applock

protect any macOS app behind Touch ID 🔐

Table of Contents

About
Install
Usage
Roadmap
Tools used
Contact

About

Gate any .app behind biometric auth - not just apps that natively support Touch ID.

you type: applock Signal
           ↓
Touch ID prompt appears
           ↓
✓ authenticated → app opens
✗ failed → app stays closed

Use cases:

• Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram behind biometrics
• Password managers (1Password, Bitwarden)
• Banking apps, crypto wallets
• Anything you want locked

Install

brew tap vdutts7/tap
brew install applock

From source (optional)

git clone https://github.com/vdutts7/applock-macos.git
cd applock-macos
make install

Prebuilt universal binary (Intel + Apple Silicon) included in bin/. No Xcode required.

# Requires Xcode
make build

# Or manually
swiftc -O -o applock Sources/applock.swift

# Option 1: Reinstall Command Line Tools
sudo rm -rf /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools
xcode-select --install

# Option 2: Point to Xcode SDK
sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

Usage

# Basic
applock /Applications/Signal.app

# With custom prompt
applock /Applications/Signal.app "Unlock Signal"

# Shell alias (add to .zshrc)
alias signal="applock /Applications/Signal.app"

Roadmap

• Touch ID biometric authentication
• Universal binary (Intel + Apple Silicon)
• Homebrew formula
• Config file for protected apps list
• Menubar app for quick access
• Auto-lock after timeout

Tools Used

Contact