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Santa

github.com/northpolesec/santa Desktop & OS Privacy Open-source projectOpen source

Authorize binary execution and file access on macOS with Santa, a system extension and policy tool.

Visit Santa 24 alternatives
github.com/northpolesec/santa
Santa homepage screenshot

About Santa

Santa is a binary and file access authorization system for macOS. It has four parts: a system extension that monitors program launches and file access and makes decisions based on a local database, a GUI agent that notifies the user when something is blocked, a background service that synchronizes configuration with a remote server, and a command-line utility for managing the system.

Santa runs in one of two modes. In MONITOR mode, binaries not marked as blocked are allowed to run, and launches are logged. In LOCKDOWN mode, only listed binaries are allowed to run. The project's own documentation states that no single system or process will stop all attacks or provide 100% security. Its docs cover deployment options, how parts of Santa work, and development. The project is open source and is hosted on GitHub.

Key features

  • Monitor mode that allows unblocked binaries to run while logging launches
  • Lockdown mode that allows only listed binaries to run
  • Code signing rules using CDHash, Certificate, TeamID, or SigningID
  • Most-specific-first rule evaluation, so a publisher can be allowed while one binary is blocked
  • Path-based rules configured with regular expressions (NSRegularExpression/ICU)
  • Failsafe rules that prevent blocking the certificate used to sign launchd
Best for: macOS administrators and security teams who want to control which binaries and files can run, including across a managed fleet of machines.
Good for
  • Logs binary launches and stores unknown or denied binaries in a database for later review
  • Open source, with the code, license, and security policy published in the repository
  • A background service can synchronize configuration with a remote server for central management
Watch out for
  • Runs only on macOS
  • The project states that no single system will stop all attacks or provide 100% security
  • Path-based rules have the lowest precedence when rules are evaluated

Santa at a glance

Type
Open-source project
Pricing
Not confirmed. Check the site
Platforms
macOS
Open source
Yes · Source code
Language
English
Last checked
Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
Listed
Oct 5, 2026
open sourcesecurityprivacyblocklists

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Santa FAQ

Where is the Santa documentation?
The docs are stored in the Docs directory of the repository and published at https://northpole.dev. They include deployment options, details on how parts of Santa work, and instructions for developing Santa.
Where can I get help or report a problem?
The project suggests the #santa channel on the macadmins Slack for questions and getting started. Bugs can be reported through the repository's issue tracker, and security vulnerabilities should be reported following the security policy.
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Listing maintained by Chris McClure and the WebIndexly editors · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · How we rank