FAQs

I'll try to assemble some of the most common questions relating to this tool here.

Why is the installer not downloading?

This tool requires a good network connection since you are downloading a full macOS installer which are over 10 GB in size. Poor Internet connection with interruptions may result in failure. This is generally visible in the output of curl.

The installer downloads but then something fails. Why?

Also, are you running any security software? There have been reports that tools such as CrowdStrike and Microsoft Defender are blocking the construction of the installer from the downloaded components. If this happens, you could try the --fetch-full-installer option which uses Apple's softwareupdate command to obtain the installer.

Can Content Caching help obtain the installer faster?

Downloads using the default method are not stored in Content Caching. I've had opposing reports that the installers obtained with the --fetch-full-installer option are cached in a Content Caching server, or are not! I have not been able to test this myself.