create_macos_recovery

Tool for repairing the Recovery volume (APFS) or partition (HFS+) on Macs running macOS 10.13.x or later.

This script uses a macOS 10.13 and later installer application to repair the Recovery volume (APFS) or partition (HFS+).

Pre-requisites

1. This script
2. An installer from Apple's Mac App Store for one of the following versions of macOS:

• 10.13.x
• 10.14.x
• 10.15.x

Note: macOS Big Sur (macOS 11.x) made significant changes to the Recovery volume and it is unlikely this script will support any version of macOS past macOS 10.15.x.

Running the script

Run the create_macos_recovery.sh script with one argument: the path to an "Install macOS.app".

/path/to/create_macos_recovery.sh "/path/to/Install macOS [Name].app"

Example usage:

If you have a macOS Catalina 10.15.x installer available, run this command:

sudo /path/to/create_macos_recovery.sh "/Applications/Install macOS Catalina.app"

This should replace the existing Recovery volume or partition with a fresh install, using the Recovery installation tools available from the macOS installer app.

What the script does:

1. Downloads the following installer package from Apple's Software Update service: SecUpd2020-001HighSierra.RecoveryHDUpdate.pkg

2. Expands SecUpd2020-001HighSierra.RecoveryHDUpdate.pkg into a directory in /private/tmp in order to get access to the dm tool included with this installer package.

3. Uses the dm tool and the Recovery installation tools available from the macOS installer app to rebuild the Recovery volume or partition.

4. Cleans up by removing the downloaded SecUpd2020-001HighSierra.RecoveryHDUpdate.pkg and expanded package contents.

This script has been tested with the following OS installers from the Mac App Store:

• macOS 10.13.6
• macOS 10.14.6
• macOS 10.15.0