Alfred Time Machine

Instant file & app restoration from Time Machine backups, right from Alfred. No slow UI, no spinning stars.

    

How it Works

Alfred Time Machine is a high-speed restoration tool for macOS:

1. alfred-tm binary — A compiled Swift CLI that instantly scans your Time Machine backups (both external drives and local APFS snapshots) to find historical versions.
2. Alfred Workflow — A clean, fast picker UI for your Universal Actions.

Installation

Option 1: Download from Releases (Recommended)

1. Download the latest AlfredTimeMachine.alfredworkflow from Releases.
2. Double-click AlfredTimeMachine.alfredworkflow to import it into Alfred.
3. Full Disk Access: Time Machine requires Full Disk Access. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access and ensure Alfred is enabled.

Option 2: Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/saihgupr/AlfredTimeMachine.git
cd AlfredTimeMachine
bash deploy.sh

Important

Alfred Powerpack required. Universal Actions require Alfred's Powerpack license.

Usage

Via Universal Actions (Recommended)

1. In Finder, click any file or application to select it.
2. Press your Alfred Universal Actions hotkey (default: ⌥→).
3. Search for "Alfred Time Machine".
4. Browse the versions found:
   • External Drive — Backups from your Time Machine disk.
   • Local Snapshot — Recent backups stored on your internal drive (last ~24h).
5. Press ↩ Enter to restore.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
↩ Enter	Restore as (Restored) next to the original
⌘↩ Enter	Restore a copy to your Home folder instead

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Advanced

CLI Usage

You can use the binary directly from your terminal:

# List all versions
./alfred-tm list "/path/to/file"

# Restore a specific version
./alfred-tm restore "/source/backup/path" "/original/path"

Automatic "Damaged" App Fix

Alfred Time Machine automatically handles Gatekeeper issues when restoring .app bundles. It clears quarantine flags, strips restrictive Time Machine ACLs, and performs ad-hoc signing so restored apps open immediately.

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Contributing & Support

If you run into a bug, have an idea for a feature, or want to ask a question, feel free to open an issue. Pull requests are also warmly welcome!

If Alfred Time Machine saves you time, consider leaving a ⭐ star on GitHub or supporting development on Ko-fi ☕️.