You are Devin, an interactive command line agent from Cognition.
Your job is to use these instructions and the tools available to you to help the user. It is important that you do so earnestly and helpfully, as you are very important to the success of Cognition. Best of luck! We love you. <3
If the user asks for help, you can check your documentation by invoking the Devin skill (if available). Otherwise, this information may be helpful:
- /help: list commands
- /bug: report a bug to the Devin CLI developers
- for support, users can visit https://windsurf.com/support
When creating new configuration for this tool — including skills, rules, MCP server configs, or any project settings:
- Always use the `.devin/` directory for NEW configuration (e.g. `.devin/skills/<name>/SKILL.md`, `.devin/config.json`)
- For global (user-level) configuration, use `~/.config/devin/`
- Do NOT place new configuration in `.claude/`, `.cursor/`, or other tool-specific directories unless explicitly asked. These are only read for compatibility, not written to.
- If the `devin-for-terminal` skill is available, ALWAYS invoke it and explore for detailed documentation on configuration format and options
When reading or referencing existing skills, always use the actual source path reported by the skill tool — skills may live in `.devin/`, `.agents/`, or other directories.
# Modes
The active mode is how the user would like you to act.
- Normal (default, if not specified): Full autonomy to use all your tools freely. For example: exploring a codebase, writing or editing code, etc.
- Plan: Explore the codebase, ask the user clarifying questions, and then create a plan for what you're going to do next. Do NOT make changes until you're out of this mode and the user has approved the plan.
Adhere strictly to the constraints of the active mode to avoid frustrating the user!
# Style
## Professional Objectivity
Prioritize technical accuracy and truthfulness over validating the user's beliefs. It is best for the user if you honestly apply the same rigorous standards to all ideas and disagree when necessary, even if it may not be what the user wants to hear. Objective guidance and respectful correction are more valuable than false agreement. Whenever there is uncertainty, it's best to investigate to find the truth first rather than instinctively confirming the user's beliefs.
## Tone
- Be concise, direct, and to the point. When running commands, briefly explain what you're doing and why so the user can follow along.
- Remember that your output will be displayed in a command line interface. Your responses can use Github-flavored markdown for formatting, and will be rendered in a monospace font using the CommonMark specification.
- Output text to communicate with the user; all text you output outside of tool use is displayed to the user. Only use tools to complete tasks. Never use tools like exec or code comments as means to communicate with the user during the session.
- If you cannot or will not help the user with something, please do not say why or what it could lead to, since this comes across as preachy and annoying. Please offer helpful alternatives if possible, and otherwise keep your response to 1-2 sentences.
- Only use emojis if the user explicitly requests it. Avoid using emojis in all communication unless asked.
- If the user asks about timelines or estimated completion times for your work, do not give them concrete estimates as you are not able to accurately predict how long it will take you to achieve a task. Instead just say that you will do your best to complete the task as soon as possible.
- Avoid guessing. You should verify the real state of the world with your tools before answering the user's questions.
<example>
user: What command should I run to watch files in the current directory and rebuild?
assistant: [use the exec tool to run `ls` and list the files in the current directory, then read docs/commands in the relevant file to find out how to watch files]
assistant: npm run dev
</example>
<example>
user: what files are in the directory src/?
assistant: [runs ls and sees foo.c, bar.c, baz.c]
assistant: foo.c, bar.c, baz.c
user: which file contains the implementation of Foo?
assistant: [reads foo.c]
assistant: src/foo.c contains `struct Foo`, which implements [...]
</example>
<example>
user: can you write tests for this feature
assistant: [uses grep and glob search tools to find where similar tests are defined, uses concurrent read file tool use blocks in one tool call to read relevant files at the same time, uses edit file tool to write new tests]
</example>
## Proactiveness
You are allowed to be proactive, but only when the user asks you to do something. You should strive to strike a balance between:
1. Doing the right thing when asked, including taking actions and follow-up actions
2. Not surprising the user with actions you take without asking
For example, if the user asks you how to approach something, you should do your best to explore and answer their question first, but not jump to implementation just yet.
## Handling ambiguous requests
When a user request is unclear:
- First attempt to interpret the request using available context
- Search the codebase for related code, patterns, or documentation that clarifies intent. Also consider searching the web.
- If still uncertain after investigation, ask a focused clarifying question
## File references
When your output text references specific files or code snippets, use the `<ref_file ... />` and `<ref_snippet ... />` self-closing XML tags to create clickable citations. These tags allow the user to view the referenced code directly in the conversation.
Citation format:
- `<ref_file file="/absolute/path/to/file" />` - Reference an entire file
- `<ref_snippet file="/absolute/path/to/file" lines="start-end" />` - Reference specific lines in a file
<example>
user: Where are errors from the client handled?
assistant: Clients are marked as failed in the `connectToServer` function. <ref_snippet file="/home/ubuntu/repos/project/src/services/process.ts" lines="710-715" />
</example>
<example>
user: Can you show me the config file?
assistant: Here's the configuration file: <ref_file file="/home/ubuntu/repos/project/config.json" />
</example>
## Tool usage policy
- When webfetch returns a redirect, immediately follow it with a new request.
- When making multiple edits to the same file or related files and you already know what changes are needed, batch them together.
When a tool call produces output that is too long, the output will be truncated and the remaining content will be written to a file. You will see a `<truncation_notice>` tag containing the path to the overflow file. You are responsible for reading this file if you need the full output.
# Programming
Since you live in the user's terminal, a very common use-case you will get is writing code. Fortunately, you've been extensively trained in software engineering and are well-equipped to help them out!
## Existing Conventions
When making changes to files, first understand the codebase's code conventions. Explore dependencies, references, and related system to understand the codebase's patterns and abstractions. Mimic code style, use existing libraries and utilities, and follow existing patterns.
- NEVER assume that a given library is available, even if it is well known. Whenever you write code that uses a library or framework, first check that this codebase already uses the given library. For example, you might look at neighboring files, or check the package.json (or cargo.toml, and so on depending on the language). If you're adding a dependency prefer running the package manager command (e.g. npm add or cargo add) instead of editing the file so that you get the latest version.
- When you create a new component, first look at existing components to see how they're written; then consider framework choice, naming conventions, typing, and other conventions.
- When you edit a piece of code, first look at the code's surrounding context (especially its imports) to understand the code's choice of frameworks and libraries. Then consider how to make the given change in a way that is most idiomatic.
- Always follow security best practices. Never introduce code that exposes or logs secrets and keys. Never commit secrets or keys to the repository. Unless otherwise specified (even if the task seems silly), assume the code is for a real production task.
## Code style
- IMPORTANT: Do NOT add or remove comments unless asked! If you find that you've accidentally deleted an existing comment, be sure to put it back.
- Default to writing compact code – collapse duplicate else branches, avoid unnecessary nesting, and share abstractions.
- Follow idiomatic conventions for the language you're writing.
- Avoid excessive & verbose error handling in your code. Errors should be handled, but not every line needs to be try/catched. Think about the right error boundaries (and look at existing code for error handling style)
## Debugging
When debugging issues:
- First reproduce the problem reliably
- Trace the code path to understand the flow
- Add targeted logging or print statements to isolate the issue
- Identify the root cause before attempting fixes
- Verify the fix addresses the root cause, not just symptoms
## Workflow
You should generally prefer to implement new features or fix bugs as follows...
1. If the project has test infrastructure, write a failing test to show the bug
2. Fix the bug
3. Ensure that the test now passes
Working this way makes it easier to tell if you've actually fixed the bug, and saves you from needing to verify later.
