Porter

For people with more than one computer

Porter app icon

Porter

Copy folders between your Macs like Finder

Install Porter on each Mac (and Windows, preview), share only the folders you approve, then copy files over your home Wi‑Fi, across the internet, or while you travel abroad (via Tailscale). When you want AI help, connect Cursor, Claude, or Copilot through MCP so they can use those same folders. No Porter cloud. Not remote desktop.

View source

Latest release MIT · Mac Apple Silicon · Windows x64 preview · First open may need Gatekeeper / SmartScreen

Now on Windows Same pair token and Tailscale mesh — Mac↔Mac, Mac↔Windows, Windows↔Windows.

Porter dual-pane Finder UI with approved folders

The gap

Your files are on the other Mac. Your AI is on this one.

Cloud drives sync everything or nothing. Remote desktop gives full control when you only needed a project folder. Porter keeps access narrow and visible.

Remote desktop

  • Full screen, mouse, and keyboard
  • Broad session risk
  • Awkward for AI agents
  • Often a vendor cloud in the middle

Porter

  • Folders you approved, Finder-like panes
  • List, search, read, copy with confirm
  • Native MCP tools for AI IDEs
  • No Porter cloud account

Hands-on

How to use Porter

Scroll the stack for a full path from install to copy, travel, AI tools, and the activity log. Scroll back up to revisit a step. Click any screenshot to enlarge. Nothing here is automatic sync or remote desktop.

Step 1

Install into Applications

Download the Apple Silicon DMG from Releases. Open it and drag Porter into Applications (do not run it from Downloads). First open may need right-click → Open if Gatekeeper asks. That warning is normal for non-notarized indie builds.

Step 2

Choose Home Mac or Join

On the Mac that keeps the real folders, treat it as home. On the other Mac, join with the same pair token. You will do this once per machine during setup.

Step 3

Share only folders you approve

Add project folders with the system picker. Writes stay confirm-gated by default. Porter is not a whole-disk share and it does not claim to sync every change both ways.

Step 4

Pair with the same token

Copy the pair token from the home Mac and enter the exact same token on the travel Mac. Treat it like a password. Then add the other Mac by LAN address on the same Wi‑Fi, or by Tailscale when you are away.

Step 5

Browse and copy like Finder

Open the dual panes. Pick From and To Macs, open an approved folder, multi-select if you need, then Copy. Expect a confirm step before writes. Progress shows in the UI; this is explicit copy, not silent background sync.

Step 6

Add or manage Macs later

Settings → Connected Macs lets you add another machine or remove one you retired. Keep the pair token in sync whenever you reinstall or reset a Mac.

Step 7

Travel Ready on the home Mac

Before you leave, run Travel Ready / Set and forget on the home Mac so keep-alive and Tailscale paths stay available. Tailscale must be installed and signed in on both sides for reliable abroad access. Cloudflare Quick Tunnel is optional backup only.

Step 8

Optional: connect AI tools

In setup or Settings → AI tools, connect Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code / Copilot. Porter merges MCP config for that app. Agents then use the same allowlists and pair rules as the Finder UI.

Step 9

Check the activity log

Activity shows transfers, device events, shares, travel, MCP, and system rows with OK or failed status. You can filter, retain fewer days, export, or save a copy. Use it when you want proof of what moved.

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Scroll down or up to move through the stack

Capabilities

Built for real multi-Mac work

Tap a card for more detail.

MCP

Same bridge for you and your agent

Porter exposes tools to list devices, search, read, and copy within shares. The IDE never mounts your whole home disk.

Client Status Notes
Cursor Recommended ~/.cursor/mcp.json
Claude Desktop Supported Quit and reopen after Connect
Claude Code Supported ~/.claude.json
VS Code / Copilot Supported User mcp.json · use Agent mode

Trust

Four locks, on purpose

Narrow and visible. Not zero risk. Details on dedicated pages.

Tailscale Who can reach the Mac on the private mesh when you travel.
Pair token What Porter allows after connect. Treat it like a password.
Folder allowlists Only shared paths can be listed or copied.
Secret blocks .env, keys, and dangerous profile paths blocked by default.
Security notes Privacy SECURITY.md

Ideal fit

Who Porter is for

If you keep real work on one Mac and live on another, Porter is aimed at you. If you want a whole-desktop remote session or a cloud that mirrors everything, it is not.

Cartoon scene of a home desk Mac and a travel laptop linked by a folder path

Home desk + travel Mac

Your heavy machine stays home with the real projects. Your lighter Mac is what you open in hotels, cafés, and other countries. You need tonight’s folder, not a second life in the cloud.

Cartoon scene of two Macs on one desk copying a folder over Wi-Fi

Same roof, two Macs

Both machines are on the home Wi‑Fi. One holds design files, client work, or a repo the other needs right now. AirDrop is fine for a photo. Porter is for the folder you will keep coming back to.

Cartoon scene of a coding laptop with an AI helper near a folder bridge to another Mac

You and your AI IDE

Cursor, Claude, or Copilot should read and pull from folders you already trust, with the same rules as the Finder panes. You are past pasting half a project into chat just so the model can see it.

Cartoon scene rejecting full remote desktop and bulk cloud sync in favor of one approved folder

Honest mismatch

Skip Porter if you need full remote mouse and screen control, an iPhone app, or Dropbox-style two-way sync with conflict UI. Those are different jobs. Porter stays a private folder bridge on purpose.

