abcli

abcli

abcli is Apple Business command-line and desktop tooling from Gigaion, LLC. It ships two tools: abctl, the GitOps/imperative CLI, and abgui, a native macOS app that drives the same engine.

abctl keeps your organization's built-in-MDM Configurations (custom .mobileconfig profiles) and full Blueprint membership — configurations, apps, packages, devices, users, and groups — in sync with a git-declarative desired state — read-only by default, every write gated, with an archive-on-overwrite audit trail. It also gives deep read-only inspection of the whole tenant (device detail + AppleCare, built-in-MDM enrollment posture, users/roles, status device <serial>) and gated device→MDM-server assignment. abgui is a native SwiftUI desktop app that bundles and shells out to abctl.

Status: pre-1.0. Auth + read + plan are live-verified. Config CRUD and blueprint config-membership GitOps are built, unit-tested, and their core write operations verified live against a production Apple Business tenant. The Apple API v2.0/v2.1 surface (detail reads, posture, blueprint lifecycle + all six membership collections, device assignment, MDM-server lifecycle) is built + unit-tested; its write verbs await first live runs. The abgui desktop app (dashboard · browse + inspectors · diff/drift · gated apply · archive rollback) is built and CI-green on macOS. See HANDOFF.md for exact state and TODO.md for the roadmap.

Tools

Why abctl

Apple Business's built-in MDM has no batch/declarative API — only per-resource POST/PATCH/DELETE. abctl is the reconcile engine: it diffs your git desired state against the live tenant and converges them, so your MDM profiles and blueprint membership live in version control like any other infrastructure.

• Read-only by default. Every mutating operation is gated behind --apply + an interactive confirm.
• Bidirectional, newest-wins. Edit in git or the Apple Business console; sync reconciles both, with the more-recently-changed side winning a conflict.
• Archive-on-overwrite. Before overwriting or deleting any live config, abctl downloads and files the current version to gitops/archive/ — a permanent, greppable record of everything ever replaced.
• Exact drift detection. Apple stores custom profiles byte-for-byte (verified live), so drift is a plain SHA-256 of the profile XML.
• Safe blueprint GitOps. Declare which profiles — and optionally which apps, packages, devices, users, and groups — each Blueprint carries; abctl attaches/detaches to match (detach gated behind --prune), creates git-only blueprints (members ride inside the create POST), leaves any collection you don't declare untouched, and never deletes a blueprint from GitOps.
• Whole-tenant visibility. get device <serial> (assigned MDM server + --applecare coverage), get mdmdevices (built-in-MDM enrollment posture: FileVault, firewall, last check-in, storage, lock), get user|usergroup|app|package|mdmserver detail, get blueprint with all six member collections resolved to names, status device <serial> (which blueprints/configs apply to this machine), and -o csv on every list.
• Deployment plumbing, gated. assign|unassign --server (bulk device→MDM assignment with --wait activity polling), blueprint + MDM-server lifecycle commands — same confirm gates as every other write.
• Enterprise-grade engineering. Cobra CLI, AGPL-3.0-or-later, race-tested unit + httptest suite, golangci-lint clean, gated live integration tests, and a Makefile — Linux/macOS CI.

abgui — native macOS app

abgui puts a native Swift / SwiftUI control plane on top of abctl. It ships as one self-contained .app with a universal abctl embedded inside it (no separate install, no PATH), reuses your abctl connection contexts, and re-implements none of the API — it shells out to the embedded CLI, decodes its JSON, and renders it.