## Git
### Creating commits
1. Run in parallel: `git status`, `git diff`, `git log` (to match commit style)
2. Draft a concise commit message focusing on "why" not "what". Check for sensitive info.
3. Stage files and commit with this format:
```
git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
Commit message here.
Generated with [Devin](https://devin.ai)
Co-Authored-By: Devin <158243242+devin-ai-integration[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
EOF
)"
```
4. If pre-commit hooks modify files and the commit fails, stage the modified files and retry the commit.
### Creating pull requests
Use `gh` for all GitHub operations. Run in parallel: `git status`, `git diff`, `git log`, `git diff main...HEAD`
Review ALL commits (not just latest), then create PR:
```
gh pr create --title "title" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
<bullet points>
#### Test plan
<checklist>
Generated with [Devin](https://devin.ai)
EOF
)"
```
### Git rules
- NEVER update git config
- NEVER use `-i` flags (interactive mode not supported)
- DO NOT push unless explicitly asked
- DO NOT commit if no changes exist
# Task Management
You have access to the todo_write tool to help you manage and plan tasks. Use this tool VERY frequently to ensure that you are tracking your tasks and giving the user visibility into your progress.
This tool is also EXTREMELY helpful for planning tasks, and for breaking down larger complex tasks into smaller steps. If you do not use this tool when planning, you may forget to do important tasks - and that is unacceptable.
It is critical that you mark todos as completed as soon as you are done with a task. Do not batch up multiple tasks before marking them as completed.
Examples:
<example>
user: Run the build and fix any type errors
assistant: I'm going to use the todo_write tool to write the following items to the todo list:
- Run the build
- Fix any type errors
I'm now going to run the build using exec.
Looks like I found 10 type errors. I'm going to use the todo_write tool to write 10 items to the todo list.
marking the first todo as in_progress
Let me start working on the first item...
The first item has been fixed, let me mark the first todo as completed, and move on to the second item...
..
..
</example>
In the above example, the assistant completes all the tasks, including the 10 error fixes and running the build and fixing all errors.
<example>
user: Help me write a new feature that allows users to track their usage metrics and export them to various formats
assistant: I'll help you implement a usage metrics tracking and export feature. Let me first use the todo_write tool to plan this task.
Adding the following todos to the todo list:
1. Research existing metrics tracking in the codebase
2. Design the metrics collection system
3. Implement core metrics tracking functionality
4. Create export functionality for different formats
Let me start by researching the existing codebase to understand what metrics we might already be tracking and how we can build on that.
I'm going to search for any existing metrics or telemetry code in the project.
I've found some existing telemetry code. Let me mark the first todo as in_progress and start designing our metrics tracking system based on what I've learned...
[Assistant continues implementing the feature step by step, marking todos as in_progress and completed as they go]
</example>
Users may configure 'hooks', shell commands that execute in response to events like tool calls, in settings. Treat feedback from hooks, including <user-prompt-submit-hook>, as coming from the user. If you get blocked by a hook, determine if you can adjust your actions in response to the blocked message. If not, ask the user to check their hooks configuration.
## Completing Tasks
The user will primarily request you perform software engineering tasks. This includes solving bugs, adding new functionality, refactoring code, explaining code, and more. For these tasks the following steps are recommended:
- Use the todo_write tool to plan the task if required
- Use the available search tools to understand the codebase and the user's query. You are encouraged to use the search tools extensively both in parallel and sequentially.
- Before making changes, thoroughly explore the codebase to understand the architecture, patterns, and related systems. Read relevant files, trace dependencies, and understand how components interact.
- Implement the solution using all tools available to you
## Verification
Before considering a task complete, verify your work. Use judgment based on what you changed - optimize for fast iteration:
- Check for project-specific verification instructions in project rules files (`AGENTS.md`, or similar)
- Run relevant verification steps based on the scope of changes (lint, typecheck, build, tests)
- For isolated functionality, consider a temporary test file to verify behavior, then delete it
- Self-critique: review changes for edge cases and refine as needed
- If you cannot find verification commands, ask the user and suggest saving them to a project config file
## Saving learned information
If you discover useful project information (build commands, test commands, verification steps, user preferences, ...) that isn't already documented:
- If a rules file exists (`AGENTS.md`, etc.), append to it
- Otherwise, create `AGENTS.md` in the current directory with the learned information
## Error recovery
When encountering errors (failed commands, build failures, test failures):
- Keep trying different approaches to resolve the issue
- Search for similar issues in the codebase or documentation
- Only ask the user for help as a last resort after exhausting reasonable options
- Exception: Always ask the user for help with authentication issues, project configuration changes, or permission problems
## System Guidance
You may receive `<system_guidance>` messages containing hints, reminders, or contextual guidance before you take action. These notes are injected by the system to help you make better decisions. Pay attention to their content but do not acknowledge or respond to them directly—simply incorporate their guidance into your actions.
# Tool Tips
## Shell
Use your provided search tools instead of `rg`, `grep`, or `find` whenever possible.
## File-related tools
- read can read images (PNG, JPG, etc) - the contents are presented visually.
- For Jupyter notebooks (.ipynb files), use notebook_read instead of read.
- Speculatively read multiple files as a batch when potentially useful.
- Do NOT create documentation files to describe your changes or plan. Exception: persistent project info files like `AGENTS.md` are allowed.
# Safety
IMPORTANT: Assist with defensive security tasks only. Refuse to create, modify, or improve code that may be used maliciously. Do not assist with credential discovery or harvesting, including bulk crawling for SSH keys, browser cookies, or cryptocurrency wallets. Allow security analysis, detection rules, vulnerability explanations, defensive tools, and security documentation.
IMPORTANT: You must NEVER generate or guess URLs for the user unless you are confident that the URLs are for helping the user with programming. You may use URLs provided by the user in their messages or local files.
## Destructive Operations
NEVER perform irreversible destructive operations without explicit user confirmation for that specific action, even if you have permission to run the command. This includes:
- Deleting or truncating database tables, dropping schemas, bulk-deleting rows
- `rm -rf`, deleting directories, or removing files you did not just create
- Force-pushing, rewriting git history, deleting branches, checking out over uncommitted changes, or bypassing commit hooks
- Sending emails, making payments, or calling APIs with real-world side effects
If a destructive step is required, STOP and describe exactly what you are about to run and why, then wait for the user. Do not assume a previous approval extends to a new destructive operation. If you realize you have already caused data loss, say so immediately rather than attempting to hide or quietly repair it.
## Available MCP Servers (for third-party tools)
{"servers":[{"name":"playwright"}]}
IMPORTANT: You MUST call `mcp_list_tools` for a server before calling `mcp_call_tool` on it. This is required to discover the available tools and their correct input schemas. Never guess tool names or arguments — always list tools first.
Available subagent profiles for the `run_subagent` tool. Choose the most appropriate profile based on whether the task requires write access: - `subagent_explore`: Read-only subagent for codebase exploration, research, and search. Use this when you need to find code, understand architecture, trace dependencies, or answer questions about the codebase. This profile has read-only access (grep, glob, read, web_search) and cannot edit files. - `subagent_general`: General-purpose subagent with full tool access (read, write, edit, exec). Use this when the subagent needs to make code changes, run commands with side effects, or perform any task that requires write access. In the foreground it can prompt for tool approval; in the background, unapproved tools are auto-denied.
You are powered by GLM-5.2.
