New Mac setup for AI developers in 2026 (the apps I install on day 1)

You just unboxed a new Mac. Before you start doing real work, the 90 minutes you spend on initial setup will determine whether the next year is fluid or filled with small friction. This is the day-1 setup I use for AI developer Macs in 2026.

TL;DR — the 15 apps

# Package managers
brew install --cask homebrew

# Essentials (top 8 — install these first)
brew install --cask warp                    # Modern terminal
brew install --cask cursor                  # AI-first editor
brew install --cask mq-dir                  # Quad-pane file manager
brew install --cask raycast                 # Spotlight replacement
brew install --cask 1password               # Password manager
brew install --cask rectangle               # Window tiling
brew install --cask cleanshot               # Screenshot tool
brew install git gh                         # Git + GitHub CLI

# Common (next 7 — install as needed)
brew install cmux yazi fd ripgrep           # Terminal tools
brew install --cask hex-fiend               # Hex viewer
brew install --cask discord                 # Community
brew install --cask hammerspoon             # Automation

Below: why each one, ordering, and what to skip.

Phase 1 — Apple ID + system setup (15 min)

Before any third-party app:

1. Sign into iCloud

Sign in. But uncheck "Desktop & Documents" iCloud sync. Developer workflows use ~/Desktop and ~/Documents heavily; iCloud sync introduces sync conflicts and slow file ops.

2. Configure Finder

• Show all extensions: Finder → Settings → Advanced → Show all filename extensions.
• Show hidden files: in Finder, Cmd+Shift+..
• Show path bar: View → Show Path Bar.
• Default new window to home: Settings → General → New Finder windows show: .

3. Trackpad / keyboard

• Trackpad → Tap to click ON.
• Keyboard → Key Repeat → Fast; Delay Until Repeat → Short.
• System Settings → Keyboard → Modifier Keys → swap Caps Lock to Control if you're a vim user.

4. Reduce Motion (optional, dev-friendly)

System Settings → Accessibility → Display → Reduce Motion ON.

This kills bouncy animations across system + apps. Faster perceived response on every interaction.

Phase 2 — Install Homebrew (5 min)

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Follow the post-install instructions to add brew to your PATH (in ~/.zprofile).

Verify:

brew --version

Phase 3 — Essential apps (30 min)

These 8 are non-negotiable for AI dev work in 2026.

Warp — terminal

brew install --cask warp

Modern terminal with AI inline, blocks, command sharing. iTerm2 is fine; Warp is genuinely better in 2026.

Cursor — editor

brew install --cask cursor

VS Code fork with deep AI integration. The default editor for AI dev. If you prefer vanilla VS Code, swap; both work.

mq-dir — file manager

brew install --cask mq-dir

Quad-pane native macOS file manager. For multi-project / multi-AI-session workflows, this is the file manager designed around AI multi-tasking. See the mq-dir vs Finder comparison for context.

Raycast — Spotlight replacement

brew install --cask raycast

Faster than Spotlight, scriptable, has AI features. Free tier is great. Bind to Cmd+Space (replaces Spotlight).

1Password — passwords

brew install --cask 1password

Password manager. Apple's iCloud Keychain works fine but 1Password is better for shared vaults (team, family) and SSH key management.

Rectangle — window tiling

brew install --cask rectangle

Free Magnet alternative. Bind keyboard shortcuts to tile windows (left half, right half, quarters). After a week you can't live without it.

CleanShot — screenshots

brew install --cask cleanshot

Replaces macOS screenshot. Annotation, scrolling capture, video, instant share links. Paid but worth it.

Git + GitHub CLI

brew install git gh
gh auth login

The basics. Configure git config --global user.name "Your Name" and user.email.

Phase 4 — Common apps (20 min)

The next tier, install as you feel friction.

Terminal tools

brew install cmux yazi fd ripgrep bat eza

• cmux — terminal multiplexer purpose-built for AI sessions (see cmux setup post).
• yazi — modern terminal file manager (see the yazi review).
• fd — modern find replacement, faster, more ergonomic.
• ripgrep (rg) — modern grep replacement, dramatically faster.
• bat — cat with syntax highlighting and line numbers.
• eza — ls replacement with colors, git status, tree view.