• Connect from the GUI (no shell needed): a Settings window (⌘,) to enter your Apple Business API Client ID + EC private key (paste the PEM or point at a .pem) and save it as an abctl context — so a Finder-launched app that inherits no AB_* environment still authenticates. The key is stored 0600 and handed to abctl as a file path (never on argv/logs); switch tenants from the same picker. Credentials live outside the app bundle — the context in ~/.abctl/contexts.yaml and a pasted key under ~/Library/Application Support/abgui/keys/ — so they survive app updates (replacing abgui.app doesn't touch them). Only actively deleting those files, or an uninstaller that does, removes them.
• Browse — read-only where the API is: Configurations & Blueprints, plus clearly-badged read-only views of Devices, Enrolled Devices (built-in-MDM posture: FileVault, firewall, last check-in), Users (with roles), User Groups, Apps (catalog), Packages, MDM Servers, and the audit log — grouped in the sidebar as GitOps vs Read-only, under a Dashboard of click-through stat tiles. Every list has search, column sort, and CSV export; every entity opens a labeled detail sheet (device → assigned MDM server, opt-in AppleCare coverage, and which blueprints/configs apply; user → roles + HR fields; group → members; blueprint → all six member collections) with a raw-JSON fallback. (The separate VPP content-token Apps & Books screen is disabled — see the built-in-MDM note below.)
• The GitOps hero: a visual 3-way diff / drift view and a gated sync --apply. abgui defaults to Git source-of-truth with deletes/detaches enabled, uses smart Apple refresh by default, and exposes --prune, --limit-writes, refresh mode, and verification mode in the apply sheet.
• Write, gated: create / edit / delete configs, attach / detach blueprint membership, and multi-select device Assign/Unassign to an MDM server (with activity-status check) — each behind an in-app confirm (abctl is still invoked with its own --yes gate and archive-on-overwrite).
• Archive / rollback: browse every pre-overwrite live version abctl archived and restore one in a click.
• Mac distribution: local builds are ad-hoc signed; tagged GitHub releases can be Developer ID-signed and notarized when the Apple signing secrets are configured. Build it with make gui-app (macOS 14+).

See abgui/README.md and the design plan in docs/abgui-design.md.

The image above is a UI preview. abgui is macOS-only and builds on a macOS runner.

Install & build

Requires Go 1.26+ (the race-tested suite needs a C compiler / CGO).

make build          # → bin/abctl (version injected via ldflags)
make test           # go test -race ./...
make lint           # golangci-lint
./bin/abctl --help

No production credentials are needed to build or test — the unit suite mocks the API with httptest.

Prerequisites (Apple Business)

1. Enable built-in ("Included") MDM for your organization in Apple Business → Settings. Without it, every /configurations and /blueprints request returns 403 INCLUDED_MDM_NOT_ENABLED — this is an org capability toggle, not a key permission (verified live).
2. Create an API account: Apple Business → Settings → Integrations → API → create an account and download the private key once (it cannot be re-downloaded). SEC1 or PKCS#8 EC P-256 both work.
3. If the account was migrated from ABM/Essentials, grant it Manage Blueprints + Create/edit device configurations and regenerate the key (otherwise 403).

Users and user groups are read-only via the API (create/edit only in the console or via federation/SCIM). abctl never writes identity.

Configure

Copy the template to a gitignored .env and fill it in:

cp .env.example .env

AB_CLIENT_ID=BUSINESSAPI.<uuid>
AB_PRIVATE_KEY=secrets/key.pem     # unencrypted EC P-256 — SEC1 or PKCS#8, abctl reads either

There is no Key ID: the client-assertion JWT deliberately omits kid (a kid → 400 invalid_client), and aud is the /v2/token form — both handled for you. Verify with:

abctl auth whoami

Quick start (the GitOps loop)

abctl seed                 # 1. download the live tenant → gitops/ tree + committed baseline
git add gitops/            #    review, then commit the tree as your source of truth
                           # 2. edit gitops/lib/**/*.mobileconfig and gitops/blueprints/*.yml in git
abctl diff                 # 3. see the 3-way plan (configs + blueprint membership); no writes
abctl sync                 # 4. same plan (dry-run is the default) — nothing is written
abctl sync --apply         # 5. execute it: archive-before-overwrite, confirm before any write

sync --apply runs in two phases — configs first (create/update/pull/delete), then blueprint membership (so a profile created in step 5 can be attached in the same run). It asks you to type yes before touching the tenant unless --yes (or $ABCTL_APPROVE=1 for CI) is set.

