3 Mac troubleshooting tools your MSP techs never knew they needed (plus one pro workflow)

Remote and distributed IT makes Apple device management and macOS troubleshooting harder than ever for MSPs and in‑house MacAdmins. 

These three lesser‑known tools (plus one pro workflow) help you inspect Apple MDM payloads, vet macOS installer packages, and pinpoint network issues that silently break OS upgrades, MDM enrollment, and app deployment. Use them to cut time‑to‑resolution on tricky Apple platform incidents and keep your fleet compliant and patched.

1. Why MacAdmins love Low Profile for Apple MDM
   Low Profile makes it easy to see exactly what any Apple configuration profile will do before you deploy it, so you can validate payloads, spot deprecated or duplicate keys, and confirm that your MDM or DDM workflows are generating profiles as expected. On a Mac enrolled in Apple MDM, it lets you inspect installed profiles, compare settings across policies, and link directly to Apple’s documentation so you can quickly explain why a device is behaving differently than the rest of the fleet. 
   
   This is ideal for MacAdmins and MSPs who need to troubleshoot odd macOS behavior, audit third‑party profiles, or safely test new Apple MDM payloads without digging through raw XML.
   
   
2. Use Suspicious Package before you trust any macOS installer
   Suspicious Package lets you open macOS installer pkgs and inspect their contents, scripts, signatures, and receipts without actually installing them, giving you deep visibility into what will land on your managed Macs. IT teams can verify vendor installers before they hit production, catch unwanted launch daemons or post‑install scripts, and document exactly which files and changes a package will make to devices under Apple device management. 
   
   For MSPs responsible for multiple tenants, this becomes a lightweight software‑supply‑chain check that fits neatly into your standard macOS packaging and deployment workflow.
   
   
3. Checkout major macOS upgrades first with Mac Evaluation Utility 
   Mac Evaluation Utility runs a long list of Apple‑defined tests against a Mac and its network environment, then generates a detailed report showing which Apple services are working, which are blocked, and what needs attention. MacAdmins and MSPs can use it to quickly identify network issues that silently break Apple MDM enrollment, declarative management, OS updates, and volume‑purchased app deployments, and then hand a clear PDF‑based action plan to security and networking teams. 
   
   Because it is delivered through the Appleseed for IT program, it also gives you a structured way to validate new macOS versions before you roll out major OS upgrades across your fleet.

Bonus: Unified System Logs and sysdiagnose
(for true root‑cause analysis)

Bonus points – Sysdiagnose logging.- Sysdiagnose logging. When Apple MDM behavior looks random or “unreproducible,” unified system logs and sysdiagnose give you the evidence you need to get to the true root cause. 

In his MacAdmins talk, Addigy Senior Product Manager Bryce Carlson shows how Apple’s unified system logs are the **key** to getting to true root cause for stubborn macOS and iOS issues. He walks through how to use Console, the log command, and sysdiagnose archives to capture detailed telemetry around OS updates, configuration profiles, and app installs so you can send high‑quality bug reports to Apple or your vendors. 

Building this into your standard Apple device management playbook helps you shorten ticket cycles and turn vague “it’s broken” reports into actionable, scriptable troubleshooting workflows.

Stay Sharp With Free MacAdmins Resources

Did you know that PSU MacAdmins, MacAdUk, MacAdmins India, and Macsysadmin conferences publish most if not all of their conference talks online, for free, on YouTube? If you can’t make it to these MacAdmin conferences around the world, this is a great way to learn from the community and expand your horizons around what other Apple admins are doing in their world. 

Last but not least, the MacAdmins slack is also the largest community for Apple Admins online. With vendors and thousands of Apple professionals, there is a channel for everyone and everything!