Erich Blume c601514e3d Add tests and docs for '--' argument separator requirement

- Add TestArgumentSeparator class with 8 tests verifying that script
  arguments must come after '--' separator
- Update create and edit command docstrings with examples showing
  correct usage of '--' separator
- Update argument help text to indicate "(must come after '--')"
- Add "Passing Arguments to Your Script" section to README

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

2026-01-11 19:45:54 -08:00

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mcquack

A simple macOS LaunchAgent manager for executable scripts.

Named after Launchpad McQuack, the fearless (if accident-prone) pilot from DuckTales.

Requirements

macOS (uses launchctl and ~/Library/LaunchAgents)
uv

Installation

No installation required! Run directly with:

uvx git+https://github.com/eblume/mcquack

Or clone and run the script directly (it's already executable).

Usage

# List all mcquack-managed LaunchAgents
mcquack list

# Create and load an executable as a LaunchAgent
mcquack create /path/to/your/script

# Create with additional arguments for the script (note the -- separator)
mcquack create /path/to/your/script -- --arg1 value1 --arg2

# Kickstart (immediately run) the LaunchAgent
mcquack launch /path/to/your/script

# Show the current arguments configured in the plist
mcquack show /path/to/your/script

# Edit the arguments in the plist (note the -- separator)
mcquack edit /path/to/your/script -- --new-arg1 --new-arg2

# Unload (stop) the LaunchAgent
mcquack unload /path/to/your/script

# Delete the LaunchAgent plist file
mcquack delete /path/to/your/script

Passing Arguments to Your Script

When passing arguments to your script with create or edit, you must use -- to separate mcquack's options from arguments intended for your script:

# Correct: passes --config and --debug to your script
mcquack create my_script.sh -- --config /path/to/config --debug

# Wrong: --help is interpreted as mcquack's --help flag, shows help instead
mcquack create my_script.sh --help

# Correct: passes --help as an argument to your script
mcquack create my_script.sh -- --help

The -- separator ensures that flags like --help, --verbose, etc. are passed to your script rather than being interpreted by mcquack itself.

How it works

mcquack creates plist files in ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ with the naming convention:

mcquack.eblume.<scriptname>.plist

The generated plist configures the script to:

Run at load
Keep alive (restart if it exits)
Log stdout/stderr to ~/Library/Logs/mcquack.<scriptname>.{out,err}.log

License

MIT

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