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Auto-launching Bitcoin Core on macOS.md

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Setting up macOS Ventura-native service for Bitcoin core

a.k.a., a systemctl * bitcoind equivalent

Assumptions

  1. bitcoind, bitcoin-cli, etc. are installed in /usr/local/bin and functional.
  2. bitcoind is installed under bitcoinuser.
  3. bitcoind is using the macOS standard working directory for Bitcoin core: /Users/bitcoinuser/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin

Important: ensure that your bitcoin.conf does not contain the line daemon=1 because macOS' launchctl will manage its 'daemonizing.' Otherwise, launchctl will think bitcoind has disappeared and will throw an error.

Configure

sudo nano /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.bitcoin.bitcoind.plist

Paste this into an empty file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
	<key>EnvironmentVariables</key>
	<dict>
		<key>PATH</key>
		<string>/usr/local/bin</string>
	</dict>
	<key>GroupName</key>
	<string>staff</string>
	<key>InitGroups</key>
	<true/>
	<key>KeepAlive</key>
	<dict>
		<key>Crashed</key>
		<true/>
		<key>SuccessfulExit</key>
		<false/>
	</dict>
	<key>Label</key>
	<string>org.bitcoin.bitcoind</string>
	<key>ProcessType</key>
	<string>Interactive</string>
	<key>Program</key>
	<string>/usr/local/bin/bitcoind</string>
	<key>StandardErrorPath</key>
	<string>/tmp/bitcoind.err</string>
	<key>StandardOutPath</key>
	<string>/tmp/bitcoind.out</string>
	<key>UserName</key>
	<string>bitcoinuser</string>
	<key>WorkingDirectory</key>
	<string>/Users/bitcoinuser/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin</string>
</dict>
</plist>

Launch

sudo launchctl bootstrap system /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.bitcoin.bitcoind.plist

Monitor

tail -f /tmp/bitcoind.out

tail -f /tmp/bitcoind.err

Check

Reboot the host, ssh into it without logging into its GUI, and ensure that

bitcoin-cli getblockchaininfo returns something healthy.

To examine the process under the hood:

sudo launchctl print system/org.bitcoin.bitcoind

Know how to stop (and restart)

To stop the service:

sudo launchctl bootout system /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.bitcoin.bitcoind.plist

To restart, use the earlier command:

sudo launchctl bootstrap system /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.bitcoin.bitcoind.plist

You can also use the regular command to stop:

bitcoin-cli stop

There is also another way:

sudo launchctl unload system /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.bitcoin.bitcoind.plist

and

sudo launchctl load system /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.bitcoin.bitcoind.plist

None of the above changes the fact that the service will come up after reboot.

To disable from launching at boot:

sudo launchctl disable system/org.bitcoin.bitcoind

... and reverse:

sudo launchctl enable system/org.bitcoin.bitcoind

Note: the above disable and enable options will take effect after the reboot, but they will not change the current running status of the service.