Workstatus Silent App Installation on Mac Using MDM with Ansible

1. Overview

This document explains how to remotely install the Workstatus Silent App on Mac systems using an Ansible server.
The installation requires:

• A Linux-based Ansible Server
• Ansible
• SSH
• A target Mac system with Remote Login enabled
• Workstatus Silent App installation package
• Mac username and password
• Workstatus user email address

2. Server System Setup

The Server System is the Linux machine from which the Workstatus Silent App installation will be triggered.

2.1 Server System Requirements

The server system must be a Linux-based system with the following packages installed:

• Ansible
• SSH
• Software Properties Common

2.2 Install Ansible

Open the terminal on the Linux server and run the following commands:

• sudo apt update
• sudo apt install ssh -y
• sudo apt install software-properties-common -y
• sudo add-apt-repository --yes --update ppa:ansible/ansible
• sudo apt install ansible -y

Verify Ansible Installation
Run:

• ansible --version

If Ansible is installed successfully, the installed Ansible version will be displayed.
Example:

• ansible [core ...]

3. Enable SSH on the Server

SSH is required for communication between the Ansible server and the target Mac system.
Note: This step is required only if SSH is not already enabled on the server.
Start the SSH service :

• sudo systemctl start ssh

Enable SSH to start automatically after reboot :

• sudo systemctl enable ssh

Check SSH service status :

• sudo systemctl status ssh

The status should show:

• Active: active (running)

4. Mac User System Setup

The Mac User System is the target Mac on which the Workstatus Silent App will be installed.

4.1 Enable Remote Login

On the user's Mac:

• Open System Settings.
• Go to General.
• Select Sharing.
• Enable Remote Login.
• Ensure the required user account is allowed to access the Mac through SSH.

The Mac must be connected to the network and reachable from the Ansible server.

5. Server System Action

5.1 Workstatus Silent App Package

Download Workstatus Mac Silent App installation package.
Extract the ZIP file on the Ansible server.
The extracted folder should contain the required installation files, such as:

• inventory.ini
• mac_silent.sh

Note: File names may vary depending on the Workstatus Silent App build provided for deployment.

5.2 Configure the Ansible Inventory File

Open the inventory.ini file.
The inventory file contains the information required to connect to the target Mac system.
Enter:

• Mac system IP address
• Mac username
• Mac password
• Workstatus user email address
• os name

Example
1XX.1XX.3.X user=admin pass=admin email=useremail@example.com os=macos

For multiple Mac systems, add each system on a separate line.
Example:
1XX.1XX.3.10 user=admin pass=admin email=user1@example.com os=macos
1XX.1XX.3.11 user=admin pass=admin email=user2@example.com os=macos
1XX.1XX.3.12 user=admin pass=admin email=user3@example.com os=macos

Note: Replace the example values with the actual user's Mac system details.

6. Verify Mac SSH Connectivity

Before running the installation, verify that the Ansible server can connect to the target Mac.
Run:

• ssh username@MAC_IP_ADDRESS

Example: ssh admin@1XX.1XX.3.10
If the connection is successful, exit the SSH session: exit

7. Run the Workstatus Silent App Installation

Open the terminal on the Ansible server and navigate to the directory containing:

• inventory.ini
• mac_silent.sh

Run the installation script:

• source bash_silent.sh

The script will use the information provided in inventory.ini to remotely connect to the target Mac and perform the Workstatus Silent App installation.
The installation process will:

• Connect to the target Mac using SSH.
• Authenticate with the Mac user account.
• Transfer the Workstatus Silent App installation files.
• Install the Workstatus Silent App.
• Configure the Workstatus user email.
• Configure the required application settings.
• Start the Workstatus Silent App/service as required.
• Complete the remote installation.

8. Required macOS Permissions

Depending on the Workstatus Silent App build and macOS version, required macOS permissions may need to be configured.
Check:
System Settings → Privacy & Security
Verify the required permissions such as:

• Screen Recording
• Accessibility
• input monitoring
• Full Disk Access, if required by the specific build

For enterprise/MDM deployment, these permissions should preferably be configured through the organization's MDM configuration profiles rather than manually on every Mac.

9. Restart the Mac System

After granting the required macOS permissions, the user must restart the Mac system to ensure that all permissions and Workstatus background processes are applied correctly.

10. Verify Silent App Installation

After the installation is completed, verify the installation on the target Mac.
Check that:

• Workstatus Silent App is installed.
• Workstatus processes/services are running.
• The correct Workstatus user email is configured.
• The application can connect to the Workstatus server.
• Tracking is working correctly.
• Screenshots are being captured, if enabled for the account.
• Activity tracking is working correctly.
• The application starts automatically as required.

Because this is the Silent App, the application may not display a normal user-facing application window.

11. Verify Workstatus Tracking

After installation:

• Log in to the Workstatus Admin account.
• Go to people tab >> employee
• Search employee name
• Working status is showing infront of user name.

Updated on: 09/09/2026