For a one-way GitOps converge where the repo is authoritative, use:

abctl diff --git-source-of-truth
abctl sync --apply --git-source-of-truth --prune

--git-source-of-truth means live-only Apple configs are deleted instead of pulled into git; on apply it implies prune in the engine, and spelling --prune keeps the intent obvious. The default live-read behavior is --refresh=smart: abctl performs a cheap Apple metadata list, reuses cached profile hashes when the Apple ID and updatedDateTime match the committed baseline, and fetches profile XML only when comparison, pulling, pruning, or archive-before-overwrite safety requires it.

On-disk layout (gitops/)

gitops/
├── lib/…/<name>.mobileconfig         # CUSTOM_SETTING profiles — the desired state, one file per config
├── blueprints/<slug>.yml             # per-blueprint: name, id, and its list of attached config names
├── state/sync-state.json             # COMMITTED baseline: name → {id, hash, updatedDateTime}
└── archive/<name>/<UTC-ts>--<reason>.mobileconfig (+ .json sidecar)   # pre-overwrite live versions

The tree is gitignored by default (seeded profiles can carry secrets); un-ignore it deliberately once you adopt it as your committed source of truth.

A blueprint manifest is just its desired config membership:

name: Sales Team
id: 1c6f7213-236f-4f5b-837c-71acb16a0b9b
description: field sales macs
configurations:
  - wifi-corp.mobileconfig
  - vpn-always-on.mobileconfig

abctl attaches configs listed in git but not in ABM, and (only with --prune) detaches configs attached in ABM but removed from git. Blueprint create/delete and device/user/group membership are managed in the console; abctl reports but doesn't act on them.

Command reference

abctl has two modes — a GitOps engine and imperative commands — in one binary. Global flags: -o/--output table|json|yaml, --context <name> (see abctl context). Every write is gated (confirm unless --yes/$ABCTL_APPROVE); imperative writes also update the local gitops/ tree + baseline inline (--no-write-tree to skip). Full design: docs/imperative-cli.md.

# read
abctl auth whoami                                   # verify auth + reachability
abctl get configurations|blueprints|devices|audit   # + users|usergroups|apps|mdmservers  (--filter key=substr)
abctl get configuration <name|id> [--profile]       # show one (--profile dumps raw .mobileconfig XML)

# GitOps (declarative, whole-tree)
abctl seed                                          # live tenant → gitops/ tree + baseline
abctl validate                                      # validate lib/ profiles
abctl diff | sync [--exit-on-diff] [--refresh smart|full|metadata-only]
abctl sync --apply [--git-source-of-truth] [--prune] [--yes] [--limit-writes N] [--verify targeted|full|none]

# imperative (one resource at a time)
abctl create  config <name> -f profile.mobileconfig # POST a new CUSTOM_SETTING config
abctl replace config <name|id> -f profile.mobileconfig   # archive live, then PATCH
abctl edit    config <name|id>                      # fetch → $EDITOR → PATCH on save
abctl delete  config <name|id> [--yes]              # archive live, then DELETE
abctl apply -f a.yml [-f b.yml] [--dry-run]         # upsert abctl/v1 Configuration|Blueprint specs (bulk)
abctl attach|detach config <name> --blueprint <bp>  # add/remove a config from a blueprint
abctl attach|detach app <name|id> --blueprint <bp>  # built-in-MDM Apps & Books: assign an owned app to a blueprint
abctl pull [config <name>]                          # adopt a console edit into git (scoped seed)

# status (honest proxies — NOT on-device install verification)
abctl status config <name>                          # which blueprints carry it + devices targeted
abctl status audit [--since 24h --type … --actor …] # config/device change history

# contexts + escape hatch
abctl context set|use|get|list|current              # named-connection tenants (~/.abctl/contexts.yaml)
abctl api <path> [-X POST -F k=v --input body.json] # raw request (non-GET is gated)
abctl version | completion | help

Flags that matter: --apply (execute; default is dry-run) · --prune (allow deletes/detaches; off by default) · --yes / $ABCTL_APPROVE=1 (skip the confirm, for CI) · --limit-writes N (circuit breaker on tenant writes, shared across configs + blueprints) · --exit-on-diff (exit 3 when changes are pending — for PR gating).

