What does this script do?

This script synchronizes the local macOS computer name with the device display name in the Applivery Dashboard via the API.

Why should I sync the macOS computer name with Applivery?

Syncing allows you to easily identify specific Macs in the Applivery Dashboard by their user-defined name instead of generic names like 'MacBook-Pro-7'.

What are the requirements for running this script?

The script requires macOS, root privileges, internet access to api.applivery.io, a valid Applivery Bearer Token, and your Applivery Organization ID.

How do I get a Bearer Token for the Applivery API?

You need to create a Service Account in Applivery and generate a Bearer token with Editor role or above.

How do I configure the script after creating it in Applivery?

Replace the `ID_ORG` and `API_TOKEN` placeholder values in the script with your Organization ID and Bearer Token.

How often should I run this script?

It's recommended to run the script on a loop (e.g., weekly) to keep the Dashboard updated, and once during enrollment to set the initial name.

Where can I find the full source code for this script?

The script's source code is available in the Applivery Public Script Repository on GitHub.

Automate Device Management with Applivery Scripts

Every Mac has a local computer name — the one the user set during initial setup, or changed later to something personal like "John Doe's MacBook". In the Applivery Dashboard, however, Devices typically show the generic name assigned at enrollment time. At scale, this makes identifying specific machines by name nearly impossible: you end up with a list of MacBook-Pro-7 entries and no easy way to know who each one belongs to.

This Script closes that gap. It reads the local ComputerName from each Mac and updates it in the Applivery Dashboard via the API, keeping both in sync. Run it periodically, and you can always identify any Device at a glance.

Warning

The Applivery Agent for macOS must be installed and active on the Device. Learn more about the macOS Agent.

Requirements

Requirement	Detail
Platform	macOS
Execution privileges	Root (default in Applivery)
Internet access	The Device must be able to reach `api.applivery.io`
Bearer Token	A valid token from a Service Account with Editor role or above
Organization ID	The slug/ID of your Applivery organization

Before you start — Get your Bearer Token and Organization ID

Organization ID — Your Organization ID is the slug visible in the Applivery Dashboard URL (e.g., my-company).

Bearer Token (via Service Account) — Applivery uses Service Accounts to represent non-human users that can access the Applivery Administration API. Each Service Account has an associated Bearer token used as the Authorization header in API calls.

Setup

Create the Script

Once in the Applivery Dashboard, follow the steps described here to create a Script. Paste the following Script into the editor, replacing the placeholder values shown in the table below.

Variable	Description	Example
`ID_ORG`	Your Applivery organization slug/ID	`my-company`
`API_TOKEN`	Bearer token from a Service Account with Editor role or above	`wfkj2Gi...`

Select Bash as the language, give it a descriptive name (e.g., Sync Device Name), and click Create.

#!/bin/bash

# ---
# Title: Sync Device Name with Applivery API
# Description: Automatically updates the Device Display Name in Applivery Dashboard to match the local macOS ComputerName.
# Author: Applivery
# Version: 1.0.0
# ---

# ==========================================
# CONFIGURATION
# ==========================================
ID_ORG="your-org-id"
API_TOKEN="your-api-token"
BASE_URL="https://api.applivery.io/v1/organizations/$ID_ORG/mdm/apple/enterprise/devices"

# ==========================================
# 1. LOCAL DATA GATHERING
# ==========================================
SERIAL_NUMBER=$(system_profiler SPHardwareDataType | grep "Serial Number" | awk '{print $4}')
NEW_DEVICE_NAME=$(scutil --get ComputerName)

if [ -z "$NEW_DEVICE_NAME" ]; then
  echo "Error: Local ComputerName is empty. Please set a hostname on the Mac."
  exit 1
fi

echo "Syncing Device Name for Serial: $SERIAL_NUMBER"
echo "Target Name: $NEW_DEVICE_NAME"

# ==========================================
# 2. API INTERACTION
# ==========================================

# GET Device Info to find the internal Device ID
response=$(curl -s -X GET "$BASE_URL/$SERIAL_NUMBER" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json")

if echo "$response" | grep -q '"admDevice"'; then
  DEVICE_ID=$(echo "$response" | grep -o '"admDevice":"[^"]*"' | sed 's/"admDevice":"\([^"]*\)"/\1/')

  if [ -n "$DEVICE_ID" ]; then
    echo "Found internal DeviceID: $DEVICE_ID"

    update_response=$(curl -s -X PUT "$BASE_URL/$DEVICE_ID" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_TOKEN" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d "{\"displayName\": \"$NEW_DEVICE_NAME\"}")

    if echo "$update_response" | grep -q '"status":200' || echo "$update_response" | grep -q '"displayName"'; then
      echo "SUCCESS: Display name updated to: $NEW_DEVICE_NAME"
    else
      echo "FAILURE: Error updating name: $update_response"
    fi
  else
    echo "ERROR: Could not find DeviceID for Serial Number $SERIAL_NUMBER"
  fi
else
  echo "ERROR: Could not fetch device info from API. Check Token and Org ID."
  echo "Response: $response"
fi

exit 0

Assign the Script to a Device

Now, navigate to any of your Devices, select the Scripts tab, click on the + Assign Script button, and select the one you just created.

Note

You can also assign Scripts to Policies. To do this, navigate to the Policies section, select the desired Policy, and click on the Scripts tab. The process will be the same as when assigning it directly to an individual Device.

Choose the execution method

Method	Behaviour	Recommended?
Once	Runs one time per Device.	✅ Useful for setting the display name from day one of enrollment.
Loop	Runs repeatedly at the configured interval (15m, 1h, 6h, 1d, 7d).	✅ Recommended for ongoing sync — keeps the Dashboard updated as users rename their machines.
On demand	Only runs when manually triggered.	✅ Useful for an ad-hoc update triggered by IT.

The recommended setup is to use Loop with a weekly interval (7d) to keep the Dashboard in sync without generating unnecessary API traffic, combined with Once during enrollment to set the name from the first day.

This Script does not require any arguments. The Device name and serial number are obtained automatically from the local system. Click Add to save the assignment.

Available on GitHub

This Script is part of the Applivery Public Script Repository. The full source code is available there for review, adaptation, and contribution.

How to sync Computer Name

Requirements

Before you start — Get your Bearer Token and Organization ID

Setup

Available on GitHub

Key Takeaways