Hello Apple Developer Support, I’m developing a virtual camera using the CMIOExtensionDevice / CMIOExtensionStreamSource APIs on macOS. While the virtual camera appears in system settings and apps like Zoom and Google Meet, the video output exhibits the following issues: Jittering frames: The first frame sometimes appears correctly, but subsequent frames flicker or jitter. Solid color fill: Eventually, the camera feed fills entirely with a solid accent color (e.g., blue), rather than the intended video content. Console logs: Repeated messages appear in Console.app: Invalid display 0x00000000 Setup details: The virtual camera is created using CMIOExtensionDevice and CMIOExtensionStream. Video frames are rendered from NSImage/CGImage using CGContext and copied into CVPixelBuffers. Frame delivery is controlled by a DispatchSourceTimer at 60 FPS. macOS version: [Your macOS version here] Xcode version: [Your Xcode version here] Observations: The Invalid display 0x00000000 logs suggest that CGContext drawing or NSImage operations are failing in headless mode (i.e., there is no real display attached to the virtual camera). Using CIContext with .useSoftwareRenderer = true appears to mitigate some flicker, but not entirely. Questions / Requests: Is it expected that CoreMediaIO virtual cameras cannot reliably render CGImage / NSImage frames offscreen? Are there recommended APIs or approaches to render virtual camera frames fully headless to avoid display-dependent jitter? Is there any documentation or sample code from Apple showing stable video output from a virtual camera extension that does not rely on a physical display? Any guidance or examples would be greatly appreciated. This issue prevents the virtual camera from being used reliably in standard video apps. Thank you, Savvy

i want to know if some one is using this to hack me

Hi I am developing the packet tunnel extension on a SIP enabled device. If I build the app and notarize and install it on the device, it works fine. If I modify, build and execute the App (which contains the system extension), it fails with below error. 102.3.1.4 is production build. And 201.202.0.101 is for XCode build. SystemExtension "<<complete name>>.pkttunnel" request for replacement from 102.3.1.4 to 201.202.0.101 Packet Tunnel SystemExtension "<<complete name>>.pkttunnel" activation request did fail: Error Domain=OSSystemExtensionErrorDomain Code=8 "(null)" If SIP is disabled, it works fine. Is there a way the system extension can be developed even if SIP remains enabled?

We have a Network Extension system extension implementing NEFilterPacketProvider to inspect all incoming and outgoing network traffic. We also want to monitor socket-level events such as connect(), bind(), and similar, by leveraging the Endpoint Security framework. Does this require developing a separate system extension for Endpoint Security? Additionally, what is the recommended approach for sharing context and data between the Network Extension and the Endpoint Security extensions?

Hi, I developed a network extension program on macOS. I tried to update the program by changing the version number. My update process was to first turn off network filtering via "NEFilterManager.sharedManager.enabled = NO", and then use "[OSSystemExtensionRequest activationRequestForExtension:bundleid queue:dispatch_get_global_queue(DISPATCH_QUEUE_PRIORITY_HIGH, 0)];" to let the system replace the old network extension program. However, sometimes the old network extension process will become a zombie process like pid=86621 in the figure. As long as the zombie process exists, the network cannot be used. After about 10 minutes, it will be cleared and the network will be available. Restarting Wi-Fi can also clear the zombie process immediately. Why is this? How to avoid this problem?

Hi guys, I try to create a content filter app by using network extension api. When it comes to a https/tls remote endpoint, the remoteEndpoint.hostname will always be "" instead of the actual hostname. How can I extract the actual hostname? private func filterTraffic(flow: NEFilterSocketFlow) -> NEFilterNewFlowVerdict { // Default action from settings will be used if no rules match logger.error("filter traffic...") guard let remoteEndpoint = flow.remoteEndpoint as? NWHostEndpoint else { logger.error("not a NWHostEndpoint)") return .allow() } logger.error("host name: \(remoteEndpoint.hostname)") if remoteEndpoint.hostname.hasSuffix("google.com"){ logger.error("google.com") return .drop() } return .allow() } code-block

I have tried a few different approaches but none of them were 100% reliable. I tried subscribing to the ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_SETEXTATTR event to detect when a process sets the kMDItemWhereFroms attribute on a file, but the problem is that any process can set that attribute on any file. For example, I can use the xattr -w com.apple.metadata:kMDItemWhereFroms "https://example.com" SampleFile.txt command into the terminal and that would trigger an ES event. I also tried to listen for the com.apple.quarantine attribute but for some reason my ES client never receives an event for it, also, as with any attribute, this attriubte can be set manually by any process. Is there a recommended/reliable way to have an ES client that detects a file has been downloaded from the internet (.i.e. a remote network)?

