Set up End User Device Monitoring on macOS

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There are two ways to deploy the Datadog Agent on macOS devices for End User Device Monitoring. Choose the method that fits your environment:

  • Manual install: Run a one-line script directly on the device. Best for testing a single machine or devices not managed by a mobile device management (MDM) solution.
  • MDM deploy: Push the Agent to a fleet of managed Macs. This example uses a Jamf Pro policy and shell script to install the Agent in the background with no interaction on each device.

Regardless of the method, the installer creates a dedicated system user named _dd-agent. This allows the Agent to run as a background service with the appropriate system permissions. You do not need to manage this user.

The infrastructure_mode: end_user_device setting is required. Without it, the device does not appear in the End User Devices view and is billed as a host.

    Use this method to test a single machine, or for devices that are not managed by an MDM solution.

    Prerequisites

    • Administrator (sudo) access on the Mac.
    • A valid Datadog API key. For instructions, see API and Application Keys.
    • macOS 11 or later.
    • An active internet connection on the device.

    Install the Agent

    1. In Datadog, navigate to Fleet Automation > Install Agents > macOS.

    2. Toggle on Enable End User Device Monitoring.

    3. Click Select API Key and choose an API key.

    4. Copy the provided installation command beginning with sudo DD_API_KEY=.

    5. Open Terminal, paste the installation command in and run it. Enter your Mac password when prompted.

      The script installs the Agent, creates the _dd-agent system user, and registers the Agent as a background launch daemon. Installation takes one to two minutes.

    Verify the installation

    To confirm that the Agent is running, in Datadog, go to Infrastructure > End User Devices. Your device appears within 5-10 minutes. If it does not appear after 10 minutes, verify your API key, confirm the configuration, and restart the Agent.

    Alternatively, run the following command in Terminal to verify the installation:

    sudo datadog-agent status

    In the output, confirm the following:

    • The Agent version is 7.80 or later.
    • Status is Running.
    • infrastructure_mode: end_user_device is set.

    This example method uses a Jamf Pro policy and shell script to install and configure the Datadog Agent across your fleet of managed Macs, with no manual steps on each device. The script performs the same actions as the manual install, but runs in the background when the policy triggers.

    You can use other MDMs; however, this procedure walks through Jamf Pro as an example.

    Prerequisites

    • Access to the Jamf Pro admin console.
    • A valid Datadog API key. For instructions, see API and Application Keys.
    • Devices running macOS 11 or later.
    • Target devices enrolled in Jamf Pro with an active internet connection.

    Create the install script in Jamf

    1. In the Jamf Pro console, go to Settings > Computer Management > Scripts and click New.

    2. Give the script a name, such as Datadog Agent EUDM.

    3. Paste the following into the Script field:

      #!/bin/zsh
# Datadog Agent - End User Device Monitoring install script
DD_API_KEY="$4"
DD_SITE="datadoghq.com"

DD_API_KEY="$DD_API_KEY" \
  DD_SITE="$DD_SITE" \
  DD_INFRASTRUCTURE_MODE="end_user_device" \
  bash -c "$(curl -L https://install.datadoghq.com/scripts/install_mac_os.sh)"

echo "Datadog Agent installation complete."

      If your Datadog site is not US1, update DD_SITE to match. For the list of sites, see Datadog sites.

    4. To avoid storing your API key in the script body, pass it as a Jamf script parameter. In the Options tab, label parameter 4 as DD_API_KEY. The script reads this value from $4, and you enter the actual key when you create the policy in the next step.

      The install script runs as root through Jamf, which provides the permissions needed to install the Agent and create the _dd-agent system user without user interaction.

    Create the Jamf policy

    1. Go to Computers > Policies and click New.
    2. In the General tab:
      • Give the policy a name, such as Deploy Datadog Agent EUDM.
      • Set Execution Frequency to Once per computer.
      • Select the trigger you want. Enrollment Complete and Recurring Check-In are common choices for background deployment.
    3. Click the Scripts payload and add the script you created. Set the Priority to After, and enter your API key in the Parameter 4 field.
    4. In the Scope tab, add the computers, groups, or smart groups that should receive the Agent.
    5. Click Save. Devices in scope receive the policy on their next check-in, and the Agent installs in the background.

    Verify the deployment

    To confirm that the Agent installed on a device, use one of the following methods:

    • In the policy detail view, click Logs to see which devices ran the policy and whether the script exited with a 0 (success) code.
    • Use SSH to connect to a target device and run datadog-agent status. In the output, confirm that Status is Running and infrastructure_mode: end_user_device is set.
    • In Datadog, go to Infrastructure > End User Devices. Enrolled devices appear within 5-10 minutes of the Agent starting.

    Troubleshooting

    For detailed steps, see Agent Troubleshooting.

    Further reading

    Additional helpful documentation, links, and articles:

    End User Device MonitoringDOCUMENTATION more more Set up End User Device MonitoringDOCUMENTATION more more