A new command-line tool called sfsym lets developers export Apple SF Symbols directly as vector SVG, PDF, or PNG files. The tool taps into macOS's native symbol renderer to produce output that matches exactly what the system draws, avoiding approximations from raster tracing.

Built by Yap Studios, sfsym reads Apple's private vector glyph data from NSSymbolImageRep to extract precise geometry. It supports 8,300+ symbols that stay current through direct Assets.car enumeration, and includes features like per-layer CSS theming via data-layer attributes. The tool is available via Homebrew or source compilation, with no Xcode dependency required.

Users can export individual symbols with custom colors, sizes, and rendering modes including monochrome, hierarchical, palette, and multicolor. The batch mode processes hundreds of exports per second, and shell completions auto-generate from the live symbol list. While SF Symbols licensing restricts use to Apple platform apps, the tool streamlines design workflows for developers working within those constraints.