We need your assistance as we are currently facing an issue without a workaround for users on macOS 15.4 and 15.5. FeedbackID: FB17547675 The problem has been observed on macOS versions 15.4 and 15.5. Apple has acknowledged this issue and confirmed that it is fixed in the macOS 15.6 beta. Although we tried to reproduce the issue in our environment, it did not occur, even on macOS 15.5. Therefore, we cannot verify if the fix in macOS 15.6 beta resolves the problem. We are actively working to identify an appropriate workaround for users on macOS 15.5. Some users have reported a failure to obtain an IP address over Wi-Fi, possibly due to a DHCP failure. As a temporary solution, we added logic to restart Wi-Fi programmatically when either an APIPA address (169.254.x.x) or no IPv4 address is detected on the active interface. However, restarting Wi-Fi does not always resolve the issue, and the device may still fail to obtain an IP address over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Could you advise if there is a reliable method to detect DHCP failure and recover the device from this state? Also, any idea, how we can reproduce this scenario in our machine? Below is the failure. default 2025-06-27 10:07:57.055003 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:07:57.055269 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'no server' default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.336215 -0700 airportd WiFiUsageBssSession:: ChannelAfterRoam=0; ChannelAtJoin=36; FaultReasonApsdTimedOut=0; FaultReasonArpFailureCount=0; FaultReasonBrokenBackhaulLinkFailed=0; FaultReasonDhcpFailure=0; default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.367852 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'media inactive' default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.367909 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INACTIVE default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.988565 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'media inactive' default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.988703 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INACTIVE info 2025-06-27 10:08:23.988852 -0700 configd DHCPv6 en0: Inactive default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656415 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'network changed' default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656817 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656821 -0700 configd DHCP en0: supplying device type 'Mac' info 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656934 -0700 configd DHCP en0: busy default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.657351 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 0 for 1.358613 info 2025-06-27 10:08:35.657404 -0700 configd DHCPv6 en0: Inactive default 2025-06-27 10:08:37.019229 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 1.36206 for 2.113913 default 2025-06-27 10:08:39.136955 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 3.47937 for 4.462224 default 2025-06-27 10:08:43.602229 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:08:43.603143 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 7.94533 for 8.128784 default 2025-06-27 10:08:51.735532 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:08:51.735846 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 16.0786 for 8.749985 default 2025-06-27 10:09:00.488315 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:09:00.488550 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 24.8313 for 8.496864 default 2025-06-27 10:09:08.988284 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:09:08.988310 -0700 configd DHCP en0: reported address acquisition failure symptom default 2025-06-27 10:09:08.988579 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 33.3312 for 8.300735 default 2025-06-27 10:09:17.294478 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:17.294485 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:17.295454 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 41.6373 for 8.798768 default 2025-06-27 10:09:26.096673 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:26.096688 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:26.097553 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 50.4394 for 8.807943 default 2025-06-27 10:09:34.909050 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:34.909054 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:34.909375 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 59.2517 for 8.877971 default 2025-06-27 10:09:43.792458 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:43.792464 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:43.793641 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'no server' info 2025-06-27 10:09:43.794145 -0700 configd DHCP en0: not busy DNS failure resolver #1 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) resolver #2 domain : local options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300000 resolver #3 domain : 254.169.in-addr.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300200 resolver #4 domain : 8.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300400 resolver #5 domain : 9.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300600 resolver #6 domain : a.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300800 resolver #7 domain : b.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 301000 Route table Destination Gateway Flags Netif Expire 127 127.0.0.1 UCS lo0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 UH lo0 169.254 link#14 UCS en0 ! 169.254.160.160/32 link#14 UCS en0 ! 224.0.0/4 link#14 UmCS en0 ! 224.0.0.251 1:0:5e:0:0:fb UHmLWI en0 239.255.255.250 1:0:5e:7f:ff:fa UHmLWI en0 255.255.255.255/32 link#14 UCS en0 !

