Swift executables in installer packages (.pkg) preinstall/postinstall

Question

Created Nov ’24

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It seems that preinstall/postinstall scripts in installer packages (.pkg) are not limited to shell scripts, but can be any kind of executable (e.g. compiled Swift programs).

This sounds like an exciting possibility to re-use logic, constants, tests etc. from the app that is being installed, and at the same time benefit from Swift features like type safety for complex installer scripts.

Has anyone done this? What were your experiences?

Is it advisable, or is it likely to break on the next OS update?

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Answer 1

DTS Engineer OP

Apple

Dec ’24

Accepted Answer

The biggest concern with this approach is notarisation. Last I checked, the notary service built its ticket from the executables in the installer package content. However, it’s been a while so it’s be reasonable for you to test this, just to be sure.

To test this, notarise a package that uses such a tool and then fetch the notary log to see if the tool is included in the resulting ticket.

Another alternative is to install the tool you want to run and then just run it from your script. Obviously this is only helpful in the post-install case.

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Answer 2

WirelessWizard OP

Dec ’24

Thanks! Looks like it's working fine and all the preinstall/postinstall binaries are indeed listed in the ticketContents when notarizing the package.

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