Single binary. Zero dependencies. Watch what your AI tools really do.
Argus monitors file system access, network connections, and activity of AI applications (Claude, Cursor, Copilot, ChatGPT, Ollama, etc.) on your Mac or Linux machine — and stores everything in a local SQLite database.
Download the binary for your platform from Releases:
# macOS Apple Silicon
curl -L https://github.com/cortexark/argus-go/releases/latest/download/argus-darwin-arm64 -o argus
chmod +x argus && sudo mv argus /usr/local/bin/
# macOS Intel
curl -L https://github.com/cortexark/argus-go/releases/latest/download/argus-darwin-amd64 -o argus
chmod +x argus && sudo mv argus /usr/local/bin/
# Linux x86_64
curl -L https://github.com/cortexark/argus-go/releases/latest/download/argus-linux-amd64 -o argus
chmod +x argus && sudo mv argus /usr/local/bin/No Node.js, no Python, no runtime required.
argus start # install & start background daemon (launchd on macOS, systemd on Linux)
argus status # check daemon status
argus scan # one-shot scan without daemon
argus report # daily summary report
argus report -d 2025-01-15 # report for a specific date
argus logs # recent file access alerts
argus logs -n 100 # last 100 events
argus stop # stop the daemonWeb dashboard available at http://127.0.0.1:3131 while the daemon is running.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| AI Processes | Detects Claude, Cursor, Copilot, ChatGPT, Ollama, LM Studio, Windsurf, Aider, and 15+ more |
| Sensitive Files | SSH keys, credentials, browser cookies/history, Documents, Downloads |
| Network | Connections to api.anthropic.com, api.openai.com, and other AI endpoints |
| Injection Attacks | Clipboard and file scanning for prompt injection patterns |
- Daemon runs in the background via launchd (macOS) or systemd (Linux)
- Process scanner samples running processes every 30s using
ps - File monitor uses
lsof(macOS) or/proc/PID/fd(Linux) to find open sensitive files - Network monitor uses
netstat -anv(macOS) orss -tunap(Linux) - Injection detector scans clipboard for prompt injection patterns
- Everything is stored locally in
~/.argus/argus.db(SQLite)
Argus classifies AI apps using 6 independent signals:
| Signal | Points | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Known registry | +60 | In the list of 21+ known AI apps |
| Keyword match | +20 | Name/cmdline contains "claude", "gpt", "copilot", etc. |
| AI port | +15 | Listening on port 11434 (Ollama), 1234 (LM Studio), etc. |
| AI parent | +20 | Spawned by a known AI process |
| AI env var | +15 | Has ANTHROPIC_, OPENAI_, CLAUDE_* env vars |
| LLM cmdline | +10 | Command line mentions "llm", "langchain", etc. |
Score ≥ 50 → CONFIRMED_AI · Score 30-49 → LIKELY_AI · Score < 30 → ignored
All data is stored locally at ~/.argus/:
argus.db— SQLite database (WAL mode, 0600 permissions)logs/— Daemon logs
Nothing is ever sent to any server.
git clone https://github.com/cortexark/argus-go
cd argus-go
go build -o argus ./cmd/argus/
./argus --helpRequires Go 1.21+.
MIT