Hi I am building obs studio using cmake and Xcode. I used cmake --preset macos -DOBS_CODESIGN_IDENTITY="" to generate the build folder and inside X code used Provisioning Profile with Developer ID Application certification. The build was generated successfully but when I tried to turn on the virtual camera I see missing Missing entitlement com.apple.developer.system-extension.install error. (My Provisioning profile has System Extension Capability checked on apple developer portal) If I use this flow instead: cmake --preset macos -DOBS_CODESIGN_TEAM=63B5A5WDNG Build using Xcode with Automatic manage signing with Apple Developer Certificate. Obs studio builds successfully and Virtual camera extension also works fine. My primary goal is to notarise my app which contains OBS studio and Blackhole Audio driver for distribution outside app store. If I try to sign my obs app generated in second step codesign --deep --force --timestamp --verify --verbose \ --options runtime --sign "Developer ID Application:***" "OBS.app" The obs app fails to launch due to some errors. Can anyone please guide me which step I might be doing wrong, Much Appreciated. Thanks

I've discovered that a system network extension can communicate with a LaunchDaemon (loaded using SMAppService) over XPC, provided that the XPC service name begins with the team ID. If I move the launchd daemon plist to Contents/Library/LaunchAgents and swap the SMAppService.daemon calls to SMAppService.agent calls, and remove the .privileged option to NSXPCConnection, the system extension receives "Couldn't communicate with a helper application" as an error when trying to reach the LaunchAgent advertised service. Is this limitation by design? I imagine it is, but wanted to check before I spent any more time on it.

I am trying to intercept localhost connections within NETransparentProxyProvider system extension. As per NENetworkRule documentation If the address is a wildcard address (0.0.0.0 or ::) then the rule will match all destinations except for loopback (127.0.0.1 or ::1). To match loopback traffic set the address to the loopback address. I tried to add NWHostEndpoint *localhostv4 = [NWHostEndpoint endpointWithHostname:@"127.0.0.1" port:@""]; NENetworkRule *localhostv4Rule = [[NENetworkRule alloc] initWithDestinationNetwork:localhostv4 prefix:32 protocol:NENetworkRuleProtocolAny]; in the include network rules. I tried several variations of this rule like port 0, prefix 0 and some others. But the provider disregards the rule and the never receives any traffic going to localhost on any port. Is there any other configuration required to receive localhost traffic in NETransparentProxyProvider?

Hello everyone, I'm developing a macOS application with an integrated Content Filter System Extension. Both the main app and the extension are signed with a Developer ID Application provisioning profile. When building in Xcode, I'm encountering an entitlement mismatch error. I've inspected the provisioning profile using the command: security cms -D -i FilterContentExtension-prod-profile.provisionprofile | grep -A 10 com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension And found that the com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension section only contains values with the -systemextension suffix, for example: content-filter-provider-systemextension. However, when I enable Network Extension → Content Filter in Xcode, the .entitlements file is generated with: content-filter-provider. This leads to the error: "Provisioning profile 'FilterContentExtension-prod-profile' doesn't match the entitlements file’s value for the com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension entitlement." My specific questions are: Why does this error occur? How can I use the content-filter-provider entitlement? If I want to use the content-filter-provider entitlement inside com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension for my Content Filter System Extension, what should I do?

Hi everyone, I’m currently developing a macOS app that is distributed via a DMG file on our website. The app includes an App Extension (appex) for Network Extension functionality. I’m wondering if distributing via DMG on the web requires the app extension to be implemented as a System Extension instead of an App Extension. Is it necessary to migrate to System Extension for web-based DMG distribution, or can I continue using App Extension as is? Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I'm trying to distribute a sandboxed macOS app with a PacketTunnelProvider (system extension) via direct distribution (outside of AppStore). The app and the extension both use the same app group, using the new group.com.XXXX.YYYY format detailed here for 10.15+ https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/721701 I've also followed the instructions below to get around the quirk of not being able to directly process it via XCode: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/737894 I've re-signed with Developer ID certificate, all that is smooth and successfully notarized. However upon running the app I get: "My.app" would like to access data from other apps. Checking ~/Library/Containers ~/Library/Group Containers I see the correct files folders have been created before I select Don't Allow and Allow. My app does not access any files or folders outside of the sandboxed directories. How can I prevent this from happening? In order to diagnose further, how to diagnose exactly which files/folder the app is trying to access that is causing this problem?

