diskmute(1)

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DiskMute is a command line tool to remove metadata stored about files and directories on a volume mounted in Mac OS X. This tool is useful for creating a clean disk volume for backup or sharing purposes.

Usage

Usage: diskmute <volume>
Example: diskmute /Volumes/MyDisk
Options:
  -h, --help      Show this help message and exit
  -v, --version   Show version number and exit
  -d, --dry-run   Show files to be modified and exit without making changes

Information

This script will turn off all indexing and remove all metadata on a mounted volume. This is destructive and if used on the wrong drive, it can cause data loss. Some checks are performed to ensure that the script is not run on the system volume, but it is up to the user to ensure that the correct volume is selected.

!!! DO NOT USE THIS ON YOUR SYSTEM VOLUME !!!

This script will modify or remove the following files and directories:

  .DS_Store
  ._*
  .Spotlight-V100
  .Trashes
  .fseventsd
  .TemporaryItems
  .VolumeIcon.icns
  .com.apple.timemachine.supported
  .com.apple.timemachine.donotpresent
  .AppleDB
  .AppleDesktop
  .apdisk
  .DocumentRevisions-V100

This script will create the following files and directories:

  .metadata_never_index
  .fseventsd/no_log
  .Trashes

Use this script at your own risk.

The author is not responsible for any loss of data, financial loss or damage to your system.

Installation

From source

1. Clone this repository
2. Run chmod +x ./diskmute.sh to make the script executable

Homebrew

diskmute can be installed via Homebrew on MacOS.

brew tap tobyvee/tap
brew install diskmute

Tests

Tests are written using the bats testing framework. To test, run the following command:

make test

Notes & resources

Logging

This script does not write any logs to the system, however it's usage will be recorded in your shell history.