Technical details for Slurp

Slurp looks simple on purpose. Underneath, a native Mac app coordinates several media engines, browser assistance, signed compatibility data and a few completely unnecessary-but-delightful graphics tricks.

SwiftUI + AppKityt-dlpStreamlinkFFmpegWebKitCryptoKitMetal

01 / Media pipeline

One link. Several specialists.

Slurp does not ask one tool to solve every site. It analyses the source, selects the useful path, and brings the result back into one native workflow.

01Your linkYouTube, Twitch, Snapchat, Telegram and more

02Ayt-dlpBroad video/audio discovery and format metadata

02BStreamlinkLive-stream discovery and recording after live media is confirmed

02CSlurp resolverBrowser/WebKit-assisted paths where a generic extractor is not enough

03FFmpeg + SlurpMerge, remux, extract or transport the selected media into the file you asked for

04Your MacThe finished file stays with you

The exact route varies by source and media type. Slurp can also keep a usable yt-dlp result when a live-stream handoff is not available, rather than blindly forcing every URL down the same path.

02 / Native Mac app

A Mac app, not a browser in a trench coat.

Slurp’s interface is built in SwiftUI with AppKit where macOS needs lower-level window and system integration. The media tools run behind that native interface rather than becoming the interface themselves.

⌘

SwiftUI + AppKit

Native windows, menus, Keychain integration and Mac-specific behavior live alongside a SwiftUI interface.

M

Apple silicon first

Slurp 1.0 targets M1-or-later Macs on macOS 14+, so the app can lean into the current Mac graphics and platform stack.

◐

System preferences matter

Reduce Motion and Reduce Transparency are respected. Visual effects are decoration, never the only way Slurp communicates state.

03 / The engine room

Use the right tool. Keep the seams hidden.

The interesting work is not simply bundling command-line tools. It is deciding when each one is authoritative, how their outputs become one model, and how failures fall back without turning the UI into a terminal.

yd

yt-dlp for breadth

Slurp uses yt-dlp for broad extractor coverage, format discovery and ordinary media downloads. Engine updates are downloaded separately and accepted only after Slurp verifies the release signature and checksum against pinned verification material.

sl

Streamlink for live media

A Twitch hostname alone does not make something a live recording. Slurp first classifies what the source actually returned, then uses Streamlink when active live media has been confirmed.

ff

FFmpeg for the final mile

FFmpeg is bundled for media processing: combining streams, remuxing containers, extracting audio and handling direct media transport when Slurp already knows the real media URL.

wk

WebKit when the page matters

Some public pages expose useful media only after the page itself runs. Slurp has isolated WebKit-based resolution paths for those cases rather than pretending every website is a static URL.

04 / Browser assistance

A companion, not a surveillance layer. Beta

Safari, Chromium-family browsers and Firefox share the same core companion UI and media-scanning logic. When you explicitly send a page to Slurp, the companion passes useful page/media information to the local Mac app.

SafariEmbedded Safari Web Extension

Chrome / EdgeManifest V3 + native messaging

FirefoxShared extension logic + Firefox bridge

Local Slurp bridgeThe browser sends the page you chose, not your browsing history.

For many ordinary links none of this is needed: paste the URL directly into Slurp. The companion exists for pages where the browser session or in-page media discovery genuinely helps.

05 / Trust boundaries

Signed before trusted.

Slurp has a few places where code or state can change independently of the app. Those boundaries are deliberately cryptographic rather than “download it and hope.”

Engine updates

Verify, test, then promote.

Downloaded yt-dlp releases are checked against signed checksum assets and Slurp’s pinned verification key. Slurp also refuses an automatic downgrade and can retain a previously verified engine.

Compatibility packs

Site fixes without trusting arbitrary data.

Provider compatibility rules can be delivered as signed packs and verified with CryptoKit before use. That lets Slurp react to changing public websites without turning the compatibility feed into executable code.

Licensing

A signed entitlement the app can verify itself.

After activation, Slurp stores its activation state and signed entitlement in Keychain. The app verifies the Ed25519 signature locally, so an already verified perpetual licence remains usable offline between online validations.

06 / Privacy by architecture

The shortest useful route is usually source → Mac.

Slurp does not need a Slurp media cloud in the middle of your downloads. Download history and unfinished queue state live locally. Licensing, updates, payments and support use network services only for the jobs that actually require them.

SourceMedia host

DestinationYour Mac

No Slurp media proxyNo download-link analyticsNo app-usage telemetry

Some local state can contain private URLs and file paths, so Slurp treats its queue data as private application data with restricted local file permissions.

07 / The shiny bits

Meanwhile, the URL field is doing this.

The media plumbing does the useful work. The interface still gets to have fun. These adapted previews show Slurp’s native materials and the Metal + HDR URL renderer in both light and dark appearance.

Native macOS materials

Depth, without distraction.

The colours of your desktop soften into Slurp’s window and sidebar. Layered surfaces keep the controls clear, in light or dark.

Try the desktop colours above.

Interface previews based on Slurp 1.0.2. Slurp follows your Mac’s appearance and accessibility preferences.

08 / Built with good tools

Standing on some excellent shoulders.

Slurp includes and builds on open-source projects including yt-dlp, Streamlink and FFmpeg. The notices page lists the software and licence material shipped with the app.

Open Source Notices & Materials Read the release notes