Hello Apple Developer Community, We are developing a full-tunnel VPN app for macOS that utilizes a packet tunnel network system extension (via NEPacketTunnelProvider). We're committed to using a system extension for this purpose, as it aligns with our requirements for system-wide tunneling. The app is sandboxed and intended for distribution on the Mac App Store. Here's the workflow: The app (running in user context) downloads a VPN profile from our server. It generates private keys, appends them to the profile, and attempts to save this enhanced profile securely in the keychain. The packet tunnel system extension (running in root context) needs to access this profile, including the private keys, to establish the VPN connection. We've encountered challenges in securely sharing this data across the user-root boundary due to sandbox restrictions and keychain access limitations. Here's what we've tried so far, along with the issues: Writing from the App to the System Keychain: Attempted to store the profile in the system keychain for root access. This fails because the sandboxed app lacks permissions to write to the system keychain. (We're avoiding non-sandboxed approaches for App Store compliance.) Extension Reading Directly from the User Login Keychain: Tried having the extension access the user's login keychain by its path. We manually added the network extension (located in /Library/SystemExtensions//bundle.systemextension) to the keychain item's Access Control List (ACL) via Keychain Access.app for testing. This results in "item not found" errors, likely due to the root context not seamlessly accessing user-keychain items without additional setup. Using Persistent References in NETunnelProviderProtocol: The app stores the profile in the user keychain and saves a persistent reference (as Data) in the NETunnelProviderProtocol's identityReference or similar fields. The extension then attempts to retrieve the item using this reference. We manually added the network extension (located in /Library/SystemExtensions//bundle.systemextension) to the keychain item's Access Control List (ACL) via Keychain Access.app for testing. However, this leads to error -25308 (errSecInteractionNotAllowed) when the extension tries to access it, possibly because of the root-user context mismatch or interaction requirements. Programmatically Adding the Extension to the ACL: Explored using SecAccess and SecACL APIs to add the extension as a trusted application. This requires SecTrustedApplicationCreateFromPath to create a SecTrustedApplicationRef from the extension's path. Issue 1: The sandboxed app can't reliably obtain the installed extension's path (e.g., via scanning /Library/SystemExtensions or systemextensionsctl), as sandbox restrictions block access. Issue 2: SecTrustedApplicationCreateFromPath is deprecated since macOS 10.15, and we're hesitant to rely on it for future compatibility. We've reviewed documentation on keychain sharing, access groups (including com.apple.managed.vpn.shared, but we're not using managed profiles/MDM) as the profiles are download from a server, and alternatives like XPC for on-demand communication, but we're unsure if XPC is suitable for sensitive data like private keys during tunnel creation. And if this is recommended what is going to be the approach here. What is the recommended, modern approach for this scenario? Is there a non-deprecated way to handle ACLs or share persistent references across contexts? Should we pursue a special entitlement for a custom access group, or is there a better pattern using NetworkExtension APIs? Any insights, code snippets, or references to similar implementations would be greatly appreciated. We're targeting macOS 15+. Thanks in advance!