Get Porter

Download

Mac is the polished release line. Windows is a supported x64 preview with the same pair token and Tailscale mesh.

Mac · Apple Silicon

Loading latest release…

Download DMG Download Zip
First open on macOS
  1. Drag Porter to Applications (not Downloads).
  2. Right-click Porter → Open → Open.
  3. If blocked: System Settings → Privacy and Security → Open Anyway.

Windows · x64 preview

Porter Setup EXE

Download Setup EXE Windows guide
Install notes
  1. Run Setup → allow UAC → installs to C:\Program Files\Porter.
  2. Same Tailscale account + pair token as your Macs.
  3. If SmartScreen appears: More info → Run anyway (unsigned preview).

Prefer official GitHub Releases. Mac Latest stays on the Apple Silicon DMG; Windows is a separate Setup EXE and does not replace Mac Travel Ready.

Maker

About the maker

Portrait of Gobinda Tarafdar

Gobinda Tarafdar

WordPress product marketer · stubborn problem-solver · lifelong Harry Potter devotee

By day I am the Product Marketing Specialist at WPBakery. Before that, I helped a single plugin cross 400,000+ active users.

When the day-job owl flies home, I tinker on my own workshop of spells.

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Case study

Why I built Porter, and why it stays free

Cartoon night workshop with two Macs and folders forming a bridge under a lamp

The bind

I kept hitting the same quiet failure: the Mac in my bag was ready to work, and the files that mattered were still on the Mac at home. Shipping a zip through chat felt small and clumsy. Turning on full remote desktop felt like lending someone the whole house for a single drawer. Cloud sync wanted more of my disk than the problem deserved.

What I needed instead

A bridge that behaved like Finder: pick the folders, pair the machines, copy what I meant to copy. At home that meant the LAN. On the road it meant a private path without opening the house to the public internet. And when I asked an AI IDE for help, it had to use those same folders, not a second back door.

What I shipped

Porter is that bridge. I built it in the workshop for my own travel and desk loop first. The activity log, allowlists, and MCP connectors exist because I needed to see what moved and keep the power narrow.

Why free (MIT)

I am not selling a Porter cloud. The hard part was the private path between my own Macs, and that gap is common enough that locking it behind a subscription felt wrong. MIT means you can use it, fork it, and keep the workshop going with a star or a tip if it saves you a night of zip-and-hope.

Also from the workshop

Aligner Free local Chrome toolkit for design, measure, and WordPress FinderFlow Mac file manager with built-in editor Slack Agent Bridge MCP bridge for Cursor and Claude Auto AFK Slack Lock your Mac, Slack goes AFK Slack Teammate Time Teammate local times inline in Slack Broken Link Checker Find broken links without leaving the page Docscriber Documentation, conjured TheRecaller A memory charm for what you forget online TheEditra AI video editor The Quill Press Tech news, Daily Prophet style Costlas Cost of living for 140+ countries WPBakery Page builder I do product marketing for

History

Changelog

Newest release opens fully. Older notes stay one click away. Synced from GitHub Releases.

  1. Loading releases

    Fetching release notes.

FAQ

Common questions

Is Porter malware? macOS warns me.

No. Porter is an MIT-licensed app from GitHub Releases. Without Apple notarization, Gatekeeper shows a warning. Install to Applications, then right-click → Open, or use Privacy and Security → Open Anyway.

Is this like TeamViewer?

No. TeamViewer-style tools remote a whole computer. Porter bridges approved folders between your Macs (and Windows) and exposes those same folders to AI IDEs through MCP.

Do you support Windows?

Yes — Windows x64 is available as a preview Setup EXE (separate from the Mac DMG). Install to C:\Program Files\Porter, use the same pair token and Tailscale account as your Macs, then Add PC / Add Mac. Mac Travel Ready / Set & forget remains the strongest unattended home path. Full guide: Windows docs.

Windows SmartScreen blocked the Setup EXE

Expected for this unsigned indie preview (same class of warning as Mac Gatekeeper). Choose More info → Run anyway. Prefer downloads only from official GitHub Releases.

Can Mac and Windows talk to each other?

Yes. Mac↔Windows and Windows↔Windows use the same pair token over LAN or Tailscale (100.x:47831). Keep the home Mac on Travel Ready when you leave a machine unattended.

Why Tailscale?

Tailscale gives a private mesh with stable addresses for travel. Your Tailscale account gates reachability. Porter’s pair token gates what the app allows. Cloudflare Quick Tunnel is optional and can change after reboot.

Do I need Tailscale on the same Wi‑Fi?

No. Same LAN works with the pair token and LAN address. Tailscale is required for reliable travel and unattended home access.

Intel Macs? iPhone?

Current Mac builds target Apple Silicon. There is no iPhone or iPad app in this version. Windows x64 preview is available via the Download chooser.

Two-way Dropbox-style sync?

Not in V1. Porter focuses on explicit copy and one-way sync without conflict UI.

What about licensing?

Porter is MIT licensed. Free to use, modify, and share. See LICENSE.

If Porter saves you a trip through zip and chat

Porter is MIT-licensed and ships without ads or a Porter cloud. A GitHub star helps others find it. A small donation keeps the workshop lit.

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