Documentation Options
Customize what goes into your documentation.
The sidebar of the Documentation Builder is organized into five groups: Rule Content, Rule Options, Structure, Branding, and Format Options.
:::info Defaults follow the document type
The defaults below are what you see when the builder opens. Picking a different Document Type applies that type's preset, so Full Report turns on Check Commands, Rule Tags, and Include Disabled, while Executive Summary turns most rule detail off. Every setting is saved per project in its .mace file, so the builder reopens the way you left it.
:::
Rule Content
Control what information is included for each rule in your document.
Include the discussion text for each rule. Explains why the rule exists, what it protects against, and provides context for compliance teams.
Show the command used to verify compliance for each rule. Useful for technical teams who need to manually verify settings.
The expected output of the check command, such as "Yes" or "1", shown as "If the result is not X, this is a finding." Sits under Check Commands and is grayed out when that option is off.
Include remediation commands that fix non-compliant settings. Shows exactly what needs to run to bring a system into compliance.
Show the configuration profile payload for each rule. Displays the mobileconfig keys and values that can be deployed via MDM.
Include Declarative Device Management declaration details. Shows DDM keys and values for modern Apple device management.
Include compliance framework references for each rule. Shows mappings to NIST, CIS, DISA STIG, and other standards. See Compliance References.
Display CIS Benchmark reference numbers below rule IDs, such as "2.6.6".
Display DISA STIG IDs below rule IDs, such as "APPL-15-005001".
Compliance framework tags attached to each rule, such as 800-53r5_high, cisv8, or cmmc_lvl2.
Rule Options
Control how rules with a special status are handled. The group has five sub-headers: Disabled, Added, Modified, Review, and Exempt. They're always visible, and they only affect the output when your project actually has rules of that kind.
Rules you've turned off in the Compliance Editor. Disabled rules are left out by default. Include Disabled adds them, Include Comments prints the justification you entered, and Own Section groups them together instead of leaving them in place.
Rules you added to the baseline that aren't part of the framework's default selection. Show Added Indicator marks them, Include Comments prints your justification, and Own Section groups them.
Show Modified Indicator (Default: ON) marks rules whose values you changed from the original mSCP rule.
Rules you flagged for review in the Compliance Editor. Show Flagged Indicator marks them, Include Comments prints your review comments, and Own Section groups them.
Rules marked exempt in the Compliance Editor: still audited, but not enforced. Show Exempt Indicator adds an indigo Exempt badge, Include Reasons prints the exemption reason, and Own Section groups them under "Exempt Rules". See Exempting Rules.
The Include Comments and Own Section switches stay grayed out until their parent option is on.
Structure
Control which sections appear in your document.
Add a clickable table of contents at the beginning. In PDF it includes page numbers.
Expand the table of contents to show numbered sections with every rule listed. Follows mSCP guidance style. Only appears when Table of Contents is on.
The introductory pages that explain what the document is and what it covers. Only apply to PDF and HTML, so they're grayed out for the other formats.
Include statistics for each section: total rules, configurable rules, manual rules, supplemental rules, and more. Not available for XLSX.
Print the mSCP description at the top of each section.
Add an appendix table listing every rule for quick lookup. In PDF, the Page column is clickable.
Include an "Acronyms and Definitions" section for readers unfamiliar with compliance terminology.
List related compliance standards and reference documents the baseline is based on.
Credit the original mSCP project contributors on the authors page. The authors page itself is controlled by Author Info under Branding; this option adds or removes the mSCP names inside it. Not available for XLSX.
Sort rules alphabetically A-Z within each section. By default, rules appear in their original mSCP order.
Branding
Control document appearance and identifying information.
Show the title on the cover. The field is pre-filled with the benchmark name, or "<Platform> Security Configuration" when there isn't one, and you can type your own.
Show a subtitle under the title. The default depends on the document type, for example "Compliance Guide - cis_lvl2". Editable.
Include the platform and OS version on the cover. Turning it off also hides the version number.
Add the authors page with sub-toggles for Author Name and Organization. Set the values from the Author Info card in the Compliance Editor's sidebar.
Show "Generated by M.A.C.E." attribution in the document. Turn off for white-labeled or sanitized documents.
Include the generation date, with a Date Format picker offering 14 formats. The default is YYYY-MM-DD.
Choose the logo shown on the cover and in headers: None, MACE, or Custom. Custom only appears once a logo exists in the project. See Custom Logo.
Pick the accent color from 16 named swatches (Default, Federal Blue, Navy, NIST Blue, Indigo, Purple, Teal, Green, DISA Red, Orange, Gold, Maroon, Steel, Silver, Dark Gray, Black) or open the system color picker for a custom value. Secondary is derived automatically from Primary, or switch it to Custom to set your own.
Format Options
Settings that only apply to one output format.
Adds a page header with the document title and a footer with the author or organization on the left and the date in the center. If no author is set and MACE Branding is on, the footer reads "Generated by M.A.C.E."
Draws "Page X of Y" at the bottom right of every page.
Put each rule on its own page. Easier to reference when printed, but a much longer document.
Light, Dark, or Both. Both generates two separate PDF files, named _Light.pdf and _Dark.pdf. Page size is always US Letter.
Auto makes the HTML file follow the reader's system light or dark preference in any browser. Light and Dark pin it.
Color-codes spreadsheet rows by rule status: red for disabled, green for added, yellow for flagged for review, indigo for exempt.
Remember for Build Output
The checkbox under the Document Type picker saves your current documentation settings and applies them automatically when you run a Build. With it on, the Build Hub's Generate button becomes a menu with Generate with Documentation and Generate Files. A build with documentation writes all seven formats to build/documentation/ inside the project and opens that folder when it finishes.
Custom Logo
To use your organization's logo in documents, open the Branding group of the Documentation Builder:
- Click the upload button next to Logo and choose a PNG, JPEG, or GIF
- MACE copies it into the project folder as
logo.pngand switches Logo to Custom - The logo appears in the preview immediately and is used in generated documents
If a logo.png already exists in the project folder, MACE detects it on open and selects Custom automatically. The same file is used by the mSCP engine's logo option. The trash button deletes logo.png from the project folder.
Logo recommendations:
- Format: PNG with transparency
- Size: 200-400 pixels wide
- Aspect ratio: Horizontal works best
Compliance References
Documentation can include mappings to these compliance frameworks:
| 🏛️ | NIST SP 800-53 (Rev 5) | Security and Privacy Controls |
| 🔒 | NIST SP 800-171 (Rev 3) | Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information |
| 🛡️ | DISA STIG | Security Technical Implementation Guides |
| 📋 | DISA SRG | Security Requirements Guides |
| ✓ | CIS Benchmarks | Benchmark recommendation IDs for the Apple platform benchmarks |
| 🎛️ | CIS Controls v8 | Center for Internet Security Critical Security Controls |
| 🔢 | CCE | Common Configuration Enumeration |
| 🔗 | CCI | Control Correlation Identifier |
| 🎖️ | CMMC | Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification |
Best Practices
Use Compliance Guide for auditors, Technical Reference or Remediation Guide for IT teams, and Executive Summary for management.
Statistics help readers understand the scope of compliance requirements at a glance.
Custom branding makes documents look professional and helps identify them as your organization's.
PDF is always paginated. Leave Page Footer and Page Numbers on so printed pages are easy to reference, and consider One Rule Per Page for binders.
Use Generate All Formats… to write all seven files to one folder. Hand out the PDF, link the HTML internally, and keep the JSON or CSV for tooling.