mac-hotspot-data-saver
Save hotspot data on a Mac with Kilobat
A Mac on a phone hotspot behaves as if it were on home broadband: cloud sync, photo libraries, updates and backups all start at once. This skill finds what is using data and stops what the user does not need, with the user's approval at every step.
Setup
Use the Kilobat MCP tools if connected, otherwise the kilobat CLI (brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat, macOS 14+; ask before installing). Commands here need CLI 0.2 or later, and conditions and sessions need 0.4 (kilobat --version); if one is unknown, suggest brew upgrade kilobat. Reading is safe; every change below needs a clear yes from the user. The kilobat skill lists the rules.
Blocking and budgets are saved by the CLI and enforced by the Kilobat app with its network filter enabled (Kilobat Pro). Without it, rules are saved but nothing is stopped. kilobat doctor says whether the app is running and the filter is on; say "saved", not "blocked", unless it is.
1. Confirm the connection is metered
Run kilobat status --json. metered: true means macOS marks the connection as expensive, which is typical for a phone hotspot. network: "Cellular" is the same. Plane, hotel and roaming Wi-Fi often are not marked; take the user's word for it.
get_conditions (kilobat conditions --json) answers the same question faster, without sampling traffic: metered, lowDataMode (the Low Data Mode switch for this network), vpn and battery. Check it before any large download or upload you are about to start yourself, such as a model, a container image or a dependency install, and ask first when metered or lowDataMode is true.
Do not run a speed test on a metered connection unless the user wants one. If they do, use --budget-mb 10 or less.