Processors

A processor is a step in a recipe’s Process array, such as URLDownloader or MunkiImporter. Russet implements processors natively, with the same names, input variables, output variables, and default values as AutoPkg. This page lists every processor that Russet implements and the platforms where each one works.

To print the list that your installation implements, run russet list-processors. To see a processor’s variables, run russet processor-info PROCESSOR, replacing PROCESSOR with a name from the following tables.

The Platform column uses the following values:

• All: the processor works on macOS, Linux, and Windows.
• macOS or Windows: the processor needs tools from that operating system. On other platforms, it fails with an error that names the limitation.

For more about platform differences, see Platform support.

AutoPkg built-in processors

Russet implements the 46 processors that AutoPkg 3.0.0 includes:

Processor	Purpose	Platform	Notes
AppDmgVersioner	Reads the bundle identifier and version of the app in a disk image.	macOS, Linux	Mounts the disk image with hdiutil on macOS and reads it with a built-in reader on Linux.
AppPkgCreator	Builds a package from an app.	macOS, Linux	Uses the russet-server helper service on macOS and a built-in package builder on Linux.
ChocolateyPackager	Builds a NuGet package with choco.exe.	Windows	Rejects license and contentFiles values that are dictionaries or arrays.
CodeSignatureVerifier	Verifies the code signature of an app or installer package.	macOS, Linux	Uses codesign and pkgutil on macOS and built-in replacements on Linux, which trust only Apple’s root certificates and reject requirement clauses they don’t support, such as notarized. The DISABLE_CODE_SIGNATURE_VERIFICATION variable skips it on every platform.
Copier	Copies a file or folder.	All	Paths inside a disk image need macOS or Linux.
DeprecationWarning	Prints a deprecation warning for a recipe.	All	None.
DmgCreator	Creates a disk image from a folder.	macOS, Linux	Uses hdiutil on macOS. On Linux, a built-in replacement writes UDZO, UDBZ, ULFO, or UDRO images with an HFS+ volume, including when dmg_filesystem is APFS, and doesn’t copy extended attributes.
DmgMounter	Base class for processors that mount disk images.	None	Fails if a recipe runs it directly.
EndOfCheckPhase	Marks where russet run --check stops.	All	Does nothing when it runs.
FileCreator	Creates a file with the content that you supply.	All	On Windows, file_mode only sets or clears the read-only attribute.
FileFinder	Finds a file that matches a pattern.	All	Supports only find_method glob. Paths inside a disk image need macOS or Linux.
FileMover	Moves or renames a file.	All	None.
FindAndReplace	Replaces text in a string variable.	All	None.
FlatPkgPacker	Flattens an expanded package.	macOS, Linux	Uses pkgutil on macOS and a built-in replacement on Linux.
FlatPkgUnpacker	Expands a flat package.	macOS, Linux	Uses pkgutil, or xar with skip_payload, on macOS and built-in replacements on Linux. A pattern inside a disk image must match exactly one file.
GitHubReleasesInfoProvider	Gets the most recent release of a GitHub project.	All	Uses curl and your GitHub token, if you set one.
InstallFromDMG	Copies items from a disk image to the startup volume.	macOS	Uses the russet-installd helper service.
Installer	Installs a package.	macOS	Uses the russet-installd helper service. The package must be in the recipe’s cache or on a mounted disk image.
MunkiCatalogBuilder	Deprecated.	All	Prints a warning and does nothing. Use MakeCatalogsProcessor to rebuild catalogs.
MunkiImporter	Imports a package or disk image into a Munki repository.	macOS, Linux	Supports only FileRepo Munki repositories. Generates metadata natively and doesn’t run makepkginfo. On Linux, the installerChoices option isn’t supported.
MunkiInfoCreator	Creates a pkginfo file for a package or disk image.	macOS, Linux	Reads packages and disk images with macOS tools on macOS and built-in readers on Linux.
MunkiInstallsItemsCreator	Creates an installs array for a pkginfo file.	All	Some operations need macOS.
MunkiOptionalReceiptEditor	Edits the receipts in a pkginfo file.	All	None.
MunkiPkginfoMerger	Merges two pkginfo dictionaries.	All	None.
MunkiSetDefaultCatalog	Sets a pkginfo’s catalog to the munkiimport default catalog.	All	Reads the munkiimport preference only on macOS.
PackageRequired	Fails the recipe if the PKG variable isn’t set.	All	None.
PathDeleter	Deletes files and folders.	All	None.
PkgCopier	Copies a package.	All	Paths inside a disk image need macOS or Linux.
PkgCreator	Builds a package from a package root.	macOS, Linux	Uses the russet-server helper service on macOS. On Linux, a built-in package builder records the same owners and modes without running as root; it supports the pkgbuild_args --install-location, --min-os-version, --compression legacy, and --filter.
PkgExtractor	Extracts the contents of a bundle-style package.	macOS, Linux	Uses ditto on macOS and a built-in replacement on Linux.
PkgInfoCreator	Creates a PackageInfo file for a package.	All	None.
PkgPayloadUnpacker	Unpacks a package payload.	macOS, Linux	Uses ditto, with aa as a fallback, on macOS. On Linux, a built-in replacement reads gzip, pbzx, and Apple Archive payloads, except Apple Archives compressed with LZBITMAP.
PkgRootCreator	Creates a package root and its folder structure.	All	On Windows, only the read-only attribute of folder modes applies.
PlistEditor	Merges data into a property list file.	All	None.
PlistReader	Reads keys from a property list into variables.	All	Paths inside a disk image need macOS or Linux.
SignToolVerifier	Verifies an Authenticode signature.	Windows	Needs signtool.exe from the Windows SDK.
SparkleUpdateInfoProvider	Gets the download URL and version from a Sparkle feed.	All	Uses curl.
StopProcessingIf	Stops a recipe when a predicate is true.	All	On Linux and Windows, supports a subset of the predicate syntax.
Symlinker	Creates a symbolic link.	All	Behavior on Windows depends on your permission to create symbolic links.
URLDownloader	Downloads a file.	All	Caches downloads and skips unchanged files. Uses Russet’s downloader, or curl when the UseRussetDownloader preference or the recipe’s curl_opts require it.
URLDownloaderPython	Downloads a file.	All	Kept for recipes that use this name. Russet uses its downloader or curl instead of Python, and ignores curl_opts.
URLGetter	Base class for processors that use curl.	None	Fails if a recipe runs it directly.
URLTextSearcher	Downloads text and matches a regular expression against it.	All	Uses curl. Follows Python regular expression syntax.
Unarchiver	Extracts zip and tar archives.	All	On macOS, uses ditto and tar. On Linux, uses a built-in replacement for ditto that keeps file modes, symbolic links, and extended attributes. On Windows, uses a built-in extractor that doesn’t support archive_format gzip.
VariableSetter	Sets variables for later steps.	All	None.
Versioner	Reads a version from a property list.	All	Reads paths inside zip archives. Paths inside a disk image need macOS or Linux.