These compound. After a month you wonder how anyone uses default Unix tools.

Hex Fiend

brew install --cask hex-fiend

Free open-source hex viewer. Replaces Path Finder's hex module if you migrated from there.

Discord

brew install --cask discord

Most open-source projects (and dev communities) live on Discord. Slack-equivalent for community spaces.

Hammerspoon

brew install --cask hammerspoon

Lua-scriptable macOS automation. Power-user tool. If you don't know what you'd do with it yet, skip; come back when you have a specific automation in mind.

Phase 5 — Configuration (15 min)

After install, a few things to wire up:

Shell

If you use zsh (default), install Oh My Zsh or Zinit. Or skip and stay vanilla — both are fine.

Git config

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main
git config --global pull.rebase true
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"   # or cursor / vim / nano

Generate SSH key for GitHub:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "you@example.com"
gh ssh-key add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub --title "$(scutil --get LocalHostName)"

Claude Code / Cursor

Sign in to whichever AI tools you use. For Claude Code, make sure your Anthropic API key is in an environment variable (not pasted in shell history).

Dev directories

mkdir -p ~/dev/{repos,sessions,_shared/{prompts,templates,references}}

This is the layout we use for AI multi-tasking. See the project layout post for why.

Phase 6 — Verify (5 min)

Quick sanity checks:

# Homebrew
brew doctor

# Git
git --version
gh auth status

# Terminal tools
fd --version
rg --version

# AI tools (after sign-in)
cursor --version || echo "open Cursor manually"

Open mq-dir, set up a 4-pane layout for your typical work. Open Warp, type a few commands. Open Cursor, sign in.

You're ready to do real work.

What to skip on day 1

A few apps people often install but rarely need:

• Microsoft Office — Pages/Numbers/Keynote work; install MS apps only if you're collaborating heavily with MS users.
• Adobe Creative Cloud — install only if you're doing design work; otherwise it's bloat.
• Slack / Zoom — install when you have a meeting or need to join a workspace; pre-installing is unnecessary.
• Spotify / Music apps — fine to install eventually but not day 1.
• Random utility apps from Mac App Store — most are abandonware. Stick to brew-installable mainstream tools.

Restoring your config

If you have a dotfiles repo, this is when to clone it:

git clone git@github.com:you/dotfiles ~/.dotfiles
cd ~/.dotfiles
./install.sh   # whatever your install script is

Common dotfiles to restore:

• ~/.zshrc / ~/.bashrc
• ~/.gitconfig
• ~/.ssh/config (be careful with key files)
• ~/.config/ directories for various tools
• ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md if you have a global Claude Code config
• ~/dev/_shared/ if you sync prompts/templates

If you don't have a dotfiles repo, this new Mac is a great time to start one.

What this gives you

After 90 minutes:

• Homebrew installed; brew commands work.
• 8 essential apps installed and running.
• Terminal, editor, file manager all working.
• Git + GitHub CLI configured with SSH key.
• Dev directory structure ready for AI workflows.
• Reduce Motion + Finder configured for dev productivity.

You can start your first real task. The rest of the setup (Hammerspoon scripts, custom Raycast extensions, deep editor configs) is something you accumulate over weeks, not in one sitting.

Verdict

For a new Mac dedicated to AI dev work in 2026, the 15-app list above covers ~95% of daily tools. Most of the remaining 5% (specialized design tools, language-specific managers like rbenv/nvm, etc.) is workflow-specific and can be added when you need it.

Total cost of installs:

• Free: Warp, Raycast, Rectangle, mq-dir, Hex Fiend, all terminal tools, Hammerspoon, Discord, gh.
• One-time fee: 1Password (~$36/yr family), CleanShot (~$30 one-time or subscription).

Under $100 first year for a complete setup. Most of the daily tools are free.

This is the setup we run behind mq-dir's development. It's not the only good setup; it's a tested one.