WhatBattery CLI

The same battery engine in your terminal.

Get a readable snapshot, stream changing values, feed JSON into scripts, or export Pro history without opening the menu bar app.

Install with HomebrewView source
A useful default

Run one command. Get the important facts.

The CLI and app share the same battery readers and formatting. The default output is designed for humans; --json exposes structured data for scripts.

  • Battery health and raw capacity
  • Charge state and cycles
  • Temperature, voltage, and live power
  • Model and charger context
~ whatbattery

Model        MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5)
Health       99.6% (6,225 / 6,249 mAh)
Charge       100%, fully charged
Cycles       42 (design 1000)
Temperature   30.4°C
Power        0.0 W (100W PD charger)
Voltage      13.21 V
Commands

Readable, structured, or live.

whatbattery                # readable battery summary
whatbattery --json         # structured JSON
whatbattery --watch        # refresh as values change
whatbattery --accessories  # connected accessory levels
whatbattery --idevice      # iPhone/iPad reading (Pro)
whatbattery --version
whatbattery --help

Pro commands

whatbattery --report
whatbattery --export csv --range month
whatbattery --export json --range all --out history.json
whatbattery --activate XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
whatbattery --licence
whatbattery --deactivate

Install the CLI

Homebrew installs the menu bar app and symlinks the bundled command into your PATH:

brew install --cask darrylmorley/whatbattery/whatbattery

If you installed the app manually, the binary is inside WhatBattery.app/Contents/Helpers/whatbattery.

Automation examples

Extract the current health with jq:

whatbattery --json | jq '.healthPercent'

Keep a live view while testing chargers:

whatbattery --watch

Install the app and CLI together.

The Homebrew cask gives you both and keeps upgrades simple.

See Homebrew installation