SEC.01

The playbook

The run starts read-only: the recon probes decide what happens next. The steps that follow are adapted to the distribution and state found — a real machine is rarely clean.

  1. 01recondoes a daemon with the same label already exist?
  2. 02reconalready loaded in the system domain?
  3. 03recondoes the program exist and is it executable (absolute path required)?
  4. 04actWrite the LaunchDaemondestructiveverify
  5. 05actRun-as account (only if an account is provided)verify
  6. 06actOwner and permissionsverify
  7. 07actLoad the servicedestructiveverify

SEC.02

What it verifies

Each step ships its own check. The run only moves on when the check passes, so what the recipe reports as done is what is actually on the server.

  1. 01Write the LaunchDaemonVerified byplutil -lint /Library/LaunchDaemons/${label}.plist
  2. 02Run-as account (only if an account is provided)Verified by/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Print :UserName" /Library/LaunchDaemons/${label}.plist
  3. 03Owner and permissionsVerified bystat -f "%Su:%Sg %Lp" /Library/LaunchDaemons/${label}.plist
  4. 04Load the serviceVerified bylaunchctl print system/${label} | grep -m1 "state ="

SEC.03

Guardrails

Non-negotiable instructions the run must respect, whatever it finds on the server.

The plist must be root:wheel with mode 644, otherwise launchd rejects it. Do not overwrite an existing daemon without a backup. Prefer a dedicated account over root via run_as.

SEC.04

Variables

What you choose before launching — the recipe fills in the rest.

NameMeaning
${label}Label (reverse-DNS)
${program}Program + arguments
${run_as}Run as (optional, empty = root)

SEC.05

How a recipe runs in Servor

Servor is zero-knowledge: the platform cannot execute anything on its own. When you launch this recipe, a run reads the reconnaissance, plans the steps and asks for your approval. Each approved command is signed by your browser — with a key the server never sees — then relayed verbatim to the agent, which verifies the signature locally before executing.

recipe — fail2ban_setup150+ in catalogue
security4 steps · low risk · idempotentrun
reconsshd present? ufw active? existing jails?✓
actinstall fail2ban · write default jails✓
actenable service · restart sshd (safe)✓
verifytest ban 60s · jails active · sshd alive✓

search by intent — type “firewall”, get ufw

  • 01Read-only reconnaissance before any change
  • 02Every command signed by your browser, approved by you
  • 03Each step verified before the run moves on, every run kept in the history

SEC.06

Deploy on Servor button

Maintain launchd Service (macOS) or a project that needs it? Put this button in your README or on your site: one click and your users install it on their own server.

Deploy on ServorDark background
Deploy on ServorLight background
[![Deploy on Servor](https://servor.app/badges/deploy-on-servor.svg)](https://servor.app/deploy/create-launchd-service)

SEC.07

Verified recipe

Run this recipe on your server

Connect a server, launch the recipe, and approve each step as Servor executes and verifies it. Free plan, no card required.