macOS Backup Automation Kit

QuickStart

1. Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/Dfernandes9/macos-backup-automation-kit.git
cd macos-backup-automation-kit

2. Copy the sample configuration file and edit it:

cp config.sample.json config.json
nano config.json

3. Make scripts executable:

chmod +x time_machine_backup.sh icloud_consolidate.sh imazing_backup.sh verify_backup.sh run_backup.sh

4. Run the backup pipeline:

./run_backup.sh config.json

• time_machine_backup.sh uses tmutil to enable Time Machine and start a backup.
• icloud_consolidate.sh consolidates iCloud Drive to a local directory using rsync.
• imazing_backup.sh runs iMazing CLI backups for connected devices.
• verify_backup.sh checks that the backups exist.

Scheduling Backups with launchd

1. Edit com.macos.backupautomation.plist to set the correct paths and copy it to ~/Library/LaunchAgents/.
2. Load the agent:

launchctl bootstrap gui/$(id -u) ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macos.backupautomation.plist
launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/com.macos.backupautomation

Troubleshooting

• Time Machine: ensure the destination volume is writable and has enough space.
• iCloud consolidation: only downloaded files are copied. Make sure the files are local in Finder before running.
• iMazing CLI not found: install iMazing and ensure the CLI is in your PATH.
• Permissions: use chmod +x on scripts; ensure you have read/write access to backup destinations.
• launchd not running: use launchctl list | grep backupautomation to see status and reload the agent if necessary.

Rollback / Restore

• Use Time Machine UI or Finder to restore files from your Time Machine backups.
• To restore iCloud data, copy files from the iCloud backup destination back to ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs.
• To restore iMazing backups, open iMazing and restore from the specified backup directory.

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This automation kit combines traditional Time Machine backups with consolidation of iCloud Drive and iOS backups. It's direct, simple and ready for future expansion.