Preventing Install macOS Catalina.app from automatically opening when downloaded

@horganj76 What's downloaded from the App Store is not necessarily the full installer. Apparently depending on the phase of the moon, you might end up with a stub version that downloads the required resources when it's run

Instead of pushing the App from the App Store, you could use softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer command. Create a policy that utilizes Files and Processes -> Execute Command. I would also do an inventory update at the end. Once the installer is downloaded, it will be moved to /Applications, but should not open.

@RBlount I am not seeing the --fetch-full-installer command on the 10.14.6 version of softwareupdate.
I guess we cannot use that to go from Mojave to Catalina, huh?

@guidotti I always forget that option was not offered until Catalina. Sorry, for the bad information.

You can download it once, and add it to Self Service, or push it out with Jamf Remote

We are using the command:

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 10.15.6

Unfortunately it still automatically launches the installer.

If you're looking to download the Install macOS Catalina.app directly from Apple's servers, then Graham Pugh's erase-install will do that for you without actually starting the installer (and despite the name it also supports running the installer without erasing the Mac)