DeltaSnap

Install and set up

Install DeltaSnap, approve its helper, grant access, and enable Finder integration.

DeltaSnap requires macOS 15 or later. Install the signed and notarized app in /Applications before starting a 30-day local trial or activating a paid license.

Install the app and helper

  1. Move DeltaSnap.app to /Applications.
  2. Follow the onboarding assistant, and register the privileged background helper.
  3. If macOS asks, approve DeltaSnap under System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions.

The setup assistant opens on first launch and walks through the same four approvals in order.

DeltaSnap welcome step explaining that snapshots are fast to create, stored on the same disk, can hold space over time, and work on APFS volumes only.
Step 1: the welcome step explains what an APFS snapshot is and what it can and cannot do before you rely on it.

The helper owns the APFS snapshot entitlement and serves the app, Finder extension, and CLI. Schedules, pruning, monitoring, indexing, and restore jobs can continue after the main window closes.

DeltaSnap background helper step showing what the helper does, a Login Items preview, a Helper running status, and the Open DeltaSnap at login switch. System Settings Login Items with DeltaSnap listed under Open at Login and enabled under Background App Activity.
Step 2: register the background helper. If macOS blocks it, choose Open Login Items and enable DeltaSnap under General → Login Items & Extensions. The step reports Helper running once the service answers.

Grant Full Disk Access

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access, enable DeltaSnap, then relaunch it. Full Disk Access lets DeltaSnap enumerate and index protected user data reliably. A mounted historical snapshot can expose old copies of protected files, so grant access only on a trusted Mac.

DeltaSnap Full Disk Access step next to System Settings Privacy and Security, with DeltaSnap enabled and the step reporting Granted.
Step 3: Open Full Disk Access jumps straight to the right pane. Re-check confirms the grant without restarting setup.

Enable Finder integration

Open System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions → Added Extensions and enable DeltaSnap under Finder if it is not already active. Finder may need to be relaunched before the submenu and badges appear.

DeltaSnap Finder integration step listing Restore Previous Version, Create Safety Snapshot, and history badges, with the extension reported as Enabled. System Settings Login Items and Extensions listing DeltaSnap among added extensions.
Step 4: the extension usually turns itself on the first time DeltaSnap runs from /Applications. If it does not, open Extensions Settings and enable DeltaSnap for Finder there.

Setup finishes with a short tour and the option to turn on automatic snapshots per volume. The suggested policy keeps 4 frequent, 24 hourly, and 7 daily snapshots, covering roughly the last week.

DeltaSnap final setup step summarising Version Control, compare, Finder restore, and the menu bar item, with per-volume switches for automatic snapshots.
Step 5: enable automatic snapshots for the volumes that matter, and keep an independent backup alongside them.

Verify dsnap

The signed CLI is bundled at:

/Applications/DeltaSnap.app/Contents/MacOS/dsnap

The helper safely reconciles these command links when it starts:

/usr/local/bin/dsnap
/usr/local/bin/deltasnap

Both names invoke the same executable. A conflicting regular file or unrelated link is never replaced automatically. Verify setup with:

dsnap version
dsnap list

Trial and license

The 30-day trial is local to the Mac and starts on first launch. After purchase, open DeltaSnap → Settings → Licensing, paste the DELTA-… key, and choose Activate. The key is checked once, at activation, and never again, so a lapsed connection can never disable a license you paid for. If you would rather DeltaSnap never contact anything, ask us for an offline license instead.

DeltaSnap License settings showing licensed status, a masked key, lifetime expiry, last validation time, and validate and deactivate buttons.
Settings → License shows the current status, the last successful validation, and the controls to revalidate or release the key from this Mac.

Trial or license state never deletes native APFS snapshots. When entitlement expires, activate a valid license to continue privileged DeltaSnap operations.

Optional: install the AI agent skill

After dsnap version and dsnap list succeed, install the open-source skill so a compatible desktop or CLI agent can create auto-expiring checkpoints before and after risky work:

gh skill install scaleninja/deltasnap deltasnap --agent codex --scope user

See AI agent skill for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, and manual installation examples.

Updating from an earlier version

DeltaSnap updates itself through the app (DeltaSnap → Check for Updates…, or the daily automatic check). Nothing needs to be done by hand, but it helps to know what happens:

  • The background service restarts on its own. After the app relaunches it notices the running service is from the previous version and asks it to quit; the new one starts on the next connection. A service caught in the middle of a long scan finishes or gives up within about a minute and is replaced all the same. Only if the app reports that it could not restart the service, use Assistant → Restart Helper.
  • Your data carries over. Snapshots, schedules, protection, tags, the history index, and your settings are kept. Anything the new version stores in a new form is converted the first time it runs.
  • You may be asked to accept the EULA again when the agreement changed since your last acceptance.
  • The Notifications window fills in. From 1.0.0 the service keeps a log of its notifications, so after an update the window shows what happened while the app was closed, unread and without banners.
  • Email notifications stay off until you set them up in Settings → Notifications.

Remove DeltaSnap

Use Assistant → Uninstall and Disable DeltaSnap before deleting the app. This unregisters the background services and removes DeltaSnap-owned command links when they still point at the app.

Email notification settings, including the mail password, live in the background service's own store and are removed with it. Nothing is left in your keychain.

Removing the app does not delete native APFS snapshots. Delete unwanted snapshots first and preserve any history used by Time Machine, CCC, or another tool.