tests.