---
title: "ShipIt on Mac: the Squirrel installer for Electron apps · Kilobat Guides"
url: "https://kilobat.app/guides/what-is-shipit.html"
description: "ShipIt is the Squirrel.Mac installer that Electron apps use for updates. Learn why it appears, where the download happens and how to control it."
---

macOS processes

# What is ShipIt on Mac?

`ShipIt` comes from Squirrel.Mac. Electron apps use it to install updates. The app downloads the update first.

Process: `ShipIt` · Applies to: Electron apps that use Squirrel.Mac, on all current macOS versions. Seen on macOS 27.2. · Checked: 29 October 2026

## Where you see it

- `ShipIt` is in the list in Activity Monitor › Network, in `nettop` or in Kilobat.
- A firewall or network monitor asks if `ShipIt` can connect.
- `ShipIt` runs after you quit an app such as a chat or code editor.

## What it is

Electron's documentation says that its macOS updater is built on Squirrel.Mac. ShipIt is the part of Squirrel.Mac that installs the update.

Electron says that a downloaded update is applied when the app starts again.

## Why it uses the network

- **Installation.** ShipIt installs an update that the app already downloaded. The download shows under the app.

## Is it normal?

Yes. ShipIt runs for a short time when an app updates.

## See how much it uses

1. Open Activity Monitor from Applications > Utilities. Click Network.
2. Type `ShipIt` in the search field. The Sent Bytes and Rcvd Bytes columns show what it moved.
3. In Terminal, watch only this process. Press d to show the change per second, and q to quit.

   ```
   nettop -p ShipIt -P
   ```
4. Look at the app itself in the same list. The update download is there.

## Reduce or pause it safely

1. Open the settings of the app. Turn off automatic updates, if the app has that option.
2. Update the app later, on your usual network.

## With Kilobat

1. Open the Kilobat app list and search for `ShipIt`. Its row shows the live rate and the bytes it moved.
2. `kilobat updaters` lists the apps that update from inside their own process. To stop their downloads, block the app for a while.
3. In Terminal, see the same live list. Press / and type the name to search.

   ```
   kilobat status --watch
   ```
4. Show its traffic over one day. Names match `kilobat report --summary`.

   ```
   kilobat bandwidth ShipIt day
   ```
5. Through MCP, an AI agent gets the same history with `get_app_bandwidth` and the name `ShipIt`.
6. With Pro and the network filter, Kilobat pauses this updater on metered networks. The app keeps working. See [Stop updates from using hotspot data](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/stop-updates-on-hotspot.html).

   ```
   kilobat updaters
   ```
7. The live view is free. History in the app needs Pro. Kilobat records history only while the app runs.

## Questions

**Why can Kilobat not pause these updates?**

The app downloads the update inside its own process. Kilobat can only block the whole app.

## Sources

- [Electron documentation: autoUpdater](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/api/auto-updater)
- [Squirrel.Mac on GitHub](https://github.com/Squirrel/Squirrel.Mac)
- nettop(1), man page installed with macOS 27.2
- [Kilobat docs: Pausing updaters on metered networks](https://kilobat.app/docs.html#updaters)

Sources checked on 29 October 2026. Man pages are the ones installed with macOS; open one with `man <name>` in Terminal.

## Related guides

- [What is Autoupdate (Sparkle) on Mac?](https://kilobat.app/guides/what-is-sparkle-autoupdate.html): Autoupdate is part of Sparkle, an open source update framework that many Mac apps use.
- [Stop updates from using hotspot data](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/stop-updates-on-hotspot.html): On a metered network, Kilobat can pause the helpers that download updates.
- [Block an app on metered networks](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/block-app-on-metered.html): The Travel profile allows only the apps that you choose.