How to disable the "Do you want the application XY to accept incoming network connections?"

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Created Feb ’24

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I am developing a piece of software with OpenMPI and every time I recompile the program, I am prompted to click Allow/Deny the connections in N pop-ups (where N is the number of spawned processors by MPI).

Is there any way to completely disable the pop-ups? When I allow or deny the access for one particular binary, the pop-ups do not show in successive runs. However, after recompiling a new one, the issue persists.

Turning off the firewall does not help, neither does allowing/blocking incoming connections in the Firewall settings (Settings -> Firewall -> Options).

I am open to any hacky solution or a workaround as this is really annoying and deteriorates my workflow.

Answer 1 · Feb 26, 2024 04:36 AM

DTS Engineer OP

Apple

Feb ’24

Is there any way to completely disable the pop-ups?

Yes. Disable the firewall in System Settings > Network > Firewall. IMO the firewall doesn’t offer a lot of value because modern threats all centre around outgoing connections, not incoming ones (although I recognise that other folks disagree).

If you can’t do that then you need to change the way that you sign your code. The macOS firewall identifies a program via its designated requirement (DR). This is a code signing construct that allows the system to know that version N+1 of the program is the ‘same code’ as version N. You can learn more about it in TN3127 Inside Code Signing: Requirements.

It sounds like you’re currently not signing your code, or signing it ad hoc. That doesn’t create a stable DR, so the firewall thinks that each build of your code is a completely new thing. To fix this, sign your code with your Apple Development signing identity. Once you do that, the approval to accept incoming connections will stick.

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