I've alluded to this before in these posts and there are some posts from others about this, e.g. https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/759845 and I've filed some bugs related to the behavior. FB20212935 FB19451832 FB19450508 FB19450162 FB19449747 Our company owns the USB vendor IDs X and Y . We've been granted a USB transport entitlement for both of those IDs. The crux of the problem is that I want to build a driver for USB vendor ID Y. Xcode's well-hidden auto-generated provisioning profile for my driver contains com.apple.developer.driverkit.transport.usb: { idVendor = X; } which is obviously not what I want. Xcode fails to provision the target. But I have another, much older project with an auto-generated provisioning profile containing com.apple.developer.driverkit.transport.usb: { idVendor = X; }, { idVendor = Y; } I can build a driver for idVendor Y without problems in this project. But that doesn't help me with my new project. What can I do to fix this? Do I need to request our entitlements again? I fear if I do so, something will get lost in the process. Is there a way to inspect what we have already been granted? - I can't see a "managed entitlements" section on the account portal. I can go through the motions of making a new App ID, then I can see that some Capability Request have been "Assigned", but I don't see what their values are. A second question I have is about the userclient-access entitlement. Are these tied to the bundle ID of the app which claims the access? In other words, if I have two drivers com.mycompany.app1.driver1 com.mycompany.app2.driver2 and I would like to have com.mycompany.app1 communicate with com.mycompany.app1.driver1, I would ask for the com.apple.developer.driverkit.userclient-access capability for com.mycompany.app1.driver1. But must I request that access for each specific app bundle ID that will talk to that driver, or once the entitlement is granted, can I use com.apple.developer.driverkit.userclient-access = { com.mycompany.app1.driver1 } in any of my apps?

Hi, I’m expecting the demo from Apple, but I think I’m seeing different behavior on my end. Here are the steps I followed: Run the SampleEndpointApp example. Copy SampleEndpointApp to the /Applications folder. Run and enable the Extension and Full Disk Access → Everything works properly. I modify something in the example and start again from step #1, but nothing gets updated as shown in the demo video. The only way I can make it work is by going into Settings, manually removing the ES extension, and then running the app again. My concern is: if I deliver the application to clients, how can I properly update the extension without requiring them to manually remove it first? Thanks,

Hi team, We need to identify the domains used by macOS Software Update so they can be bypassed by our NETransparentProxy. The Apple support article below lists Software Update and several other Apple service domains. At the moment we’re unsure whether we should only bypass the Software Update and Beta Software domains, or whether we also need to bypass domains used for certificate validation, device management (Apple Business Manager / Apple School Manager / Apple Business Essentials), network provider updates, Apple Diagnostics, etc. We also need the specific IP ranges used exclusively by Software Update. The document shows Apple’s entire IP range; for IPv4 you can allow outbound connections to 17.0.0.0/8. https://support.apple.com/en-in/101555

Hi, when I perform an overlay installation via a PKG on macOS for an application containing the NEFilterDataProvider functionality, there is a chance that the entire system network becomes unreachable. Disabling the corresponding Content Filter in "System Settings > Network > Filters" immediately restores network connectivity. This issue does not occur every time, with a frequency of approximately 1 in 20 installation attempts.  The following details may help identify the problem: The Filter.app containing the NEFilterDataProvider resides within the main app's Resources directory, e.g., /Applications/Main.app/Contents/Resources/Filter.app Main.app is installed via a PKG; the issue typically occurs during an overlay installation of Main.app. The NEFilterDataProvider operates as a System Extension. The func handleNewFlow(_ flow: NEFilterFlow) -> NEFilterNewFlowVerdict {} returns .allow. Wireshark packet captures show TCP packets but no UDP packets; TCP handshakes cannot complete. Disabling the corresponding content filter in "System Settings > Network > Filters" restores the network; re-enabling it breaks connectivity again. After waiting for a period, approximately 30-60 minutes, network connectivity can recover automatically. What causes this and how can it be fixed? Any workarounds?

We have a content filter system extension as part of our macOS app. The filter normally works correctly, activation and deactivation works as expected but occasionally we see an issue when the content filter is activated. When this issues occurs, the filter activation appears to behave correctly, no errors are reported. Using "systemextensionsctl list" we see the filter is labelled as "[activated enabled]". However, the installed content filter executable does not run. We have seen this issue on macOS 15.3 and later and on the beta macOS 26.1 RC. It happens only occasionally but when it does there is no indication as to why the executable is not running. There are no crash logs or errors in launchd logs. Both rebooting and deactivating/activating the filter do not resolve the issue. The only fix appears to be completely uninstalling the app (including content filter) and reinstalling. I have raised a FB ticket, FB20866080. Does anyone have any idea what could cause this?