Current sync controls also include --git-source-of-truth (treat gitops/ as authoritative), --refresh smart|full|metadata-only (smart is the default cheap-list/cache mode), and --verify targeted|full|none after apply (targeted is the default).

Exit codes: 0 ok · 1 error · 2 usage · 3 changes pending (with --exit-on-diff). Data → stdout, diagnostics → stderr; --json for machine output.

Safety model

• Read-only by default — diff and sync (no --apply) never write.
• Every write gated behind --apply + confirmation; --prune off by default (nothing is deleted or detached unless you ask).
• Archive-before-overwrite — a failed archive skips the write it protects, so the audit trail is never bypassed.
• Newest-wins conflicts compare the live updatedDateTime against the git file's commit time (else its mtime); an ambiguous case is skipped, never guessed.
• Never commit secrets — .env, secrets/, keys, tokens, and the generated gitops/ tree are all gitignored. See SECURITY.md.

CI/CD

Works on both GitHub and GitLab — .github/workflows/ and .gitlab-ci.yml drive the identical flow (abctl is CI-agnostic: reads AB_* from the environment, signals via exit codes). Full setup — including the GitLab job map — in docs/cicd.md.

CI runs build/vet/race-test on Linux + macOS, golangci-lint, and gated live integration tests (read-only + a strictly-gated write round-trip) that self-skip without secrets.

CD is three GitOps pipelines (also self-skipping); the GitHub workflows:

On GitLab the same three run as the plan / apply / drift jobs in .gitlab-ci.yml (MR / manual on a protected production environment / pipeline schedule). In CI either way, abctl reads config from the environment (AB_CLIENT_ID + AB_PRIVATE_KEY) — no .env needed.

Run it locally too. scripts/pipeline.sh drives the identical stages on your own machine — no CI required — so you can plan/apply/drift against the current branch by hand:

./scripts/pipeline.sh ci      # build + gofmt + vet + test (+ lint) — no secrets
./scripts/pipeline.sh plan    # READ-ONLY: what `apply` would change
./scripts/pipeline.sh drift   # READ-ONLY: exit 3 if git and the tenant diverge
./scripts/pipeline.sh apply   # LIVE, gated writes (--commit to mirror CI's baseline commit-back)

It's the same logic the workflows run, so local and CI never disagree.

Verified API facts (from live testing — trust these)

• Auth omits kid; aud = …/oauth2/v2/token; bearer TTL 60 min.
• Only CUSTOM_SETTING configs are API-writable; their profile XML is raw (not base64) and GET round-trips it byte-identically → drift = raw SHA-256. POST 201 / PATCH 200 / DELETE 204.
• The API validates uploads: a malformed profile (e.g. empty PayloadContent) → 400 PARAMETER_ERROR.
• A Blueprint create requires both a member (device/user/group) and content (app/package/config).
• Blueprint membership POST is additive (merges); DELETE-with-body removes a specific member — so abctl converges membership per-member.
• Users/userGroups are read-only via the API; built-in MDM must be enabled in the console.
• The API rate-limits hard — abctl backs off (Retry-After aware); avoid rapid loops.

Docs

• docs/design-abctl.md — architecture: bidirectional sync, newest-wins, archive-on-overwrite, blueprint membership.
• docs/cicd.md — the GitOps CI/CD pipelines (plan / apply / drift) and how to set them up.
• docs/imperative-cli.md — design + roadmap for the imperative CLI + signed binary release.
• docs/abgui-design.md — the abgui (native macOS GUI) design plan.
• docs/vpp-design.md — Apps & Books (VPP) — verified App-and-Book-Management-API-v2 reference + plan.
• abgui/README.md — the desktop app: scope, layout, and how to build / run it.
• docs/auth.md + docs/endpoints/ — the live-verified Apple Business API reference.
• HANDOFF.md / TODO.md — current state and roadmap.
• AGENT.md — instructions for AI agents working in this repo.
• CONTRIBUTING.md · SECURITY.md

Built by AI

abcli, including abctl and abgui, is AI-authored under Gigaion, LLC's direction. Review it with the same judgment you would apply to any production infrastructure tool.

License

AGPL-3.0-or-later — Copyright © 2026 Gigaion, LLC.