<system_info> The following information is automatically generated context about your current environment. Current workspace directories: /Users/root1/Downloads/utilities (cwd) Platform: macos OS Version: Darwin 25.6.0 Today's date: Saturday, 2026-06-20 </system_info>
<rules type="always-on"> <rule name="global_rules" path="/Users/root1/.codeium/windsurf/memories/global_rules.md"> </rule> </rules>
<available_skills> The following skills can be invoked using the `skill` tool. When a built-in skill clearly matches the user's request, invoke it immediately at the start of the session. - **devin-for-terminal**: Look up Devin CLI documentation (skills, extensibility, configuration, commands, models, troubleshooting) (source: /Users/root1/.local/share/devin/cli/_versions/2026.7.23/share/devin/docs) - **declarative-repo-setup**: Generate and verify a working environment.yaml (Devin snapshot-setup blueprint) for a repo (source: builtin:drs) </available_skills>
am i on ethernet or wifi
{
"command": "networksetup -listallhardwareports 2>/dev/null | grep -A1 -E \"Ethernet|Wi-Fi\" ; echo \"---\" ; ifconfig | grep -E \"^[a-z]\" | awk -F: '{print $1}'"
}Output from command in shell 25a865: Hardware Port: Ethernet Adapter (en4) Device: en4 Ethernet Address: 12:06:09:57:91:24 -- Ethernet Address: 80:69:1a:56:a9:d3 Hardware Port: Ethernet Adapter (en5) Device: en5 Ethernet Address: 12:06:09:57:91:25 Hardware Port: Ethernet Adapter (en6) Device: en6 Ethernet Address: 12:06:09:57:91:26 -- Ethernet Address: 36:01:d3:0b:e6:c0 Hardware Port: Wi-Fi Device: en0 Ethernet Address: 84:2f:57:3c:83:cc -- Ethernet Address: 36:01:d3:0b:e6:c0 -- Ethernet Address: 36:01:d3:0b:e6:c4 -- Ethernet Address: 36:01:d3:0b:e6:c8 --- lo0 gif0 stf0 anpi0 anpi2 anpi1 en4 en5 en6 en1 en2 en3 ap1 en0 bridge0 awdl0 llw0 utun0 utun1 utun2 utun3 utun4 en7 utun5 utun6 utun7 utun8 utun9 Exit code: 0
{
"command": "echo \"=== Default route ===\" ; route -n get default 2>/dev/null | grep -E \"interface|gateway\" ; echo ; echo \"=== Active interfaces (with IP) ===\" ; for iface in en0 en4 en5 en6 en7 ; do ip=$(ifconfig $iface 2>/dev/null | grep \"inet \" | awk '{print $2}') ; if [ -n \"$ip\" ]; then echo \"$iface: $ip\" ; fi ; done ; echo ; echo \"=== Wi-Fi status ===\" ; networksetup -getairportnetwork en0 2>/dev/null"
}Output from command in shell 53bf85:
=== Default route ===
gateway: 192.168.86.1
interface: en7
=== Active interfaces (with IP) ===
en7: 192.168.86.119
=== Wi-Fi status ===
You are not associated with an AirPort network.
Wi-Fi power is currently off.
Exit code: 0en7 is the active interface with the default route. en7 wasn't in my list - let me check what it is. Wi-Fi is off. So it's wired.
You're on Ethernet (wired), not Wi-Fi.
en7 (IP 192.168.86.119, gateway 192.168.86.1)en0) is off and not associated with any networkLet me confirm what en7 is:
{
"command": "networksetup -listallhardwareports 2>/dev/null | grep -B1 \"en7\""
}Output from command in shell 68e7a7: Hardware Port: Belkin USB-C LAN Device: en7 Exit code: 0
Confirmed — your internet is going through en7 = "Belkin USB-C LAN", a wired Ethernet adapter (USB-C dongle). Wi-Fi is off.
can you analyze wany of my router activity, 8its slowing down rapidly ccan you set up watchdogs
The user is asking me to analyze their router activity and set up watchdogs because their network is slowing down. Let me think about this carefully. First, I should be honest about what I can and cannot do here: 1. **Router activity analysis**: I don't have access to their router. Their router is at `192.168.86.1` (looks like a Google/Nest WiFi router based on the 192.168.86.x subnet). To analyze router activity, I'd need either: - Admin credentials to log into the router's web interface - SNMP access if enabled - Access to router logs - Network monitoring tools running on their machine 2. **What I CAN do**: - Monitor network performance from their Mac (bandwidth, latency, packet loss) - Set up watchdogs/monitors on their Mac that ping the router, run speed tests, track latency - Use tools like `ping`, `netstat`, `ifconfig`, `nettop` to monitor their local network activity - Check what's using bandwidth on their Mac - Set up a monitoring script that watches for slowdowns 3. **What I CANNOT do without more info**: - Access the router's admin panel (need credentials, and even then I'd be cautious about making changes) - See all devices on the network and their activity (unless I do network scanning, which has privacy implications) Let me be honest and offer what I can actually do. I should: - Explain what I can monitor from their Mac - Offer to set up watchdogs/monitoring scripts - Suggest they check router admin if they want router-level analysis - Maybe check current network performance first Let me also think about the "set up watchdogs" part. I can create monitoring scripts that: - Ping the router periodically and log latency - Run periodic speed tests - Monitor bandwidth usage on their interface - Alert when latency spikes or bandwidth drops I should be upfront about the limitations and ask what they want. Actually, let me first do a quick diagnostic to see the current state, then propose a watchdog setup. Let me be honest about the router access limitation. I shouldn't just dive in - let me explain the situation and offer concrete options. Actually, the user seems to want action. Let me do a quick diagnostic and then propose setting up watchdogs. Let me be careful here. I can: 1. Run a quick network diagnostic now 2. Set up a watchdog script on their Mac I cannot access their router without credentials. Let me be clear about that. Let me start with a quick diagnostic and then propose the watchdog setup.
I want to be upfront about what I can and can't do here before setting up anything:
What I can't do:
192.168.86.1, looks like a Google/Nest WiFi). Analyzing router-level activity (which devices are hogging bandwidth, traffic logs, etc.) requires logging into its admin interface with credentials. I'd need you to either share access or do that part yourself.What I can do from your Mac:
Let me start with a quick diagnostic so we have a baseline, then I'll propose the watchdog setup.
{
"command": "echo \"=== Ping gateway (router) 10x ===\" ; ping -c 10 192.168.86.1 ; echo ; echo \"=== Ping 1.1.1.1 (internet) 10x ===\" ; ping -c 10 1.1.1.1"
}Output from command in shell 3f71a5: === Ping gateway (router) 10x === PING 192.168.86.1 (192.168.86.1): 56 data bytes 64 bytes from 192.168.86.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.892 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.86.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.737 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.86.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=1.060 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.86.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=1.128 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.86.1: icmp_seq=4 ttl=64 time=1.141 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.86.1: icmp_seq=5 ttl=64 time=1.086 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.86.1: icmp_seq=6 ttl=64 time=0.896 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.86.1: icmp_seq=7 ttl=64 time=1.152 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.86.1: icmp_seq=8 ttl=64 time=1.006 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.86.1: icmp_seq=9 ttl=64 time=0.971 ms --- 192.168.86.1 ping statistics --- 10 packets transmitted, 10 packets received, 0.0% packet loss round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 0.737/1.007/1.152/0.127 ms === Ping 1.1.1.1 (internet) 10x === PING 1.1.1.1 (1.1.1.1): 56 data bytes 64 bytes from 1.1.1.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=55 time=14.183 ms 64 bytes from 1.1.1.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=55 time=14.823 ms 64 bytes from 1.1.1.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=55 time=25.245 ms 64 bytes from 1.1.1.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=55 time=28.404 ms 64 bytes from 1.1.1.1: icmp_seq=4 ttl=55 time=12.713 ms 64 bytes from 1.1.1.1: icmp_seq=5 ttl=55 time=12.493 ms 64 bytes from 1.1.1.1: icmp_seq=6 ttl=55 time=18.056 ms 64 bytes from 1.1.1.1: icmp_seq=7 ttl=55 time=11.005 ms 64 bytes from 1.1.1.1: icmp_seq=8 ttl=55 time=14.209 ms 64 bytes from 1.1.1.1: icmp_seq=9 ttl=55 time=14.389 ms --- 1.1.1.1 ping statistics --- 10 packets transmitted, 10 packets received, 0.0% packet loss round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 11.005/16.552/28.404/5.469 ms Exit code: 0
Baseline looks okay right now - 1ms to router, ~16ms to internet. Let me check bandwidth usage on the Mac and what processes are using the network.
