How do I install the Mactop skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add modbender/mactop in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Mactop safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Mactop?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Mactop free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Mactop?

modbender (@modbender) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Mactop by modbender — Agent Skill

Name: Mactop
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: modbender

Mactop

Retrieve real-time hardware metrics from Apple Silicon Macs using mactop's TOON format. Provides CPU, RAM, GPU, power, thermal, network, disk I/O, and Thunderbolt bus information. Use when the user wants system stats, hardware monitoring, or performance metrics on Apple Silicon Macs.

modbender Updated Sep 9, 2026 12 repo stars

File contents

Mactop Skill

Execute mactop in headless TOON mode and parse the output for hardware metrics.

Prerequisites

mactop installed: brew install mactop
PATH includes /usr/sbin: Required for sysctl access

Usage

Get Full Metrics

mactop --format toon --headless --count 1

Parse Key Metrics

CPU Usage:

mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep "^cpu_usage:" | awk '{print $2}'

RAM (used/total GB):

mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep -E "^  (Used|Total):" | awk '{printf "%.1f", $2/1073741824}'

GPU Usage:

mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep "^gpu_usage:" | awk '{print $2}'

Power (total/CPU/GPU):

mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep -E "^  (TotalPower|CPUPower|GPUPower):" | awk '{print $2}'

Thermal State:

mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep "^thermal_state:" | awk '{print $2}'

Temperature:

mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep "^  SocTemp:" | awk '{print $2}'

Chip Info:

mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep "^  Name:" | awk '{print $2}'

Network I/O (bytes/sec):

mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep -E "^(  InBytesPerSec|  OutBytesPerSec):" | awk '{print $2}'

Thunderbolt Buses:

mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep "^    Name:" | awk '{print $2}'

Options

Option	Description
`--count N`	Number of samples (default: 1)
`--interval MS`	Sample interval in milliseconds (default: 1000)

TOON Format

timestamp: "2026-01-25T20:00:00-07:00"
soc_metrics:
  CPUPower: 0.15
  GPUPower: 0.02
  TotalPower: 8.5
  SocTemp: 42.3
memory:
  Total: 25769803776
  Used: 14852408320
  Available: 10917395456
cpu_usage: 5.2
gpu_usage: 1.8
thermal_state: Normal
system_info:
  Name: Apple M4 Pro
  CoreCount: 12

Response Example

Format metrics in a readable box:

┌─ Apple M4 Pro ──────────────────────┐
│ CPU:   5.2%  |  RAM: 13.8/24.0 GB  │
│ GPU:   1.8%  |  Power: 8.5W total  │
│ Thermal: Normal  |  SoC: 42.3°C    │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Troubleshooting

"sysctl not found" → Add /usr/sbin to PATH
No output → Verify mactop is installed: which mactop

---name: mactopdescription: Retrieve real-time hardware metrics from Apple Silicon Macs using mactop's TOON format. Provides CPU, RAM, GPU, power, thermal, network, disk I/O, and Thunderbolt bus information. Use when the user wants system stats, hardware monitoring, or performance metrics on Apple Silicon Macs.--- # Mactop Skill Execute mactop in headless TOON mode and parse the output for hardware metrics. ## Prerequisites - **mactop installed**: `brew install mactop` - **PATH includes /usr/sbin**: Required for sysctl access ## Usage ### Get Full Metrics ```bash mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 ``` ### Parse Key Metrics **CPU Usage:** ```bash mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep "^cpu_usage:" | awk '{print $2}' ``` **RAM (used/total GB):** ```bash mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep -E "^ (Used|Total):" | awk '{printf "%.1f", $2/1073741824}' ``` **GPU Usage:** ```bash mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep "^gpu_usage:" | awk '{print $2}' ``` **Power (total/CPU/GPU):** ```bash mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep -E "^ (TotalPower|CPUPower|GPUPower):" | awk '{print $2}' ``` **Thermal State:** ```bash mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep "^thermal_state:" | awk '{print $2}' ``` **Temperature:** ```bash mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep "^ SocTemp:" | awk '{print $2}' ``` **Chip Info:** ```bash mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep "^ Name:" | awk '{print $2}' ``` **Network I/O (bytes/sec):** ```bash mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep -E "^( InBytesPerSec| OutBytesPerSec):" | awk '{print $2}' ``` **Thunderbolt Buses:** ```bash mactop --format toon --headless --count 1 | grep "^ Name:" | awk '{print $2}' ``` ## Options | Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | `--count N` | Number of samples (default: 1) | | `--interval MS` | Sample interval in milliseconds (default: 1000) | ## TOON Format ``` timestamp: "2026-01-25T20:00:00-07:00" soc_metrics: CPUPower: 0.15 GPUPower: 0.02 TotalPower: 8.5 SocTemp: 42.3 memory: Total: 25769803776 Used: 14852408320 Available: 10917395456 cpu_usage: 5.2 gpu_usage: 1.8 thermal_state: Normal system_info: Name: Apple M4 Pro CoreCount: 12 ``` ## Response Example Format metrics in a readable box: ``` ┌─ Apple M4 Pro ──────────────────────┐ │ CPU: 5.2% | RAM: 13.8/24.0 GB │ │ GPU: 1.8% | Power: 8.5W total │ │ Thermal: Normal | SoC: 42.3°C │ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ## Troubleshooting - **"sysctl not found"** → Add `/usr/sbin` to PATH - **No output** → Verify mactop is installed: `which mactop`

Frequently asked questions