--- title: "ShipIt: what it is, why Electron apps run it, and whether to block it · Kilobat" url: "https://kilobat.app/processes/shipit" description: "ShipIt comes from Squirrel.Mac, the updater that Electron apps use on a Mac. What it does, where the download really happens, and how to update on your terms." --- Apps and helpers # What is ShipIt? `ShipIt` comes from Squirrel.Mac. Electron apps such as chat and editor apps use it to install updates. The app downloads the update first, inside its own process. Process: `ShipIt` · Made by Squirrel.Mac, bundled by each Electron app · Applies to: Electron apps that use Squirrel.Mac, on macOS 14 Sonoma and later. Checked on 1 November 2026 against Electron's documentation. · Checked: 1 November 2026 ## Short answer Part of Squirrel.Mac, the updater that many Electron apps include. It installs an update that the app has already downloaded. Safe to block Safe to block for a while, but the app then can't install its updates. Block or pause the app's download instead. Path `/Applications/.app/Contents/Frameworks/Squirrel.framework/Resources/ShipIt` ## 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. Each app includes its own copy of Squirrel.Mac. So `ShipIt` appears with different paths, one per app. Squirrel.Mac's documentation says that an update is put through code signing verification before it is installed. A delta update is applied to a copy of the running app first. If a delta update fails, Squirrel.Mac downloads the full ZIP instead, in the same check. ## Why it uses the network - **Installation.** `ShipIt` installs an update that the app already downloaded. The download shows under the app. - **Small or no traffic of its own.** Its job is to replace the app on disk. Electron's documentation describes the download as the app's job. ## How much is normal `ShipIt` runs for a short time when an app updates. Its own traffic is small or none. The download itself is about the size of the app. If an app updates often, you'll see `ShipIt` often. ## When it uses a lot, and why - **The app's download, not ShipIt's.** The bytes of an update usually show under the app, or its helper, before `ShipIt` runs. - **A failed delta.** Squirrel.Mac says that when a delta update fails, it downloads the full ZIP. That download is larger. ## Is it safe to block? Safe to block Safe to block for a while, but the app then can't install its updates. Block or pause the app's download instead. What breaks if you block it - Downloaded updates of the app can't be installed. - The app may try again each time it starts. Blocking means a firewall rule that refuses its connections. Don’t quit or disable a macOS process to save data: macOS starts it again, and other features depend on it. ## Reduce its use 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. ## 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 since it started. 3. In Terminal, watch only this process. Press d to show the change per second, and q to quit. ``` nettop -p 'ShipIt' -P ``` ## With Kilobat 1. Kilobat recognises Squirrel's helper as an updater. When the app downloads updates in its own process, Kilobat can only block the whole app. ``` kilobat updaters ``` 2. Ask the same question in Terminal. ``` kilobat explain ShipIt ``` The live view and the explanations are free. History in the app needs Kilobat Pro. Blocking needs Pro and the network filter: see the [network filter](https://kilobat.app/docs/blocking#filtering), [Protection](https://kilobat.app/docs/blocking#protection) and the [hotspot data saver](https://kilobat.app/save-hotspot-data). ## What isn’t documented Apps choose how they use Squirrel.Mac. Whether an app checks daily, at launch or only when you ask is up to that app. ## Questions **Why can't Kilobat pause these updates?** The app downloads the update inside its own process. Kilobat can only block the whole app. **Where does ShipIt come from?** It is part of Squirrel.Mac, an open-source Cocoa framework for updating Mac apps, published on GitHub. **Is ShipIt malware?** No. It is part of Squirrel.Mac, inside the app that uses it. Check the path to see which app it belongs to. ## Sources - [Electron documentation: autoUpdater](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/api/auto-updater) - [Squirrel.Mac on GitHub](https://github.com/Squirrel/Squirrel.Mac) - [Kilobat docs: Pausing updaters on metered networks](https://kilobat.app/docs/usage#updaters) Checked on 1 November 2026. ## Related - [Electron Helper](https://kilobat.app/processes/electron-helpers): Part of an app built on Electron. Electron apps run their windows and their network work in helper processes, so the app's traffic shows under “App Helper”. - [Autoupdate](https://kilobat.app/processes/sparkle-autoupdate): Part of Sparkle, an open-source update framework that many Mac apps include. It installs an update after the app downloads it. - [Stop updates from using hotspot data](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/stop-updates-on-hotspot)