Starting a new dev job is exciting — and overwhelming. New codebase, new team, new tools. You want to hit the ground running without spending your first sprint configuring your machine.
Here are 7 Mac apps I'd install on day one at any new developer job. They're small, fast, and solve problems you'll run into before your first PR.
1. Raycast — The Launcher That Replaces Five Apps
Raycast is the first thing I install on any Mac. It's a launcher, clipboard manager, snippet expander, and window manager rolled into one. The built-in extensions for GitHub, Jira, and Linear mean you can search issues, check PRs, and manage tasks without opening a browser tab. Your new team uses Slack? There's an extension for that too.
2. Warp — A Terminal That Doesn't Fight You
Your first week will involve a lot of terminal work — cloning repos, setting up environments, running builds. Warp makes that less painful with block-based output, command search, and AI-powered completions. It also has persistent sessions, so when IT restarts your machine overnight, your terminal history survives.
🔗 warp.dev
3. CleanShot X — Screenshots That Actually Communicate
You'll be documenting bugs, asking questions in Slack, and creating tickets. CleanShot X lets you capture, annotate, and share screenshots in seconds. The scrolling capture and screen recording features are clutch for "here's what I'm seeing" messages to your new team. Way better than the built-in screenshot tool.
4. TokenBar — Know What Your AI Tools Actually Cost
If your new team uses Copilot, Cursor, Claude, or any LLM-powered tools, you're burning tokens constantly — and you probably have no idea how much. TokenBar sits in your menu bar and tracks token usage across providers in real time. It's $5 one-time, and it'll save you from that end-of-month surprise when the API bill lands.
5. Monk Mode — Block the Feeds, Keep the Apps
First week at a new job and you're scrolling Twitter during a build? Not a great look. Monk Mode doesn't block entire apps — it blocks the feed inside them. So you can still use YouTube for tutorials and Twitter for DMs, but the infinite scroll is gone. It's surgical, and it's the difference between "quick check" and "where did 40 minutes go."
6. Rectangle — Window Management That Just Works
You'll be juggling your editor, terminal, browser, Slack, and docs constantly. Rectangle gives you keyboard shortcuts to snap windows into halves, thirds, and quarters. It's free, open-source, and does exactly what you need without any bloat. Learn the shortcuts on day one and you'll never drag a window again.
7. Homebrew — The Package Manager You Can't Skip
This one's obvious, but I'm including it because I've seen new hires waste hours manually installing tools. Homebrew lets you install everything — Git, Node, Python, Docker, databases — with one command. Pro tip: create a Brewfile with your essentials so you can replicate your setup on any machine in minutes.
🔗 brew.sh
The First-Week Cheat Sheet
| App | What It Does | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Raycast | Launcher + extensions | Free |
| Warp | Modern terminal | Free |
| CleanShot X | Screenshots + recording | $29 |
| TokenBar | LLM token tracking | $5 lifetime |
| Monk Mode | Feed-level blocking | $15 lifetime |
| Rectangle | Window management | Free |
| Homebrew | Package manager | Free |
Your first week shouldn't be about fighting your tools. Get these installed, learn the shortcuts, and focus on what actually matters — understanding the codebase and meeting your team.
What apps do you install first at a new job? Drop them in the comments 👇
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