maccrab:// URL scheme
Supported Rave install links and planned deep-link features
Rave uses an ID-only URL to open MacCrab’s install confirmation sheet. The URL identifies a plugin; the app resolves its version and trust information from its configured, signature-verified catalog.
Supported plugin link
maccrab://install/plugin/com.maccrab.forensics.posture-pro
The supported form is maccrab://install/plugin/<plugin-id>, where the ID is a valid reverse-DNS plugin identifier. It contains no query string, fragment, credentials, port, or additional path segments.
In published MacCrab v1.21.5, a valid plugin link opens the consent sheet. The app resolves the current catalog entry and offers confirmation only when it is installable. The install path checks catalog signatures, publisher and artifact pins, applicable revocations, and the enforced app-version floor. Clicking a web link does not silently install a plugin.
Read the current access and compatibility limitations before installing. In particular, the current first-party offering runs unsandboxed, and existing app capability descriptions are not yet derived from each version’s manifest.
Unsupported and planned forms
| Form or feature | Current behavior |
|---|---|
?version=0.3.1 | Rejected on install URLs. Use the CLI’s explicit version option when needed. |
?catalog=https://… | Rejected on install URLs. A link cannot change the catalog or its trust anchor. |
Any other query or #fragment on an install URL | Rejected, not ignored. |
maccrab://install/kit/<kit-id> | Parser recognizes the ID-only form, but kit expansion/installation is not implemented. No kits are published. |
maccrab://open/plugin/<plugin-id> or maccrab://open/kit/<kit-id> | Not implemented as Rave detail links. |
maccrab://open/catalog with optional category/search query | Not implemented as a Rave catalog/filter link. |
These planned forms are not links that the storefront should advertise as working. Future support needs a documented contract and published host implementation.
Command-line fallback
If MacCrab does not open, install the current app from maccrab.com and use the catalog, or run the command displayed on the plugin page:
maccrabctl plugin install com.maccrab.forensics.posture-pro
The CLI supports --version <semver> and --catalog-base <url> as explicit command-line options. They are not URL parameters. A catalog-base override does not replace the pinned signing key, rewrite signed artifact URLs, or provide a complete enterprise mirror. See mirror status.
The site’s fallback uses browser focus/visibility as a hint to reveal the copyable command. Browsers may prompt, block custom schemes, or leave focus unchanged; this hint cannot reliably detect whether MacCrab is installed or whether an installation succeeded.