Actual disk access and deliberate ejection
DiskFerry
Check the disk before you unplug.
A connected disk may be read-only, and several partitions may belong to the drive you are about to remove. DiskFerry shows the actual access state and checks the target again when you open or eject it.
In development · 0.2.0-dev · No release yet
NTFS writing is not available.
When a disk is connected but the next step is unclear
You can see the files. That does not mean you can copy more in.
An NTFS disk can appear in Finder and still be read-only. DiskFerry reports what macOS actually allows, so a connected drive is not mistaken for a writable one. The current version helps you inspect, open and eject the disk; it does not add NTFS writing.
Know whether the connection is read-only.
Inspect the external volume’s filesystem and actual access state before trying to copy files. Read-only, writable, unmounted and unknown are shown as different states, rather than treating every detected disk as ready to use.
Check which drive an action will affect.
Similar names and several partitions make it easy to lose track of the physical drive. DiskFerry rechecks the current connection before opening a volume or ejecting a disk. If the identity has changed, it cancels the action and asks you to refresh.
A refused eject should not look finished.
DiskFerry asks macOS to eject the drive, then checks that it has disappeared. It does not force-unmount a busy disk. If the system refuses or the drive is still present, the app reports the problem and tells you to leave it connected.
A deliberate choice
Do not make the user guess whether it worked.
A disk name alone is not enough to act on. DiskFerry pairs the current access state with a checked target and an explicit ejection result. A failure stays visible; detecting a disk or an installed extension is not presented as proof that writing is available.
Is it for you?
Currently for developers and testers who want to inspect external disks and test the open/eject workflow. It requires a full Xcode source build and has no installer release. If your goal is to write files to NTFS, this version does not solve that problem.
What it does
- Distinguish read-only, writable, unmounted and unknown states for external volumes.
- Recheck the current connection before opening in Finder or ejecting the whole disk.
- Verify the disk has disappeared after ejection; report a refusal without forcing a busy disk to unmount.
- Export a local diagnostic JSON report, with local preferences and login-item management.
- FSKit extension queries and a command-line interface; no NTFS write engine is integrated.
Requirements
- The control layer targets macOS 13. FSKit queries require macOS 15.4 or later.
- Building requires full Xcode, Swift 6 and a macOS 15.4 or newer SDK.
- The README reports validation on macOS 26.5 and Apple Silicon. Intel cross-building is complete; Intel hardware and earlier systems have not been accepted.
Getting started
- Clone the repository and build in full Xcode using the project instructions.
- Open dist/DiskFerry.app and inspect external volumes from menu bar settings.
- Review the target disk and all its partitions before ejection. Remove private disk identifiers before sharing diagnostics.
Current limitations
- NTFS writing, custom FSKit mounting and Windows interoperability are not delivered.
- There is no GitHub Release or official installer download.
- Settings screenshots contain demo data and do not demonstrate NTFS writing.
- Ordinary-file image experiments do not establish Finder writing or FSKit mounting.
- Login-item registration is checked, but a subsequent-login launch has not been verified through logout or reboot.