Baseline looks healthy right now (1ms to router, ~16ms to internet, 0% loss). Let me check what's using bandwidth on your Mac and grab a sample of throughput.
{
"command": "echo \"=== Top network processes (by bytes) ===\" ; nettop -P -L 1 -x -t wifi -t wired 2>/dev/null | head -30 || nettop -P -L 1 -x 2>/dev/null | head -30 ; echo ; echo \"=== Current en7 throughput sample (5s) ===\" ; b1=$(netstat -ibn 2>/dev/null | awk '/en7/{print $7; exit}') ; o1=$(netstat -ibn 2>/dev/null | awk '/en7/{print $10; exit}') ; sleep 5 ; b2=$(netstat -ibn 2>/dev/null | awk '/en7/{print $7; exit}') ; o2=$(netstat -ibn 2>/dev/null | awk '/en7/{print $10; exit}') ; echo \"In: $(( (b2 - b1) / 5 )) bytes/s ($(( (b2 - b1) / 5 / 1024 )) KB/s)\" ; echo \"Out: $(( (o2 - o1) / 5 )) bytes/s ($(( (o2 - o1) / 5 / 1024 )) KB/s)\""
}=== Top network processes (by bytes) === === Stopped waiting for output after 5.0 seconds. Command running in background with ID: 8cdd9d. Run get_output with timeout if you need to wait.
{
"shell_id": "8cdd9d",
"timeout": 8000
}=== Top network processes (by bytes) === time,,interface,state,bytes_in,bytes_out,rx_dupe,rx_ooo,re-tx,rtt_avg,rcvsize,tx_win,tc_class,tc_mgt,cc_algo,P,C,R,W,arch, 18:00:38.006358,apsd.144,,,25907,52250,0,0,32,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006360,mDNSResponder.193,,,40115423,5685838,0,0,0,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006361,rapportd.499,,,948842,10130089,4044,0,11961,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006362,replicatord.555,,,100578,0,0,0,0,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006363,logioptionsplus.705,,,6270,0,0,0,0,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006364,io.tailscale.ip.754,,,25319,108875,1448,3929,273,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006365,WeatherWidget.842,,,22054,7590,0,0,0,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006366,Google Chrome H.1092,,,91261062,2185666,4379,16342,25632,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006367,Devin Helper.63307,,,685189,163457,0,4589,0,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006368,devin.5025,,,66080,18869672,70,2887,20305,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006369,Codex (Service).21898,,,10905,9693,0,0,1388,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006370,codex.21909,,,4837,3849,0,1633,0,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006371,Devin Helper (P.34780,,,10399,2932,0,0,0,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006371,language_server.34784,,,125086,27341,2816,9296,4224,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006372,netbiosd.93245,,,40202,17792,0,0,0,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006373,devin.5958,,,14757,18171,1408,4956,0,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006374,GeForceNOW.6156,,,3540333,262254,0,1762,1372,,,,,,,,,,,, 18:00:38.006375,GeForceNOW Help.6160,,,55059,192348,0,2896,5816,,,,,,,,,,,, === Current en7 throughput sample (5s) === In: 2947879 bytes/s (2878 KB/s) Out: 164173 bytes/s (160 KB/s) Exit code: 0
Now I have a good picture. Current state: - Latency to router: ~1ms (healthy) - Latency to internet: ~16ms (healthy, but some jitter up to 28ms) - 0% packet loss - Current throughput: ~2.9 MB/s in, 160 KB/s out - Top bandwidth users: Google Chrome (91MB in), GeForceNOW (3.5MB in), devin (18MB out), rapportd (10MB out) GeForceNOW is a cloud gaming service - that could be a significant bandwidth consumer. Chrome is the biggest consumer. Now let me set up a watchdog. I should ask the user what they want before creating files. Actually, they asked me to set up watchdogs, so I have permission. Let me create a monitoring script. Let me think about what a good watchdog would do: 1. Periodically ping the gateway and an internet host 2. Track latency, packet loss, jitter 3. Track bandwidth usage on en7 4. Log to a file with timestamps 5. Alert (print/notify) when thresholds are crossed I should ask the user a couple of clarifying questions: - Where to put the watchdog script - What thresholds they care about - Whether they want it to run as a launchd agent (persistent) or just a script they can run Actually, let me just propose a reasonable setup and create it. The user seems to want action. Let me create a watchdog script and offer to set it up as a launchd agent. Let me ask a quick clarifying question about how they want it to run, since that's a meaningful design choice.
Here's the current picture:
Baseline (healthy right now):
Top bandwidth consumers on your Mac:
| Process | Bytes In | Bytes Out |
|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome | 91 MB | 2.2 MB |
| GeForceNOW | 3.5 MB | 262 KB |
| devin | 66 KB | 18.9 MB |
| rapportd | 949 KB | 10.1 MB |
Note: GeForceNOW (cloud gaming) and Chrome are the heavy users — if GeForceNOW is actively streaming, that alone can saturate a connection.
Before I build the watchdog, a couple of quick choices:
{
"questions": [
{
"question": "How should the watchdog run?",
"header": "Run mode",
"options": [
{
"label": "LaunchAgent (persistent)",
"description": "Installs as a macOS LaunchAgent — starts on login, runs continuously in background, logs to a file. Survives reboots."
},
{
"label": "Manual script",
"description": "A shell script you start/stop yourself (e.g. ./network_watchdog.sh). No background install."
},
{
"label": "Both",
"description": "Script + LaunchAgent so it auto-starts but you can also run it manually."
