install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install killswitch

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

VPN kill switch for macOS

Project links

Commands and aliases

killswitch

history

Project history and usage

killswitch is a macOS VPN kill-switch CLI that uses the `pf` firewall to block outgoing traffic when the VPN tunnel disappears.

Project history

The GitHub repository was created in 2016, with a 0.7.0 GitHub release published on 2019-03-09. The README explains the core design: write temporary `pf` rules to `/tmp/killswitch.pf.conf`, load them with `pfctl`, and avoid modifying the system default `/etc/pf.conf`.

Adoption history

killswitch has narrower packaging than the other projects in this batch; the Homebrew formula documents it as a macOS VPN kill switch, and the project README focuses on local builds and root-required enable/disable commands.

How it is used

Users run `sudo killswitch -e` to enable firewall rules, `sudo killswitch -d` to disable and restore default rules, or `killswitch --print` to inspect rules before applying them.

Why package nerds care

killswitch is notable as a small packageable security utility that exposes macOS `pf` behavior through a single CLI, useful for users who want a provider-independent VPN leak guard rather than an application-specific setting.

Timeline

2016: vpn-kill-switch/killswitch repository created on GitHub.
2019: 0.7.0 release published.
2020: 0.7.1 and v0.7.2 releases published.
2023: v0.7.3 release published.
2026: 0.8.x releases published from February through April.

Related projects

The README links the design to the Packet Filter firewall documented by FreeBSD and to macOS networking tools such as `pfctl`, `sysctl`, `netstat`, `scutil`, and `ifconfig`.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`killswitch`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-08-03

manager version0.8.3

manager updated2026-06-03

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:killswitch
Version	0.8.3
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://killswitch.network
Repository	https://github.com/vpn-kill-switch/killswitch
Last updated	2026-06-03T23:07:00Z
Pulse	updated
Bottle	not recorded
Service	none declared

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/killswitch.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
pkg.so package database
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install killswitch with Homebrew