Various applications need to access non-native file systems on macOS for purposes such as file encryption/decryption and integration of cloud-based storage into the macOS file system.

FUSE-T is a somewhat recent solution that was developed as an alternative to the older macFUSE (ofxfuse). Its main advantage is that it doesn’t rely on a kernel extension to provide applications with a file system compatibility layer, which is particularly valuable on recent versions of macOS.

macFUSE installs and requires users to activate a kernel extension in order to provide its functionality. This has become a lot more difficult on Apple Silicon Macs, as it involves booting into macOS Recovery and enabling Reduced Security mode. Aside from making things more complicated for users, the reduced level of security is not ideal.

FUSE-T does things differently. Instead of using a kernel extension, it launches a local NFS server to convert between NFS calls and the FUSE protocol, and it then shuts down the server as the requested action has been completed.

Compared to macFUSE, installation is much easier, particularly on Apple Silicon Macs. It’s essentially a simple installation wizard, with no additional steps required, no restart, and no extensions to be activated.

However, unlike macFUSE, it does not create a Settings pane for installation/uninstallation. To remove it, you’ll have to use a terminal command provided at the end of the installation process.

There are quite a few popular apps that rely on the FUSE protocol, such as Cryptomator and VeraCrypt. With kernel extensions likely to become even more difficult to install, FUSE-T seems like the best option for the future. It ran just as well as macFUSE during my tests, while being a lot easier to set up.