Does anyone know how to check if a .pkg installer contains plugins only for Intel, ARM or both?

I remember someone writing something about a command line for Terminal... but I didn't save the page and can't remember what it was.

I'm also asking because I'd like to know if all the new AIR releases (including XPand!2) are Intel-only or if they also have ARM support included.
Thanks for your time and any suggestions.

 

I only use this attached bash to find out, if my plugins are intel or ARM or both.

Code:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

set -euo pipefail

DIRS=(
  "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components"
  "$HOME/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components"
)

printf "%-50s %-15s %-20s\n" "plugin" "architecture" "comment"

for DIR in "${DIRS[@]}"; do
  [ -d "$DIR" ] || continue

  find "$DIR" -maxdepth 1 -type d -name "*.component" | while read -r PLUG; do

    BIN="$(find "$PLUG/Contents/MacOS" -maxdepth 1 -type f -perm +111 2>/dev/null | head -n 1)"

    if [ -z "$BIN" ]; then
      printf "%-50s %-15s %-20s\n" "$(basename "$PLUG")" "unknown" "no binary found"
      continue
    fi

    OUT="$(file "$BIN" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')"

    if [[ "$OUT" == *arm64* && "$OUT" == *x86_64* ]]; then
      ARCH="universal"
      CMT="native"
    elif [[ "$OUT" == *arm64* ]]; then
      ARCH="arm64"
      CMT="native"
    elif [[ "$OUT" == *x86_64* ]]; then
      ARCH="x86_64"
      CMT="needs Rosetta (intel)"
    else
      ARCH="others"
      CMT="unknown"
    fi

    printf "%-50s %-15s %-20s\n" "$(basename "$PLUG")" "$ARCH" "$CMT"

  done
done

Save as .sh file via text edit and open file with terminal.

 

you use the command file and then drag the binary to the terminal.

so first you have to right click the plugin, do show contents, go into the Contents/MacOS folder and there you will have the binary.

example:
file /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Anti.component/Contents/MacOS/Anti

/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Antagone.component/Contents/MacOS/Anti: Mach-O universal binary with 1 architecture: [x86_64:Mach-O 64-bit bundle x86_64]

Mac-Pro ~ % file /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Anti.component/Contents/MacOS/Anti (for architecture x86_64): Mach-O 64-bit bundle x86_64

 

Some simpler and more precise instructions?
Assuming I have a file named: Attack 3 3.0.0.pkg or Xpand 2 2.4.0.pkg (just to give an example...).

 

This means I still need to install the plug first (I can't do it directly on the .pkg file), right?

 

Never tried, but I will check. I use Suspicious Package, so at that point I would normally export the .component or .vst3 plugin from the pkg file. Then you could inspect the plugin file the same way in terminal. This is the Attack3 release results, so it shows both of them:
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Attack 3.component/Contents/MacOS/Attack 3 (for architecture x86_64): Mach-O 64-bit bundle x86_64

/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Attack 3.component/Contents/MacOS/Attack 3 (for architecture arm64): Mach-O 64-bit bundle arm64

I made this utility script for this stuff, and it does every plugin on the machine at one time. It first grabs your cpu architecture, intel or ARM, and then it strips the binary slice which you do not need, resulting in a "skinny" binary: https://mega.nz/file/9X0mHYSK#qL_rRX5Si9Ex0UXBhIqlk73GQHmqNa8KCvCdLZJ_VcA

It recommends to backup your plugin folder first, because I cannot possibly test every plugin out there. And some weird installs like Waves. But it will cut your storage space used by plugins approximately in half. this is what it does:

Spoiler

Liposucktion Operation Guide

⚠️ WARNING:
This tool modifies plugin binaries.
Make a full backup of your Audio Plugins folder before running Liposucktion!

Description

Liposucktion is a macOS command-line tool that scans your Audio Unit, VST, and VST3 plugin folders, detects Universal binaries (x86_64 + arm64), and removes the unneeded architecture to save SSD space and improve plugin loading times.

Usage

Move liposucktion.sh to your Desktop.

Open Terminal and run:

chmod +x /Users/$(whoami)/Desktop/liposucktion.sh
sudo /Users/$(whoami)/Desktop/liposucktion.sh


The script will prompt you to confirm you’ve backed up your plugins.

It will automatically detect your CPU (Intel or ARM) and remove the opposite architecture slice from plugin binaries.

Results will be displayed with counts, color-coded messages, and a summary table at the end. Any plugins removed completely will be moved to Liposucktion Boneyard folder which will be created on Desktop.

 

Last edited: Feb 27, 2026

macos 13 in the last one that has intel support, the updates from air now support macos 13-15

 

The pkg-file might run on both, but it doesn't mean the plugin will. So yea, install and find out.

 

does pacifist no longer exist for macOS?

back in the days i was using that more often then running an installer app.

 

Use Chatgpt.com
Insert a prompt like:

Code:

I want to know how to check if a .pkg installer contains plugins only for Intel, ARM or both?

Follow the steps on screen.
No need to install your pkg.

 

It does, but I'm not sure if the guy is still actively developing it. Suspicious Package does the same thing, but only for .pkg files. Which is almost all the installers now. https://mothersruin.com/software/SuspiciousPackage/

It is usually all you need, but for .dmg and other disk images, you need to mount them as a disk first and then can checkout the pkg installer.

 

Bit wonky, but works for the couple pkgs I have lying around.

bsdtar -xO --include="*[Vv][Ss][Tt]*.pkg/Payload" -f EXAMPLE_FILE.pkg | bsdtar -xO --include "*/MacOS/*" -f - | file -

I don't know what version of bsdtar is shipped with MacOS, so this might not work for you at all.

bsdtar [...] Octapus_v1_2_2_Installer.pkg [...]
Mach-O universal binary with 2 architectures: [x86_64: Mach-O 64-bit x86_64 bundle - arm64: Mach-O 64-bit arm64 bundle]

bsdtar [...] ANINA-MacOS-latest.pkg [...]
Mach-O universal binary with 2 architectures: [x86_64: Mach-O 64-bit x86_64 bundle - arm64: Mach-O 64-bit arm64 bundle]

bsdtar [...] SG-323_macOS_universal.pkg [...]
Mach-O universal binary with 2 architectures: [x86_64: Mach-O 64-bit x86_64 bundle - arm64: Mach-O 64-bit arm64 bundle]

 

you'd have to extract installer contents with SuspiciousPackage and check individual plugin file binaries for architecture,
some devs are still using legacy installers to install universal apps/plugins, which is also confusing