Questions.
Including the awkward ones.
Installing
Why does macOS say the app is damaged?
It is not damaged. That message is what macOS shows for an app it cannot verify, and SwiftMediaInfo is not signed with an Apple developer certificate — that requires a paid membership this project does not have.
The fix is one command, and the download page walks through it. Installing with Homebrew avoids the warning entirely — three commands there, because Homebrew asks you to trust a third-party repository before it will install from one.
Why do I need MediaInfo installed as well?
SwiftMediaInfo is a front-end. Every field it shows comes from MediaInfo, MediaArea's tool, which does the actual reading. If the app cannot find one on your system it offers to install it, and tells you exactly what it is about to run.
Why isn't MediaInfo just bundled in?
MediaInfo is updated often. Bundling a copy would mean re-releasing SwiftMediaInfo every time it changed, and leaving you on whatever version happened to ship with the app you installed.
Installing it through Homebrew means it stays current on its own schedule, and new format support arrives without waiting for me to ship anything.
Which macOS versions does it run on?
macOS 26 and later, on Apple silicon. That is a deliberate limit rather than an untested guess: the interface is built on APIs that only exist in 26, and supporting anything earlier would mean maintaining a second, worse-looking version of every screen.
Your files
Does it modify my media?
No. Reading metadata never alters a file, and the app has no code that writes to one.
The two exceptions are things you ask for explicitly: renaming a file, and moving one to the Trash. Both are deliberate actions with confirmation, and neither touches the contents.
Does anything get sent anywhere?
Not unless you press Share. Analysis happens on your Mac. There is no account, no telemetry, and no analytics.
If you do share a report, the app shows you exactly what it is about to upload and offers to strip file paths first — because a path often contains a username, and sometimes a good deal more.
What formats does it support?
Whatever MediaInfo supports, which is most things: MKV, MP4, MOV, AVI, FLAC, MP3, WAV and a long list beyond them. Since the reading is MediaInfo's work, support arrives as they add it.
The project
Was this written by AI?
Yes. The code was written by Claude, under my direction and review — I specified every feature, tested every build, and made every decision about what this app is.
I say so plainly because the source is public. You do not have to take any of it on trust: read it, build it yourself, or have someone you trust look at it. That is a stronger position than most software can offer, however it was written.
Is this the official MediaInfo app?
No. MediaArea make MediaInfo and also sell their own Mac app. SwiftMediaInfo is an independent front-end built on their tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
If you want the official one, it is on the App Store and it is a good app. The comparison lays out where each is stronger.
Is it really free? Will that change?
Free, with everything included and no paid tier — and that applies to every version, including the ones not written yet. There is no plan to charge for anything, ever.
The MIT licence makes that more than a promise. Even if I changed my mind, the code already released stays free permanently, and anyone could continue it from where I stopped.
If you would like to support the work anyway, there is one way to — and it buys nothing you would otherwise be charged for.
Why does it only support English?
Because I am one person, and a translation I cannot check is worse than an honest gap. The field explanations in particular are written prose rather than labels, and a machine translation of those would be confidently wrong in ways only a native speaker would catch.
I found a bug, or I want a feature.
Open an issue on GitHub — that is the best place, because it is public and nothing gets lost.
I read every one. Bugs with a file that reproduces them get fixed fastest.