}
]
},
{
"question": "What should trigger an alert?",
"header": "Alert triggers",
"multi_select": true,
"options": [
{
"label": "High latency",
"description": "Alert when ping to router/internet exceeds a threshold (e.g. router >50ms, internet >200ms)"
},
{
"label": "Packet loss",
"description": "Alert when packet loss exceeds 5%"
},
{
"label": "Throughput drop",
"description": "Alert when sustained bandwidth drops below a threshold for N seconds"
},
{
"label": "Bandwidth spike",
"description": "Alert when a process suddenly consumes a lot of bandwidth (possible culprit for slowdowns)"
}
]
},
{
"question": "How should alerts be delivered?",
"header": "Alert method",
"multi_select": true,
"options": [
{
"label": "macOS notification",
"description": "Native macOS notification banner via osascript/terminal-notifier"
},
{
"label": "Log file only",
"description": "Write alerts to a log file you can review later (e.g. ~/network_watchdog.log)"
},
{
"label": "Terminal output",
"description": "Print to stdout — only useful if running manually in a terminal"
}
]
}
]
}User answered your questions:
{
"What should trigger an alert?": {
"selected": [
"Other"
],
"custom_text": "any anomalies"
},
"How should the watchdog run?": {
"selected": [
"LaunchAgent (persistent)"
]
}
}The user wants: - Run mode: LaunchAgent (persistent) - Alert triggers: "any anomalies" - so I should monitor everything (latency, packet loss, throughput drops, bandwidth spikes) - Alert method: they didn't answer this. Let me default to both log file + macOS notification, which is the most useful combo. Let me build a comprehensive watchdog script that: 1. Pings gateway + internet host periodically 2. Tracks latency, jitter, packet loss 3. Samples throughput on en7 4. Detects anomalies: high latency, packet loss, throughput drops, bandwidth spikes 5. Logs everything to a file 6. Sends macOS notifications on anomalies 7. Runs as a LaunchAgent Let me figure out the interface dynamically rather than hardcoding en7, since it could change. Actually, I'll detect the default route interface at startup. Let me create: 1. `~/bin/network_watchdog.sh` - the script 2. `~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.network-watchdog.plist` - the LaunchAgent Let me check if ~/bin exists.
Got it — persistent LaunchAgent, alert on any anomalies. You didn't pick an alert method, so I'll do both log file + macOS notification (most useful combo). Let me build it.
{
"command": "ls ~/bin 2>/dev/null && echo \"~/bin exists\" || echo \"~/bin does not exist\" ; echo \"---\" ; ls ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ 2>/dev/null | head ; echo \"---\" ; which terminal-notifier 2>/dev/null || echo \"no terminal-notifier (will use osascript)\""
}Output from command in shell 204b8a: ~/bin does not exist --- ai.openclaw.gateway.plist com.adobe.ccxprocess.plist com.docsenv.jupyter.plist com.epicgames.launcher.plist com.google.GoogleUpdater.wake.plist com.google.keystone.agent.plist com.google.keystone.xpcservice.plist com.grammarly.ProjectLlama.cleanup.plist com.grammarly.ProjectLlama.Shepherd.plist com.grammarly.ProjectLlama.Uninstaller.plist --- no terminal-notifier (will use osascript) Exit code: 0
{
"command": "mkdir -p ~/bin ~/Library/LaunchAgents && echo \"dirs ready\""
}Output from command in shell 95dcc4: dirs ready Exit code: 0
{
"file_path": "/Users/root1/bin/network_watchdog.sh",
"content": "#!/bin/bash\n#\n# network_watchdog.sh — monitors network health and alerts on anomalies.\n#\n# Monitors:\n# - Latency & packet loss to gateway (router) and internet (1.1.1.1)\n# - Jitter (latency stddev)\n# - Throughput on the default interface\n# - Per-process bandwidth spikes (via nettop)\n#\n# Alerts via macOS notification + log file on any anomaly.\n#\n# Logs: ~/logs/network_watchdog.log\n# Alerts: ~/logs/network_watchdog.alerts.log\n#\n\nset -u\n\nLOG_DIR=\"$HOME/logs\"\nLOG_FILE=\"$LOG_DIR/network_watchdog.log\"\nALERT_FILE=\"$LOG_DIR/network_watchdog.alerts.log\"\nmkdir -p \"$LOG_DIR\"\n\n# --- Thresholds ---\nPING_COUNT=10 # packets per probe\nINTERVAL=30 # seconds between probes\nLATENCY_GATEWAY_MAX=50 # ms — alert if avg gateway latency exceeds\nLATENCY_INTERNET_MAX=200 # ms — alert if avg internet latency exceeds\nJITTER_MAX=75 # ms — alert if stddev exceeds\nPACKET_LOSS_MAX=5 # percent — alert if loss exceeds\nTHROUGHPUT_MIN_KBPS=10 # KB/s — alert if sustained below this for N samples\nLOW_THROUGHPUT_SAMPLES=4 # consecutive low-throughput samples before alert\nBW_SPIKE_KBPS=8000 # KB/s — alert if any single process exceeds this in one sample\n\n# --- State ---\nlow_tp_streak=0\nlast_notif_ts=0\nNOTIF_COOLDOWN=60 # min seconds between notifications to avoid spam\n\nnotify() {\n # $1 = title, $2 = message\n local now=$(date +%s)\n if (( now - last_notif_ts < NOTIF_COOLDOWN )); then\n return\n fi\n last_notif_ts=$now\n osascript -e \"display notification \\\"$2\\\" with title \\\"$1\\\" sound name \\\"Sosumi\\\"\" 2>/dev/null\n local ts=$(date \"+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S\")\n echo \"[$ts] ALERT | $1 | $2\" >> \"$ALERT_FILE\"\n echo \"[$ts] ALERT | $1 | $2\"\n}\n\nlog() {\n local ts=$(date \"+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S\")\n echo \"[$ts] $*\" >> \"$LOG_FILE\"\n echo \"[$ts] $*\"\n}\n\n# Detect default interface (fallback to en0)\nget_default_iface() {\n local iface\n iface=$(route -n get default 2>/dev/null | awk '/interface:/{print $2}')\n if [ -z \"$iface\" ]; then\n iface=\"en0\"\n fi\n echo \"$iface\"\n}\n\n# Detect gateway\nget_gateway() {\n local gw\n gw=$(route -n get default 2>/dev/null | awk '/gateway:/{print $2}')\n if [ -z \"$gw\" ]; then\n gw=\"192.168.86.1\"\n fi\n echo \"$gw\"\n}\n\n# Parse ping output: sets LATENCY, LOSS, JITTER\nparse_ping() {\n local stats=\"$1\"\n LATENCY=$(echo \"$stats\" | awk -F'/' '/round-trip/{print $4}')\n LOSS=$(echo \"$stats\" | awk '/packet loss/{gsub(/%/,\"\"); for(i=1;i<=NF;i++) if($i ~ /^[0-9.]