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dutradotdev/quokka

18RustAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A Mac command-line tool that lets you inspect and manage a connected iPhone over USB, browse storage, delete heavy files, uninstall apps, and watch live system logs, with no jailbreak required.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((quokka))
    What it does
      Inspect iPhone
      Manage storage
      View live logs
    Commands
      qk analyze
      qk apps
      qk logs
    Features
      No jailbreak needed
      Multiple devices
      Homebrew install
    Tech Stack
      Rust
      idevice library
      USB protocol
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Find and delete the largest media files on your iPhone from the terminal to free up storage quickly

USE CASE 2

Watch your iPhone's live system log stream while testing an iOS app to debug unexpected behavior in real time

USE CASE 3

List all installed apps sorted by size and uninstall unwanted ones without opening iTunes or Finder

Tech stack

RustHomebrew

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires iOS 17 or newer on the connected iPhone and a standard USB trust confirmation on first connection.

MIT license, use, modify, and distribute freely for any purpose, including commercial use.

In plain English

Quokka is a Mac command-line tool for inspecting and managing an iPhone that is connected over USB. It lets you see storage details, battery state, installed apps, media files, and a live stream of what the phone is doing internally, all without needing to jailbreak the device or install anything on the phone itself. The main use cases are freeing up storage and debugging. Running qk analyze shows you the heaviest media files and lets you pick which ones to delete from an interactive list. qk apps lists every installed user app sorted by size and can uninstall individual apps directly from the terminal. qk logs opens a live log viewer in the terminal so you can watch what the phone's system is doing in real time, which is useful when testing an iOS app. There is also a command to generate a stylized snapshot image of the phone's current state, similar to a system information card. All communication with the phone runs through the same USB connection system that tools like iTunes use, so no special permissions or developer certificates are needed beyond the standard trust confirmation that appears on the iPhone screen when you first plug it in. iOS 17 or newer is required. Installation on a Mac is one command via Homebrew. There is also a one-line curl install and a source build path for developers using Rust. Two command names are available: the full quokka and the shorter qk, which do the same thing. The tool is built in Rust using a library called idevice that handles the low-level iPhone communication protocol. It supports multiple connected iPhones at once, letting you target a specific device by ID. The project is MIT licensed and includes contribution guides, an architecture document, and a changelog.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I just installed quokka via Homebrew. Walk me through using `qk analyze` to find the biggest files on my iPhone and delete selected ones from an interactive list.
Prompt 2
How do I use `qk logs` to filter iPhone system logs for only my app's bundle ID while testing a new build?
Prompt 3
I have two iPhones connected via USB. How do I target a specific device by ID with quokka commands?
Prompt 4
Walk me through building quokka from source using Rust on my Mac and running my first `qk apps` command.
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