Version 0.1.0 for macOS
Swoop is a native Mac download manager with a Rust engine underneath. It splits files into adaptive segments, handles torrents, streams and schedules, and keeps every byte of your data on your Mac.
v0.1.0 · Universal: Apple silicon and Intel · macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Features
Each file is split into segments that steal work from one another. Swoop keeps an extra connection only when it earns at least a 15% gain, backs off the moment a server answers 429, 503 or Retry-After, and splits slow tails at the end so the last few percent don’t crawl.
HTTP and HTTPS with resume and mirrors, FTP and FTPS, BitTorrent and magnet links, Metalink, and HLS streams without DRM.
Queues with their own folder, concurrency and order. Schedule windows for nights and weekends, optionally only on power or unmetered Wi‑Fi.
Limits apply globally, per queue and per download, and change live.
Rules pick the category, folder, queue and tags as a download is added. When it finishes, move it, tag it in Finder, notify you or call a webhook.
Crawl a page and the pages it links to, within the depth and scope you set, and pick the files worth keeping. It respects robots.txt.
An extension for Chrome, Edge, Brave and Firefox hands matching downloads to Swoop, adds “Download with Swoop” menus and spots media on the page.
Pair a phone or another computer with a one-time code, then add and manage downloads from the built-in web app over TLS.
Progress is checkpointed only after data is safely on disk. After a crash or restart, Swoop checks each download against what’s on disk and picks up where it left off.
No accounts, no analytics, no telemetry. Swoop talks to the sites you download from and the devices you pair, and nothing else. Passwords and tokens live in your Keychain.
0bytes of telemetry
A closer look
Every screen follows the system: light and dark, SF typography, translucent glass and a menu bar extra.
Dashboard
Live download and upload throughput, the current speed mode, what’s active, queued and done today, and twelve weeks of activity, in one calm view.
Downloads and Inspector
Filter by state, then open the inspector for speed, ETA, connections, source and destination. When something fails, Swoop says why and retries without throwing away what it already has.
Torrents
Open a .torrent file or a magnet link and choose which files you want. Swoop handles the swarm and shows you peers, trackers and the piece map when you ask.
Scheduler
Create download windows for nights, weekends and quiet hours, then attach them to a queue or to individual downloads. Actions can run when a window opens or closes.
Site Grabber
Swoop follows links as deep as you allow, gathers every downloadable file it finds, and lets you pick what to keep before anything is downloaded.
Settings
Sort files by type into their own folders, set speed modes and how much runs at once, and decide which devices can reach Swoop. Every option lives in one familiar window.
Browser extension
One extension for Chrome, Edge, Brave and Firefox passes downloads straight to Swoop, with the cookies and referrer the site expects.
Store listings are on the way. Until then, build the extension from the repository and load it unpacked; the setup guide covers each browser. Open Swoop once and it connects to the extension automatically.
Remote and headless
The engine behind the app also runs on its own, on a Linux box, a NAS or in Docker, with the same CLI, API and web app.
Swoop shows a one-time code and a QR code carrying its certificate fingerprint. Codes expire after two minutes and work once.
ABCDEFGH
Open the engine’s address in any browser for a light, fast remote UI. Each device gets its own token and permissions: read, add, control or admin.
Add, list, pause, watch, change modes and export history. JSON output and documented exit codes make it easy to script.
# Add a file with eight connections
swoop add https://example.com/file.zip --dir ~/Downloads --connections 8
# Add a magnet link without starting it
swoop add 'magnet:?xt=urn:btih:…' --paused
# Watch progress live, then ease off the network
swoop watch
swoop mode balanced
# Print a pairing code and QR code for a new device
swoop pair# Run the full engine with no app, plus the TLS remote listener
swoop server --remote 0.0.0.0:41780 --download-dir ~/Downloads
# From another shell on the same machine
swoop status
swoop list --json
# From a paired workstation
swoop --url https://nas.local:41780 --token "$SWOOP_TOKEN" list# docker/compose.yaml (excerpt)
services:
swoop:
build:
context: ..
dockerfile: Dockerfile
container_name: swoop
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "41780:41780"
volumes:
- swoop-data:/data
- swoop-downloads:/downloads
environment:
SWOOP_DATA_DIR: /data
volumes:
swoop-data:
swoop-downloads:docker compose -f docker/compose.yaml up -d --build
The Docker image is built from source; there’s no published image yet. It runs as a non-root user and serves the remote API and web app on port 41780.
Security and privacy
A download manager handles untrusted files, hostile servers and your passwords. Here’s what Swoop guarantees in code.
No accounts and no analytics. Nothing leaves your Mac except requests to the sources you download from and, if you choose, to devices you pair.
Site logins and tokens are stored in the macOS Keychain. The database holds only names and token hashes, and every log line is redacted.
Server-supplied names are sanitised and path tricks refused. Folders like ~/.ssh and LaunchAgents are off-limits, and finished files are quarantined by macOS.
When enabled, connections use TLS with a certificate unique to your Mac. Device tokens are scoped, hashed, expiring and revocable, and failed pairing attempts lock out.
Automations that run commands, shell or AppleScript need approval given in the Mac app. Remote devices and imported settings can’t grant it.
A public site can’t redirect Swoop to a local or private address. TLS 1.2 is the minimum, and certificate exceptions are opt-in, per host.
FAQ
A Mac running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. The app is a universal build, so it runs natively on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
Yes. Version 0.1.0 is ad-hoc signed and not yet notarised by Apple, so Gatekeeper blocks it the first time. To open it:
If you prefer Terminal, xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Swoop.app does the same thing. Because each ad-hoc build has a new identity, macOS may ask for Keychain or automation permissions again after you update.
No. There are no accounts, analytics or telemetry. Swoop only connects to the addresses you ask it to download from, and to devices you pair yourself.
Chrome, Edge, Brave and Firefox. It isn’t in the browser stores yet, so for now you build it from the repository and load it unpacked. Open Swoop once and it connects on its own, with nothing to paste. There’s no Safari version.
The Mac app needs macOS, but the engine, CLI and web app run headless on Linux or in Docker with swoop server. Pair your phone or laptop to control it remotely.
No. Swoop downloads HLS streams without DRM and refuses encrypted formats such as FairPlay and Widevine. Live streams and DASH aren’t supported yet.
Download the latest release from GitHub and replace the app in your Applications folder. Your downloads, queues and settings are kept.
Yes. Swoop is available under your choice of the MIT or Apache 2.0 licence. The source, docs and issue tracker are on GitHub.
Free and open source. Universal for Apple silicon and Intel, macOS 14 or later.