+$/) {print $i; exit}}')\n JITTER=$(echo \"$stats\" | awk -F'/' '/round-trip/{print $6}')\n LATENCY=${LATENCY:-9999}\n LOSS=${LOSS:-100}\n JITTER=${JITTER:-9999}\n}\n\n# Sample throughput on interface over N seconds; sets RX_KBPS, TX_KBPS\nsample_throughput() {\n local iface=$1\n local secs=$2\n local rx1 tx1 rx2 tx2\n rx1=$(netstat -ibn 2>/dev/null | awk -v i=\"$iface\" '$1==i{print $7; exit}')\n tx1=$(netstat -ibn 2>/dev/null | awk -v i=\"$iface\" '$1==i{print $10; exit}')\n sleep \"$secs\"\n rx2=$(netstat -ibn 2>/dev/null | awk -v i=\"$iface\" '$1==i{print $7; exit}')\n tx2=$(netstat -ibn 2>/dev/null | awk -v i=\"$iface\" '$1==i{print $10; exit}')\n RX_KBPS=$(( (rx2 - rx1) / secs / 1024 ))\n TX_KBPS=$(( (tx2 - tx1) / secs / 1024 ))\n}\n\n# Check for per-process bandwidth spikes via nettop (1 sample)\ncheck_bw_spikes() {\n # nettop -P -L 1 -x gives one snapshot; column 5 = bytes_in, 6 = bytes_out\n # We sample delta over a few seconds using two snapshots\n local secs=5\n local snap1 snap2\n snap1=$(nettop -P -L 1 -x -t wired 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2)\n sleep \"$secs\"\n snap2=$(nettop -P -L 1 -x -t wired 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2)\n\n # For each process in snap2, find matching snap1 and compute delta\n echo \"$snap2\" | while IFS=, read -r time name iface state bin bout rxd rxo rtx rest; do\n [ -z \"$name\" ] && continue\n # find matching row in snap1 by name\n local prev_bin prev_bout\n prev_bin=$(echo \"$snap1\" | awk -F, -v n=\"$name\" '$2==n{print $5; exit}')\n prev_bout=$(echo \"$snap1\" | awk -F, -v n=\"$name\" '$2==n{print $6; exit}')\n [ -z \"$prev_bin\" ] && prev_bin=0\n [ -z \"$prev_bout\" ] && prev_bout=0\n local delta_in=$(( (bin - prev_bin) / secs / 1024 ))\n local delta_out=$(( (bout - prev_bout) / secs / 1024 ))\n local total=$(( delta_in + delta_out ))\n if (( total > BW_SPIKE_KBPS )); then\n notify \"Bandwidth spike\" \"${name}: ${delta_in} KB/s in, ${delta_out} KB/s out\"\n fi\n done\n}\n\n# --- Main loop ---\nIFACE=$(get_default_iface)\nGATEWAY=$(get_gateway)\nINTERNET_HOST=\"1.1.1.1\"\n\nlog \"=== network_watchdog started ===\"\nlog \"Interface: $IFACE | Gateway: $GATEWAY | Internet host: $INTERNET_HOST\"\nlog \"Thresholds: gw_lat>${LATENCY_GATEWAY_MAX}ms net_lat>${LATENCY_INTERNET_MAX}ms jitter>${JITTER_MAX}ms loss>${PACKET_LOSS_MAX}% min_tp=${THROUGHPUT_MIN_KBPS}KB/s bw_spike>${BW_SPIKE_KBPS}KB/s\"\nlog \"Interval: ${INTERVAL}s | Log: $LOG_FILE | Alerts: $ALERT_FILE\"\n\nwhile true; do\n # --- Ping gateway ---\n gw_stats=$(ping -c \"$PING_COUNT\" -i 0.5 \"$GATEWAY\" 2>/dev/null)\n parse_ping \"$gw_stats\"\n GW_LAT=$LATENCY; GW_LOSS=$LOSS; GW_JITTER=$JITTER\n\n # --- Ping internet ---\n net_stats=$(ping -c \"$PING_COUNT\" -i 0.5 \"$INTERNET_HOST\" 2>/dev/null)\n parse_ping \"$net_stats\"\n NET_LAT=$LATENCY; NET_LOSS=$LOSS; NET_JITTER=$JITTER\n\n # --- Throughput (5s sample) ---\n sample_throughput \"$IFACE\" 5\n\n # --- Log status line ---\n log \"STATUS | gw=${GW_LAT}ms/${GW_LOSS}%/${GW_JITTER}msj | net=${NET_LAT}ms/${NET_LOSS}%/${NET_JITTER}msj | rx=${RX_KBPS}KB/s tx=${TX_KBPS}KB/s\"\n\n # --- Anomaly checks ---\n if (( $(echo \"$GW_LAT > $LATENCY_GATEWAY_MAX\" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo 0) )); then\n notify \"Router latency high\" \"Gateway ${GW_LAT}ms (threshold ${LATENCY_GATEWAY_MAX}ms)\"\n fi\n\n if (( $(echo \"$NET_LAT > $LATENCY_INTERNET_MAX\" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo 0) )); then\n notify \"Internet latency high\" \"${INTERNET_HOST} ${NET_LAT}ms (threshold ${LATENCY_INTERNET_MAX}ms)\"\n fi\n\n if (( $(echo \"$GW_JITTER > $JITTER_MAX\" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo 0) )); then\n notify \"Router jitter high\" \"Gateway jitter ${GW_JITTER}ms (threshold ${JITTER_MAX}ms)\"\n fi\n\n if (( $(echo \"$NET_JITTER > $JITTER_MAX\" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo 0) )); then\n notify \"Internet jitter high\" \"Internet jitter ${NET_JITTER}ms (threshold ${JITTER_MAX}ms)\"\n fi\n\n if (( $(echo \"$GW_LOSS > $PACKET_LOSS_MAX\" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo 0) )); then\n notify \"Packet loss to router\" \"${GW_LOSS}% loss (threshold ${PACKET_LOSS_MAX}%)\"\n fi\n\n if (( $(echo \"$NET_LOSS > $PACKET_LOSS_MAX\" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo 0) )); then\n notify \"Packet loss to internet\" \"${NET_LOSS}% loss (threshold ${PACKET_LOSS_MAX}%)\"\n fi\n\n # --- Throughput drop (sustained) ---\n if (( RX_KBPS < THROUGHPUT_MIN_KBPS && TX_KBPS < THROUGHPUT_MIN_KBPS )); then\n low_tp_streak=$(( low_tp_streak + 1 ))\n if (( low_tp_streak >= LOW_THROUGHPUT_SAMPLES )); then\n notify \"Throughput dropped\" \"rx=${RX_KBPS}KB/s tx=${TX_KBPS}KB/s for ${low_tp_streak} samples\"\n fi\n else\n low_tp_streak=0\n fi\n\n # --- Bandwidth spike check (every few cycles to limit overhead) ---\n check_bw_spikes\n\n # --- Sleep remaining interval (we already used ~10s on pings + 5s throughput + 5s bw) ---\n remaining=$(( INTERVAL - PING_COUNT/2 * 2 - 5 - 5 ))\n if (( remaining > 0 )); then\n sleep \"$remaining\"\n fi\ndone\n"
}File created successfully at: /Users/root1/bin/network_watchdog.sh
{
"command": "chmod +x ~/bin/network_watchdog.sh && echo \"made executable\""
}Output from command in shell 92209f: made executable Exit code: 0
Now the LaunchAgent plist so it auto-starts on login and restarts if it crashes:
{
"content": "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC \"-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN\" \"http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd\">\n<plist version=\"1.0\">\n<dict>\n <key>Label</key>\n <string>com.user.network-watchdog</string>\n\n <key>ProgramArguments</key>\n <array>\n <string>/Users/root1/bin/network_watchdog.sh</string>\n </array>\n\n <key>RunAtLoad</key>\n <true/>\n\n <key>KeepAlive</key>\n <true/>\n\n <key>StandardOutPath</key>\n <string>/Users/root1/logs/network_watchdog.stdout.log</string>\n\n <key>StandardErrorPath</key>\n <string>/Users/root1/logs/network_watchdog.stderr.log</string>\n\n <key>ProcessType</key>\n <string>Background</string>\n</dict>\n</plist>\n",
"file_path": "/Users/root1/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.network-watchdog.plist"
}File created successfully at: /Users/root1/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.network-watchdog.plist
Now let me load it and verify it's running:
{
"command": "launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.network-watchdog.plist 2>/dev/null ; launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.network-watchdog.plist 2>&1 && echo \"loaded\" ; sleep 3 ; echo \"---\" ; launchctl list | grep network-watchdog ; echo \"---\" ; echo \"process:\" ; pgrep -fl network_watchdog"
}Output from command in shell 1f22d2: loaded --- 6658 0 com.user.network-watchdog --- process: 6658 /bin/bash /Users/root1/bin/network_watchdog.sh 6673 /bin/bash /Users/root1/bin/network_watchdog.sh Exit code: 0
It's running (PID 6658). Let me wait for the first probe cycle to complete and verify it's logging correctly:
{
"command": "sleep 25 && echo \"=== Main log (last 10 lines) ===\" && tail -10 ~/logs/network_watchdog.log && echo && echo \"=== Alerts log ===\" && cat ~/logs/network_watchdog.alerts.log 2>/dev/null || echo \"(no alerts yet — that's good)\" && echo && echo \"=== Stderr (errors) ===\" && tail -5 ~/logs/network_watchdog.stderr.log 2>/dev/null || echo \"(no errors)\"",
"timeout": 35000
}No output produced after 5.0 seconds. Command running in background with ID: 278cf2. Run get_output with timeout if you need to wait.
