MACE STIG Hub

Launch STIG Viewer 2 and 3 on macOS — no Java install, no recompiling, no hassle.

Contents

• About
• Why MACE STIG Hub?
• Quick Start
• Screenshots
• What's Bundled
• Features
• Building from Source
• Requirements
• Disclaimer
• Community & Feedback
• Credits

About

MACE STIG Hub is a native macOS app that bundles everything you need to run STIG Viewer 2 (Java) and STIG Viewer 3 (Electron) — with zero setup. No Java installs, no Homebrew, no recompiling Electron from source. Just open the app and click launch.

The problem: Running STIG Viewer on macOS has always been a pain. SV2 requires a Java runtime that Apple no longer ships. SV3 is an Electron app that DISA distributes for Windows and Linux but doesn't officially support on macOS. Getting either one running means hunting down the right JRE, fixing permissions, or extracting and repackaging Electron binaries.

The solution: MACE STIG Hub packages both viewers with their dependencies into a single signed and notarized macOS app. It automatically detects your Mac's architecture (Apple Silicon or Intel) and launches the correct version. One download, two viewers, zero configuration.

Built for:

• Security Engineers & STIG Assessors
• macOS Administrators
• Government & DoD IT Teams
• Anyone who needs STIG Viewer on a Mac

Why MACE STIG Hub?

Zero setup	No Java install, no Homebrew, no terminal commands
Both viewers in one app	STIG Viewer 2 (Java) and STIG Viewer 3 (Electron) side by side
Universal binary	Runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs
Architecture-aware	Automatically selects the right JRE and Electron build for your chip
Signed & notarized	Passes Gatekeeper — no need to bypass security warnings
Native macOS app	Built with SwiftUI for a clean, lightweight experience
Free & open source	Community-driven, no licensing fees

Quick Start

1. Download the latest release
2. Open MACE STIG Hub
3. Click STIG Viewer 2 or STIG Viewer 3
4. That's it — no configuration needed

Screenshots

Light mode

Dark mode

What's Bundled

Component	Version	Details
STIG Viewer 2	v2.18	Java-based STIG assessment tool (JAR)
STIG Viewer 3	v3.6	Electron-based STIG assessment tool
JRE (ARM64)	Bundled	Java runtime for Apple Silicon Macs
JRE (x64)	Bundled	Java runtime for Intel Macs
Electron (ARM64)	Bundled	SV3 build for Apple Silicon Macs
Electron (x64)	Bundled	SV3 build for Intel Macs

Features

One-Click Launch

• Launch STIG Viewer 2 or 3 with a single click
• Architecture detection automatically selects the correct binaries
• Toast notifications confirm successful launch or report errors

Fully Self-Contained

• Bundled JRE — no system Java required for STIG Viewer 2
• Bundled Electron app — no recompiling or extracting for STIG Viewer 3
• All dependencies live inside the app bundle

Native macOS Experience

• Built with SwiftUI for macOS 14+
• Light and dark mode support with adaptive app icon
• Signed with Developer ID and notarized by Apple
• Hardened Runtime enabled for all binaries

Quick Access Links

• Direct link to DISA STIG/SRG resources
• Link to the project GitHub page

System Info

• View app version, build info, and system details
• Copy diagnostics to clipboard for troubleshooting

Building from Source

The BundledResources/ folder is not included in the repository due to its size (~1.4 GB). To build the project yourself:

1. Download BundledResources.zip from the latest release
2. Unzip it into the project root so the folder structure looks like this:

BundledResources/
├── jre-arm64/              # BellSoft Liberica JRE 21 — macOS ARM64 (Apple Silicon)
├── jre-x64/                # BellSoft Liberica JRE 21 — macOS x64 (Intel)
├── STIGViewer-2.18.jar     # STIG Viewer 2 JAR from DISA
├── stigviewer2.icns        # STIG Viewer 2 app icon
├── sv3-arm64/              # STIG Viewer 3.app — macOS ARM64 (Apple Silicon)
│   └── STIG Viewer 3.app/
└── sv3-x64/                # STIG Viewer 3.app — macOS x64 (Intel)
    └── STIG Viewer 3.app/

3. Open MACESTIGHub.xcodeproj in Xcode
4. Build and run

Updating components yourself

If you want to update individual components instead of using the pre-built bundle:

Component	Source
BellSoft Liberica JRE 21	Download the Full JRE for macOS from bell-sw.com — get both aarch64 and x86_64 builds
STIGViewer-2.18.jar	Download from DISA STIG/SRG Tools — extract the JAR from the zip
STIG Viewer 3	See Building STIG Viewer 3 for macOS below

Building STIG Viewer 3 for macOS

DISA distributes STIG Viewer 3 as an Electron app for Windows and Linux but not macOS. The macOS version included in this project is built by extracting the application code from the Linux release and repackaging it inside a macOS Electron shell. Here's how:

1. Download the Linux build from DISA STIG/SRG Tools — grab the Linux x64 .zip
2. Extract app.asar — Inside the Linux build, locate resources/app.asar and resources/app.asar.unpacked/. These contain the STIG Viewer 3 application code and native modules (like sqlite3-offline-next)
3. Download macOS Electron binaries — Get the matching Electron version for both darwin-arm64 and darwin-x64 from Electron releases. The version must match what DISA built SV3 against
4. Create the .app bundle — For each architecture:
   • Start with the Electron .app from the download (e.g., Electron.app)
   • Rename it to STIG Viewer 3.app
   • Copy app.asar and app.asar.unpacked/ into STIG Viewer 3.app/Contents/Resources/
   • Update Contents/Info.plist — set CFBundleName to STIG Viewer 3, CFBundleIdentifier to com.disa.stigviewer3, and CFBundleExecutable to STIG Viewer 3
   • Rename the main executable in Contents/MacOS/ to STIG Viewer 3
5. Place the builds in BundledResources/sv3-arm64/ and BundledResources/sv3-x64/

Code signing the bundled apps

Before archiving for distribution, the SV3 Electron apps must be signed with Hardened Runtime using your Developer ID certificate. Sign all Mach-O binaries inside each STIG Viewer 3.app (dylibs, frameworks, helpers, .node files) from the inside out, then sign the main .app last. An Electron.entitlements file is included in the project with the required entitlements for Electron apps.

Requirements

• macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
• Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) or Intel Mac
• No additional software required

Disclaimer

STIG Viewer is developed and published by DISA for the Department of Defense. MACE STIG Hub is an independent, community project that simplifies launching the viewers on macOS. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by DISA or the DoD.

Community & Feedback

MACE STIG Hub is a community-driven project. If you run into issues, have feature ideas, or just want to share how you're using it:

• Open an issue for bugs or feature requests
• Start a discussion for questions or ideas

Credits

Created by Cody Keats — a Mac admin building tools for the macOS admin community.

Part of the M.A.C.E. project family.

Download Latest Release • Report an Issue • Discussions