Time Machine & Backups

Backup health, browsing history, restore, snapshots, exclusions.

13 tools — 8 read-only, 5 that always ask your approval first.

Read-only tools never modify anything; anything that changes your Mac pauses on an Approve card first.

13 shown

time_machine_status Read-only

Report Time Machine status: whether automatic backups are on, the configured backup destinations, the latest backup, and whether a backup is running now.

list_time_machine_backups Read-only

List the dated Time Machine backup points on the (mounted) backup drive — each is a restorable point in time, showing how far back recovery is possible. Needs the backup drive connected.

list_local_snapshots Read-only

List the APFS local snapshots Time Machine keeps on the internal disk (used to recover recent files even when the backup drive is unplugged).

check_backup_health Read-only

Diagnose Time Machine health: how old the last backup is, whether a destination is reachable, local-snapshot presence, plus likely issues and fixes.

estimate_backup_size Read-only

Report the backup destination's free space and explain how Time Machine sizing works (full first backup, incremental after).

start_backup_now Asks first

Start a Time Machine backup right now (runs in the background).

find_in_time_machine Read-only

Search the (mounted) Time Machine backups for a file by name and return the matching backup paths (each path includes its backup date). Needs the backup drive connected.

compare_file_versions Read-only

Show the sizes/dates of a file across the Time Machine backups, so the user can pick which version to restore.

restore_from_time_machine Asks first

Restore a file/folder from a Time Machine backup to a location inside the home folder. Get the source path from find_in_time_machine.

thin_local_snapshots Asks first

Free disk space by thinning APFS local Time Machine snapshots (your off-device backups are untouched). Needs admin.

exclude_from_backup Asks first

Exclude a folder/file inside the home folder from future Time Machine backups (to save backup space). Needs admin.

include_in_backup Asks first

Re-include a previously-excluded path in Time Machine backups. Needs admin.

check_backup_encryption Read-only

Report whether this Mac's Time Machine backup disk(s) are encrypted. An unencrypted backup disk holds a full plaintext copy of the Mac — anyone who takes it can read everything. An unmounted backup disk reads as unknown until connected.