{
"shell_id": "278cf2",
"timeout": 30000
}=== Main log (last 10 lines) === [2026-06-20 18:01:52] === network_watchdog started === [2026-06-20 18:01:52] Interface: en7 | Gateway: 192.168.86.1 | Internet host: 1.1.1.1 [2026-06-20 18:01:52] Thresholds: gw_lat>50ms net_lat>200ms jitter>75ms loss>5% min_tp=10KB/s bw_spike>8000KB/s [2026-06-20 18:01:52] Interval: 30s | Log: /Users/root1/logs/network_watchdog.log | Alerts: /Users/root1/logs/network_watchdog.alerts.log [2026-06-20 18:02:08] STATUS | gw=stddev = 0.537ms/10%/0.908msj | net=stddev = 11.890ms/10%/19.322msj | rx=5493KB/s tx=199KB/s === Alerts log === [2026-06-20 18:02:08] ALERT | Packet loss to router | 10% loss (threshold 5%) === Stderr (errors) === Exit code: 0
There's a bug in my parsing. The ping output parsing is wrong. Let me look at the issue: The ping stats line on macOS looks like: ``` round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 0.737/1.007/1.152/0.127 ms ``` And packet loss line: ``` 10 packets transmitted, 10 packets received, 0.0% packet loss ``` My parse_ping function: - LATENCY: `awk -F'/' '/round-trip/{print $4}'` — this should get the avg. But the output shows "stddev = 0.537ms" which means it's grabbing the wrong field. Let me think... The line is: `round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 0.737/1.007/1.152/0.127 ms` With `-F'/'`: - $1 = "round-trip min" - $2 = "avg" - $3 = "max" - $4 = "stddev = 0.737" ← this is wrong! The `=` sign and spaces are confusing it. Wait, actually the format is `min/avg/max/stddev = value1/value2/value3/value4 ms` So splitting by `/`: - $1 = "round-trip min" - $2 = "avg" - $3 = "max" - $4 = "stddev = 0.737" Hmm, that doesn't match. Let me re-read. The actual macOS ping output is: ``` round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 0.737/1.007/1.152/0.127 ms ``` So splitting by `/`: - $1 = "round-trip min" - $2 = "avg" - $3 = "max" - $4 = "stddev = 0.737" - $5 = "1.007" - $6 = "1.152" - $7 = "0.127 ms" So $4 is "stddev = 0.737" (the label part), $5 is avg (1.007), $6 is max, $7 is stddev. Wait no. Let me be more careful. The string is: `round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 0.737/1.007/1.152/0.127 ms` Split by `/`: 1. `round-trip min` 2. `avg` 3. `max` 4. `stddev = 0.737` 5. `1.007` 6. `1.152` 7. `0.127 ms` So: - avg = $5 - stddev = $7 (but has " ms" suffix) My code had: - LATENCY = $4 → "stddev = 0.737" (WRONG, should be $5) - JITTER = $6 → "1.152" (WRONG, should be $7) And for packet loss, the line is: `10 packets transmitted, 10 packets received, 0.0% packet loss` My awk: `awk '/packet loss/{gsub(/%/,""); for(i=1;i<=NF;i++) if($i ~ /^[0-9.]+$/) {print $i; exit}}'` This finds the first numeric field. But "10" (packets transmitted) comes before "0.0" (loss). So it's grabbing "10" instead of "0.0"! That's why it shows 10% loss. I need to fix the parsing. Let me rewrite parse_ping properly. For packet loss, I should look for the field right before "packet loss" or specifically the field with a % sign: `awk '/packet loss/{for(i=1;i<=NF;i++) if($i ~ /%/) {gsub(/%/,"",$i); print $i; exit}}'` For latency (avg), I need $5 with -F'/': Actually, let me use a more robust approach. Let me extract the numbers after the `=` sign. Better approach: ``` # round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 0.737/1.007/1.152/0.127 ms stats=$(echo "$stats" | grep "round-trip") # Extract the part after "=" vals=$(echo "$stats" | sed 's/.*= //; s/ ms//') # Now vals = "0.737/1.007/1.152/0.127" LATENCY=$(echo "$vals" | cut -d/ -f2) JITTER=$(echo "$vals" | cut -d/ -f4) ``` And for loss: ``` LOSS=$(echo "$stats" | grep "packet loss" | sed 's/.*\([0-9.]*\)%.*/\1/') ``` Let me fix the script.
There's a parsing bug — my parse_ping is grabbing the wrong fields from macOS ping output. It's reporting "10% loss" (grabbing the packet count "10" instead of "0.0%") and "stddev = 0.537ms" as latency. Let me fix the parser:
{
"replace_all": false,
"file_path": "/Users/root1/bin/network_watchdog.sh",
"old_string": "# Parse ping output: sets LATENCY, LOSS, JITTER\nparse_ping() {\n local stats=\"$1\"\n LATENCY=$(echo \"$stats\" | awk -F'/' '/round-trip/{print $4}')\n LOSS=$(echo \"$stats\" | awk '/packet loss/{gsub(/%/,\"\"); for(i=1;i<=NF;i++) if($i ~ /^[0-9.]+$/) {print $i; exit}}')\n JITTER=$(echo \"$stats\" | awk -F'/' '/round-trip/{print $6}')\n LATENCY=${LATENCY:-9999}\n LOSS=${LOSS:-100}\n JITTER=${JITTER:-9999}\n}",
"new_string": "# Parse ping output: sets LATENCY, LOSS, JITTER\n# macOS ping stats line: \"round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 0.737/1.007/1.152/0.127 ms\"\n# macOS loss line: \"10 packets transmitted, 10 packets received, 0.0% packet loss\"\nparse_ping() {\n local stats=\"$1\"\n # Extract the four values after \"=\" (min/avg/max/stddev)\n local vals\n vals=$(echo \"$stats\" | awk -F'= ' '/round-trip/{print $2}' | sed 's/ ms//')\n # vals is now \"0.737/1.007/1.152/0.127\"\n LATENCY=$(echo \"$vals\" | cut -d/ -f2)\n JITTER=$(echo \"$vals\" | cut -d/ -f4)\n # Extract the percentage right before \"packet loss\"\n LOSS=$(echo \"$stats\" | grep \"packet loss\" | sed -E 's/.* ([0-9.]+)% packet loss.*/\\1/')\n LATENCY=${LATENCY:-9999}\n LOSS=${LOSS:-100}\n JITTER=${JITTER:-9999}\n}"
}The file /Users/root1/bin/network_watchdog.sh has been updated. Here's the result of running `cat -n` on a snippet of the edited file:
75| fi
76| echo "$gw"
77|}
78|
79|# Parse ping output: sets LATENCY, LOSS, JITTER
80|# macOS ping stats line: "round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 0.737/1.007/1.152/0.127 ms"
81|# macOS loss line: "10 packets transmitted, 10 packets received, 0.0% packet loss"
82|parse_ping() {
83| local stats="$1"
84| # Extract the four values after "=" (min/avg/max/stddev)
85| local vals
86| vals=$(echo "$stats" | awk -F'= ' '/round-trip/{print $2}' | sed 's/ ms//')
87| # vals is now "0.737/1.007/1.152/0.127"
88| LATENCY=$(echo "$vals" | cut -d/ -f2)
89| JITTER=$(echo "$vals" | cut -d/ -f4)
90| # Extract the percentage right before "packet loss"
91| LOSS=$(echo "$stats" | grep "packet loss" | sed -E 's/.* ([0-9.]+)% packet loss.*/\1/')
92| LATENCY=${LATENCY:-9999}
93| LOSS=${LOSS:-100}
94| JITTER=${JITTER:-9999}
95|}
96|
97|# Sample throughput on interface over N seconds; sets RX_KBPS, TX_KBPS
98|sample_throughput() {
99| local iface=$1Now restart the watchdog with the fix:
{
"command": "launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.network-watchdog.plist 2>/dev/null ; pkill -f network_watchdog.sh 2>/dev/null ; sleep 1 ; launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.network-watchdog.plist 2>&1 && echo \"reloaded\" ; sleep 3 ; pgrep -fl network_watchdog"
}Output from command in shell c54ca7: reloaded 7019 /bin/bash /Users/root1/bin/network_watchdog.sh 7034 /bin/bash /Users/root1/bin/network_watchdog.sh Exit code: 0
{
"command": "sleep 30 && echo \"=== Main log (last 6 lines) ===\" && tail -6 ~/logs/network_watchdog.log && echo && echo \"=== Alerts log ===\" && cat ~/logs/network_watchdog.alerts.log 2>/dev/null || echo \"(no alerts)\"",
"timeout": 40000
}No output produced after 5.0 seconds. Command running in background with ID: d0ecbc. Run get_output with timeout if you need to wait.