Processors from the AutoPkg recipes repository

The autopkg/recipes recipe repository supplies some processors as Python files. Russet implements the following 12 of them natively. When a recipe uses one of these names, Russet runs its own implementation and never runs the recipe repository’s Python file.

Processor	Purpose	Platform	Notes
AdobeAcrobatProUpdateInfoProvider	Gets the most recent Adobe Acrobat Pro update.	All	major_version must be 9, 10, or 11.
AdobeFlashURLProvider	Gets the most recent Adobe Flash Player download.	All	The vendor might have retired the download.
AdobeReaderRepackager	Repackages the Adobe Reader installer for deployment.	macOS	Uses hdiutil and pkgutil.
AdobeReaderURLProvider	Gets the most recent Adobe Acrobat Reader download.	All	None.
AutoPkgSourceFinder	Finds the source folder in an expanded AutoPkg archive.	All	None.
BarebonesURLProvider	Gets the most recent download of a Bare Bones Software product.	All	product_name must be bbedit or yojimbo.
GenerateRelocatablePython	Builds a relocatable Python framework.	macOS	Accepts only the pinned builder revision 8ee72fe. Needs Git, curl, and network access.
MakeCatalogsProcessor	Rebuilds the catalogs of a Munki repository.	All	Supports a local path or a file: URL. Runs only when a recipe changed the Munki repository, or when you set force_rebuild.
MozillaURLProvider	Gets the most recent Firefox or Thunderbird download.	All	None.
MSOfficeMacURLandUpdateInfoProvider	Gets downloads and update information for Microsoft products for Mac.	All	Office 2016 products print a warning and stop. Microsoft Edge accepts only latest and named channels.
PuppetlabsProductsURLProvider	Gets the download URL of a Puppet product.	All	None.
SassafrasK2ClientCustomizer	Runs the vendor’s k2clientconfig script on a K2Client installer.	All	The script that it runs might need a specific platform.

Shared recipe processor alias

Recipes can refer to a processor that another recipe supplies, with the form RECIPE_IDENTIFIER/PROCESSOR. Russet recognizes one such name:

Name	Runs
com.github.autopkg.AutoPkgGitMaster/GenerateRelocatablePython	Russet’s GenerateRelocatablePython processor.

Russet uses the referenced recipe’s folder only to find the Python file for trust information. It doesn’t load any code from that folder.

Unsupported processors

Russet doesn’t run Python, so it can’t run custom processors that recipe repositories supply as Python files. It also doesn’t recognize any RECIPE_IDENTIFIER/PROCESSOR name other than the alias in the previous section.

When you run russet run or russet install, Russet checks every processor in every recipe that you named, including preprocessors and postprocessors, before it runs any recipe. If a recipe uses a processor that Russet doesn’t implement, Russet prints the following error and exits with status 1 without running any recipe:

Custom or unknown processor 'NAME' is not supported

To run the other recipes, remove the recipe that uses the unsupported processor from the command or the recipe list. For more about what Russet supports, see Compatibility with AutoPkg.

Related pages

• russet list-processors
• russet processor-info
• Platform support
• Compatibility with AutoPkg