Next.js production build
Recognized · 1.8 GB resident memory
Free · Local-first · Native Swift
Your Mac is under pressure.
Your work stays open.
MemoryGuard automatically detects recognized heavy builds and safely serializes them only when macOS is genuinely running out of room.
macOS 14+ · MIT licensed · No account · No telemetry
KERNEL
Healthy
AUTOMATION
Balanced
2+ builds required
0files deleted
0apps terminated
100%local
2×healthy samples before resume
Interactive safety model
Watch the guardrail decide.
This simulation uses the Balanced profile and two recognized heavy builds. It runs entirely in your browser and controls nothing on your Mac.
38%AVAILABLE
MEMORY
MEMORY
- KERNEL
- Healthy
- SWAP FREE
- 2.4 GB
- PROFILE
- Balanced
Swift release compile
Recognized · 1.2 GB resident memory
HEALTHY SAMPLE 1 HEALTHY SAMPLE 2
A visual model of the published protection contract. Exact thresholds remain visible in the app and source.
The actual problem
You should not have to know when a build is heavy.
You are writing code, moving between agents, tests and projects. Watching Activity Monitor should not be another job.
AI-assisted builders
Agents often compile, test and preview in parallel. MemoryGuard watches the resulting process groups while you stay focused on the product.
Multi-project developers
A frontend build, a Swift compile and browser tests can overlap. MemoryGuard gives the older job room to finish instead of letting all of them stall.
Anyone tired of memory alerts
If macOS slows down during concurrent builds, this is a focused safety utility—not a vague optimizer and not a destructive RAM cleaner.
One conservative decision
Measure first. Intervene last.
01
OBSERVE
Read the system
Available RAM, kernel pressure and remaining swap are evaluated together.
02
QUALIFY
Find safe candidates
Only exact, recognized build groups above the selected profile threshold qualify.
03
PROTECT
Pause only the newest
At least two heavy groups are required. The older build keeps moving toward completion.
04
RECOVER
Resume automatically
Two consecutive healthy samples release every paused group. A watchdog covers unexpected exits.
CURRENT ALLOW LIST
Recognized work
- Next.js
- Swift
- TypeScript
- Vitest
- Playwright
Unknown tools are ignored by design. A command merely mentioning “build” is never enough.
The real app
Every decision stays visible.
No mystery daemon. MemoryGuard shows what it recognized, what it decided and why.
ACTIVITY
Know what MemoryGuard sees
Recognized groups show whether work is active, paused, heavy or still below the selected profile threshold—plus the local decision history.
- Current recognized groups
- Paused or running state
- Manual resume control
- 100-event local history
AUTOMATION
Choose a posture, not a spreadsheet
Start with Balanced. Proactive acts earlier; Conservative waits longer. The thresholds and decision sequence are shown in the interface.
BalancedProactiveConservative
The safety contract
What it does not do matters more.
MemoryGuard is intentionally narrower than a “system optimizer.” Narrow behavior is easier to understand, test and trust.
×Delete files or caches
×Close apps, tabs or terminals
×Kill processes
×Pause the only heavy build
×Send telemetry or process data
Two-minute setup
Open it. Pick Balanced. Keep working.
Download
Get the free Apple-silicon build from GitHub Releases.
Open
Move it to Applications and clear quarantine once because the free build is not notarized yet.
Use Balanced
Leave automatic relief enabled. You do not need to classify builds yourself.
Enable login
Optional: start it with macOS and leave the window closed in the menu bar.
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/MemoryGuard.app
Open by design
Inspect the code. Verify the promise.
MemoryGuard is MIT licensed, built with native SwiftUI and AppKit, and has no third-party runtime dependencies.
- Account
- None
- Cloud
- None
- Telemetry
- None
- Price
- Free
Straight answers
Before you install
Is this a RAM cleaner?
No. It does not purge memory or delete caches. It temporarily serializes recognized build work only under real pressure.
Do I need to know whether my build is heavy?
No. MemoryGuard measures each recognized process group's resident memory and compares it with the selected profile.
What if only one build is running?
It will never pause that build. At least two eligible heavy groups are required.
Why does macOS show a security warning?
The free release is ad-hoc signed but not Apple-notarized yet. The one-time quarantine command lets you open the app after inspecting or downloading it from GitHub.
What if my tool is not recognized?
MemoryGuard keeps monitoring system health but does not control that workload. Recognition is allow-listed to avoid false positives.
Memory pressure without the panic