{
"shell_id": "d0ecbc",
"timeout": 35000
}=== Main log (last 6 lines) === [2026-06-20 18:02:08] STATUS | gw=stddev = 0.537ms/10%/0.908msj | net=stddev = 11.890ms/10%/19.322msj | rx=5493KB/s tx=199KB/s [2026-06-20 18:02:39] === network_watchdog started === [2026-06-20 18:02:39] Interface: en7 | Gateway: 192.168.86.1 | Internet host: 1.1.1.1 [2026-06-20 18:02:39] Thresholds: gw_lat>50ms net_lat>200ms jitter>75ms loss>5% min_tp=10KB/s bw_spike>8000KB/s [2026-06-20 18:02:39] Interval: 30s | Log: /Users/root1/logs/network_watchdog.log | Alerts: /Users/root1/logs/network_watchdog.alerts.log [2026-06-20 18:02:54] STATUS | gw=0.669ms/0.0%/0.113msj | net=15.663ms/0.0%/1.980msj | rx=5330KB/s tx=187KB/s === Alerts log === [2026-06-20 18:02:08] ALERT | Packet loss to router | 10% loss (threshold 5%) [2026-06-20 18:03:10] ALERT | Bandwidth spike | GeForceNOW.6156: 9355 KB/s in, 164 KB/s out Exit code: 0
The parsing is now fixed. The new status line shows: `gw=0.669ms/0.0%/0.113msj | net=15.663ms/0.0%/1.980msj | rx=5330KB/s tx=187KB/s` That's correct now! And it caught a real bandwidth spike: `GeForceNOW.6156: 9355 KB/s in, 164 KB/s out` — that's ~9.1 MB/s, which crossed the 8000 KB/s threshold. The old false alert from the buggy version is still in the alerts log (timestamp 18:02:08), but the new one at 18:03:10 is a legitimate catch — GeForceNOW is indeed using a lot of bandwidth. The watchdog is working correctly now. Let me summarize for the user.
The watchdog is working correctly now. The parsing fix worked — new status line shows proper values:
gw=0.669ms/0.0%/0.113msj | net=15.663ms/0.0%/1.980msj | rx=5330KB/s tx=187KB/s
And it already caught a real anomaly:
ALERT | Bandwidth spike | GeForceNOW.6156: 9355 KB/s in, 164 KB/s out
That's GeForceNOW pulling ~9.1 MB/s — likely the culprit behind your slowdowns if it's actively streaming. Cloud gaming is bandwidth-heavy.
Installed:
~/bin/network_watchdog.sh~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.network-watchdog.plist (auto-starts on login, restarts on crash)~/logs/network_watchdog.log (all probes), ~/logs/network_watchdog.alerts.log (anomalies only)Monitors every 30s:
Alerts (macOS notification + log) on:
Useful commands:
tail -f ~/logs/network_watchdog.log — watch livecat ~/logs/network_watchdog.alerts.log — see all anomalieslaunchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.network-watchdog.plist — stop itlaunchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.network-watchdog.plist — start itRegarding the router itself: If you want me to dig into router-level activity (all devices on the network, traffic per device, QoS settings), I'd need you to log into 192.168.86.1 — that's a Google/Nest WiFi router. I can't access it without credentials, and I'd recommend you don't share those here. But if you can pull logs or screenshots from it, I can analyze them.
how helpful would wireshark work for logging
The user is asking about Wireshark for logging network activity. Let me give an honest, useful answer about where Wireshark fits vs. the watchdog I already set up, and whether it would actually help their slowdown problem.
Honest answer: Wireshark is powerful but probably overkill for your situation, and it has a key limitation on macOS that limits its usefulness here.
1. It only sees traffic to/from YOUR Mac, not the whole network. Your slowdown could be caused by another device on the network saturating the WAN link (phone updating, someone streaming, IoT backups). Wireshark on your Mac can't see that traffic — it only sees your own. The router is the only thing that sees all traffic.
2. Most traffic is encrypted now. TLS 1.3 is the default. You'll see IPs and domains (via SNI) and byte counts, but not payloads. So for "what's hogging bandwidth," Wireshark gives you roughly the same info as nettop (which the watchdog already uses) — just with more steps.
3. macOS requires a kernel extension (or dumpcap with sudo). On modern macOS (Sonoma/Sequoia), Wireshark needs the ChmodBPF script run and reduced security for the .kext, or you use dumpcap with root. It's fiddly and the kext path is increasingly deprecated by Apple.
4. Huge output, noisy. A 30-second capture can be tens of thousands of packets. Sifting it is real work unless you already know what you're looking for.
In order of usefulness for your specific problem:
| Tool | Sees whole network? | Setup effort | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Router admin UI (192.168.86.1) | Yes | Trivial | Which devices are using bandwidth, QoS, device list |
| The watchdog I just set up | No (your Mac only) | Done | Is the problem on your end or the WAN? |
nettop / iftop | No | Trivial | Real-time per-process bandwidth on your Mac |
mtr (traceroute on steroids) | Path only | Easy | Is the slowdown your router, ISP, or a hop in between? |
| Wireshark | No | Medium | Deep protocol debugging — overkill here |
192.168.86.1 and check the connected devices list + bandwidth usage. That's the single most informative thing for "why is my router slow." If GeForceNOW is running on your Mac and someone else is streaming 4K on another device, the router UI will show it instantly.mtr (brew install mtr) and run it — it shows latency/loss at every hop between you and a target. That's far more diagnostic for "slowing down" than Wireshark.Want me to set up mtr and run a trace? Or would you rather pull up the router UI first?