Files & Logging
Pulse Endpoint stores metrics, logs, and preferences in standard macOS locations. Understanding these paths is essential for troubleshooting and log management.
File Locations
~/Library/Application Support/Pulse Endpoint/metrics/JSONL files containing collected metrics. Rotated daily or hourly based on settings.
~/Library/Application Support/Pulse Endpoint/upload/Pending metrics queued for Splunk upload. Cleared after successful upload.
~/Library/Logs/Pulse Endpoint/pulse.logRuntime logs including errors, warnings, and debug info when enabled.
/Library/Logs/Pulse Endpoint/install.logPKG installer log (system-wide). Records installation timestamps and versions.
~/Library/Preferences/com.qlabs.pulse.plistUserDefaults for all configuration. Managed via MDM or CLI.
/usr/local/bin/pulseWrapper script for Jamf/MDM. Handles user context elevation automatically.
Logging
Pulse Endpoint writes runtime logs to ~/Library/Logs/Pulse Endpoint/pulse.log. By default, only warnings and errors are logged (level 2). Set the log level to 0 (Debug) to include all messages for troubleshooting.
Change Log Level
Log levels: 0 = Debug (all), 1 = Info, 2 = Warning (default), 3 = Error only. Set to 0 for detailed troubleshooting, then restore to 2.
Set to Debug (level 0) to capture all messages including per-collector timing breakdowns. The default is Warning (level 2).
View Logs
Use standard macOS tools to view and monitor logs in real-time.
tail -f ~/Library/Logs/Pulse Endpoint/pulse.loggrep -i "error\|warn" ~/Library/Logs/Pulse Endpoint/pulse.log | tail -20open -a Console ~/Library/Logs/Pulse Endpoint/pulse.logLog Format
Each log entry includes timestamp (local time), level, category, and message.
Managing Logs
Logs are written to a single file that grows over time. To clear logs, delete the file manually:
rm ~/Library/Logs/Pulse Endpoint/pulse.log