diff --git a/src/crash/sentry.zig b/src/crash/sentry.zig
index 14f2e484c..9e05b427d 100644
--- a/src/crash/sentry.zig
+++ b/src/crash/sentry.zig
@@ -101,7 +101,23 @@ fn initThread(gpa: Allocator) !void {
     sentry.c.sentry_options_set_before_send(opts, beforeSend, null);
 
     // Determine the Sentry cache directory.
-    const cache_dir = try internal_os.xdg.cache(alloc, .{ .subdir = "ghostty/sentry" });
+    const cache_dir = cache_dir: {
+        // On macOS, we prefer to use the NSCachesDirectory value to be
+        // a more idiomatic macOS application. But if XDG env vars are set
+        // we will respect them.
+        if (comptime builtin.os.tag == .macos) macos: {
+            if (std.posix.getenv("XDG_CACHE_HOME") != null) break :macos;
+            break :cache_dir try internal_os.macos.cacheDir(
+                alloc,
+                "sentry",
+            );
+        }
+
+        break :cache_dir try internal_os.xdg.cache(
+            alloc,
+            .{ .subdir = "ghostty/sentry" },
+        );
+    };
     sentry.c.sentry_options_set_database_path_n(
         opts,
         cache_dir.ptr,
diff --git a/src/os/macos.zig b/src/os/macos.zig
index b3d0a917c..a956d25e2 100644
--- a/src/os/macos.zig
+++ b/src/os/macos.zig
@@ -25,41 +25,26 @@ pub fn appSupportDir(
     alloc: Allocator,
     sub_path: []const u8,
 ) AppSupportDirError![]const u8 {
-    comptime assert(builtin.target.isDarwin());
-
-    const NSFileManager = objc.getClass("NSFileManager").?;
-    const manager = NSFileManager.msgSend(
-        objc.Object,
-        objc.sel("defaultManager"),
-        .{},
+    return try commonDir(
+        alloc,
+        .NSApplicationSupportDirectory,
+        &.{ build_config.bundle_id, sub_path },
     );
+}
 
-    const url = manager.msgSend(
-        objc.Object,
-        objc.sel("URLForDirectory:inDomain:appropriateForURL:create:error:"),
-        .{
-            NSSearchPathDirectory.NSApplicationSupportDirectory,
-            NSSearchPathDomainMask.NSUserDomainMask,
-            @as(?*anyopaque, null),
-            true,
-            @as(?*anyopaque, null),
-        },
+pub const CacheDirError = Allocator.Error || error{AppleAPIFailed};
+
+/// Return the path to the system cache directory with the given sub path joined.
+/// This allocates the result using the given allocator.
+pub fn cacheDir(
+    alloc: Allocator,
+    sub_path: []const u8,
+) CacheDirError![]const u8 {
+    return try commonDir(
+        alloc,
+        .NSCachesDirectory,
+        &.{ build_config.bundle_id, sub_path },
     );
-
-    // I don't think this is possible but just in case.
-    if (url.value == null) return error.AppleAPIFailed;
-
-    // Get the UTF-8 string from the URL.
-    const path = url.getProperty(objc.Object, "path");
-    const c_str = path.getProperty(?[*:0]const u8, "UTF8String") orelse
-        return error.AppleAPIFailed;
-    const app_support_dir = std.mem.sliceTo(c_str, 0);
-
-    return try std.fs.path.join(alloc, &.{
-        app_support_dir,
-        build_config.bundle_id,
-        sub_path,
-    });
 }
 
 pub const SetQosClassError = error{
@@ -110,9 +95,79 @@ pub const NSOperatingSystemVersion = extern struct {
 };
 
 pub const NSSearchPathDirectory = enum(c_ulong) {
+    NSCachesDirectory = 13,
     NSApplicationSupportDirectory = 14,
 };
 
 pub const NSSearchPathDomainMask = enum(c_ulong) {
     NSUserDomainMask = 1,
 };
+
+fn commonDir(
+    alloc: Allocator,
+    directory: NSSearchPathDirectory,
+    sub_paths: []const []const u8,
+) (error{AppleAPIFailed} || Allocator.Error)![]const u8 {
+    comptime assert(builtin.target.isDarwin());
+
+    const NSFileManager = objc.getClass("NSFileManager").?;
+    const manager = NSFileManager.msgSend(
+        objc.Object,
+        objc.sel("defaultManager"),
+        .{},
+    );
+
+    const url = manager.msgSend(
+        objc.Object,
+        objc.sel("URLForDirectory:inDomain:appropriateForURL:create:error:"),
+        .{
+            directory,
+            NSSearchPathDomainMask.NSUserDomainMask,
+            @as(?*anyopaque, null),
+            true,
+            @as(?*anyopaque, null),
+        },
+    );
+
+    if (url.value == null) return error.AppleAPIFailed;
+
+    const path = url.getProperty(objc.Object, "path");
+    const c_str = path.getProperty(?[*:0]const u8, "UTF8String") orelse
+        return error.AppleAPIFailed;
+    const base_dir = std.mem.sliceTo(c_str, 0);
+
+    // Create a new array with base_dir as the first element
+    var paths = try alloc.alloc([]const u8, sub_paths.len + 1);
+    paths[0] = base_dir;
+    @memcpy(paths[1..], sub_paths);
+    defer alloc.free(paths);
+
+    return try std.fs.path.join(alloc, paths);
+}
+
+test "cacheDir paths" {
+    if (!builtin.target.isDarwin()) return;
+
+    const testing = std.testing;
+    const alloc = testing.allocator;
+
+    // Test base path
+    {
+        const cache_path = try cacheDir(alloc, "");
+        defer alloc.free(cache_path);
+        try testing.expect(std.mem.indexOf(u8, cache_path, "Caches") != null);
+        try testing.expect(std.mem.indexOf(u8, cache_path, build_config.bundle_id) != null);
+    }
+
+    // Test with subdir
+    {
+        const cache_path = try cacheDir(alloc, "test");
+        defer alloc.free(cache_path);
+        try testing.expect(std.mem.indexOf(u8, cache_path, "Caches") != null);
+        try testing.expect(std.mem.indexOf(u8, cache_path, build_config.bundle_id) != null);
+
+        const bundle_path = try std.fmt.allocPrint(alloc, "{s}/test", .{build_config.bundle_id});
+        defer alloc.free(bundle_path);
+        try testing.expect(std.mem.indexOf(u8, cache_path, bundle_path) != null);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/os/xdg.zig b/src/os/xdg.zig
index 6c7655c22..a5b29abe4 100644
--- a/src/os/xdg.zig
+++ b/src/os/xdg.zig
@@ -143,6 +143,32 @@ test {
     }
 }
 
+test "cache directory paths" {
+    const testing = std.testing;
+    const alloc = testing.allocator;
+    const mock_home = "/Users/test";
+
+    // Test when XDG_CACHE_HOME is not set
+    {
+        // Test base path
+        {
+            const cache_path = try cache(alloc, .{ .home = mock_home });
+            defer alloc.free(cache_path);
+            try testing.expectEqualStrings("/Users/test/.cache", cache_path);
+        }
+
+        // Test with subdir
+        {
+            const cache_path = try cache(alloc, .{
+                .home = mock_home,
+                .subdir = "ghostty",
+            });
+            defer alloc.free(cache_path);
+            try testing.expectEqualStrings("/Users/test/.cache/ghostty", cache_path);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 test parseTerminalExec {
     const testing = std.testing;