launchpad

Ship your Mac app as a signed download that updates itself

Your Mac app becomes a signed, notarized download on your own address. It keeps itself updated, and each release shows its notes to your users. An alert tells you if the download goes down.

A Mac app outside the App Store has to be signed with an Apple Developer ID and checked by Apple, or macOS warns people away from opening it. Then it needs a download address that stays up and a way to update itself.

launchpad sets all of that up with one command in Claude Code, and your Mac app shows on the same dashboard as everything else you ship.

What launchpad sets up for a Mac app

The production checklist has 32 items that apply to a Mac app. launchpad sets up each one, or checks it and keeps it on your dashboard until it passes.

Live on the web3

  • Your domain and DNS · Mac, Web, Sites
  • A landing page designed to convert

+1 more with a key

App stores and downloads4

  • People can install or open it
  • A signed, notarized Mac download · Mac

+2 more with a key

Security and data4

  • Keys in your OS keychain, not git
  • No secret keys leaked or shipped

+2 more with a key

See how it is used2

  • Alerts when your site goes down · Web, Sites, Mac, Services

+1 more with a key

Legal and trust2

  • Privacy policy and terms
  • A way for users to reach you

Payments and costs3

  • Every cost, before you pay it
  • Spend caps on pay-per-use services

+1 more with a key

Builds and releases6

  • Finds every app in your repo
  • Built in the cloud, not on your laptop
  • Tests run before anything ships

+3 more with a key

Mission Control and safety8

  • Every project on one screen
  • A readiness checklist per project
  • Asks before money, DNS or stores

+5 more with a key

Fees and waiting times

Mac app

Fees

$99 a year

Apple charges this fee to every developer.

Timeline

Before your first release: App Review · D-U-N-S number (only if enrolling as a company) · Age rating questions · EU trader status (only if apps in the EU storefronts)

You'll sign in to

  • Claude CodeRuns launchpad: it reads your repo and sets it up

    Your Claude subscription

  • GitHubYour code, the builds (Actions) and their secrets

    Free to start

    then $4 a month per seat for a private repository with staging and production

  • Apple Developer ProgramTestFlight, the App Store and notarized Mac apps

    $99 a yearApple charges this to every developer.

  • CloudflareHosts sites and Mac downloads, and runs your DNS

    Free
Only if you want it 4

  • GitHub macOS build minutesPrivate repos only — free on public repos or on your own Mac

    Free

    then $0.062 a minute past the included minutes

  • A domain nameWhen you want your own address

    The registrar's yearly fee, which depends on the name

  • SentryWhen you turn crash reporting on

    Free

  • Lemon SqueezyWhen you sell a Mac app with a paywall

    No monthly fee: 5% + 50¢ a sale, as merchant of record (it files the sales tax and VAT)

Common questions

Do I need a Mac?

Yes. launchpad builds, signs and ships the Mac app from your Mac.

What does it cost?

Apple charges every developer $99 a year. Everything else starts on plans with no charge, and a paid plan is named with its price before you need it. launchpad itself is $49 once, for unlimited projects, and runs on the Claude plan you already have.

Does my Mac app need the App Store?

No. Your app ships as a download on your own address, and it updates itself with release notes for your users.

Other stacks