01 / AWARENESS
Backup Status
See how long it has been since your last completed copy. Press to open Time Machine settings.
MADE FOR STREAM DECK · MACOS
Backup confidence,
one glance away.
Your last copy. Your next backup. Right where you can see them.
Keep an eye on Time Machine, start a copy when it matters, and notice when your backups need attention.
Meet your backup guardianOn your Mac. Under your control.
Illustrative Stream Deck key states
Know where you stand.Last completed copy, always in context.
Take action.Start or stop a copy from your desk.
Keep it local.No accounts. No external services.
FOUR ACTIONS. ONE CLEAR PICTURE.
A small place for
peace of mind.
Use the actions you need, anywhere on your Stream Deck. Every Guardian key shares the same view of Time Machine.
01 / AWARENESS
02 / HISTORY
Last Backup
Keep the age of your last completed copy visible, even while a new backup is running. Press to open Time Machine settings.
03 / CONTROL
Start Backup
Request a manual backup with one press. Follow the phase and percentage when macOS provides it.
04 / CHOICE
Stop Backup
Stop the copy currently in progress. Your existing completed backups stay in place.
QUIET SIGNALS. USEFUL DETAILS.
A little colour.
A lot less guessing.
Mint for a recent copy. Blue while backing up. Amber when a copy is overdue or a local destination is disconnected.
Choose how many hours can pass without a completed backup before Guardian warns you. The default is 24 hours.
During a copy, see an estimated time remaining on Backup Status and Start Backup when macOS provides it. The inspector also shows the amount copied and the available total.
Text and symbols accompany every colour. Unknown information is never presented as a healthy backup.
Copying — progress and time estimate reported by macOS.
Interactive illustration · not a live connection
SET UP. THEN GLANCE.
Make room for
your next backup.
Time Machine Guardian requires macOS 13.5 or later and Stream Deck 7.1 or later.
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Set up Time Machine
Choose your backup destination in macOS System Settings and make sure it is accessible.
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Add Guardian to Stream Deck
Open the Time Machine Guardian installer with Stream Deck, then drag Backup Status, Last Backup, Start Backup or Stop Backup onto a key.
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Choose your reminder
Open any Guardian key's settings and set the warning interval from 1 to 720 hours. It saves automatically for all Guardian keys.
Why is the last backup date unavailable?
macOS can restrict Time Machine information. Click Open Full Disk Access in any Guardian inspector to go directly to the permissions panel. In System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access, enable Stream Deck, then quit and reopen it. Some operations may also require administrator privileges; Guardian never asks for a password or elevates privileges. Use Time Machine settings if access remains unavailable.
Opening the panel does not grant permission. If macOS does not navigate to the exact panel, follow the path above manually.
Does an offline destination mean my backup is gone?
No. Guardian marks a configured local destination offline when Time Machine reports it is not mounted. Connect and unlock the disk. An unmounted network destination has unknown reachability; Guardian does not mount or contact servers to check it.
Why is there sometimes no percentage?
Time Machine does not always expose a usable percentage. Guardian shows the current phase instead. Estimates can change between phases; a stopped copy is never counted as completed.
Data copied and estimated time remaining are also optional macOS values. Guardian does not calculate its own completion estimate and clears these details when copying ends.
What happens when I change Stream Deck profiles?
The backup continues under macOS. Guardian stops polling when its keys and inspector are hidden, and refreshes when they return.
What data leaves my Mac?
Guardian sends no data to external services. It reads local Time Machine status and stores the warning interval in Stream Deck settings. Time Machine itself continues using your configured local or network backup destination.