Safari extension doesn't load

Is this an iOS app with a Safari extension, or just a Safari extension?

I know that, in an iOS app, you have to build the iOS app so the extension is included, and then build and run the extension.

If it's just a Safari extension, then I'm afraid I don't know.

Thanks for trying to help. It's a desktop only Safari extension. I have this extension published for more than two years so I know the process to build and run it. They probably messed something up in some update of Safari or XCode or who knows what and now I can't run the extension. You also don't get any errors or hints or any information of what could be wrong. I actually just published an update without being able to test it first, let's hope everything is all right. This is probably the last update I make to the Safari extension because I can't deal with this anymore, having to spend days troubleshooting every time I want to update the extension.

I can only suggest you raise a bug in the normal way, and hope that Apple's engineers look at it.

Please file a bug report with sample project and sysdiagnose.

I'm telling you that I'm tired of wasting time with your buggy software and your solution is to have me waste more time? I'm not going to build a sample project because this has nothing to do with my project. I checked out a commit from months ago that worked fine and now it doesn't work. How about this, under no circumstances should an extension that builds fine not be loaded. I'm already paying you, go figure why this is happening and stop making me waste more time.

Hey, so I think I just went through this last night. Was very annoying.

1. Xcode only attaches the files if I run the xcrun converter script and load the sample app that comes with it, works fine if I'm just testing the extension, but that doesn't solve the issue of bundling an extension into my actual production app.

2. I believe the issue is a bug with Xcode that doesn't actually copy the extension content files over. I tried copying, moving, and using symbolic links (default). It's so frustrating having to deal with Safari extension bugs so frequently (check my post history). Like @david_tejada, I have had a production app on the App Store for over 2 years now, and wanted to add a new feature and roll it out to our users but then came across this bug that doesn't throw any errors...

3. I want to piggyback on his frustrations with Safari Extension development as well, and I'm sure many of us share these same frustrations:

• Enduring 5-15 minute build times for small tweaks to a button, because you have to side load the extension into an app.
• Of course, the something silently broke in the extension, no biggie, let me debug it. Oh, wait, the service_worker doesn't show up in the Develop menu (if it was even loaded in the first place). Forced to load it into Chrome just to see if it runs (it does, flawlessly - and it took 3 clicks and changes are instant with Hot Reloading)
• Spending hours/days/weeks scouring the internet for that very tiny chance someone else found a solution (rarely ever happens)
• Write a post about it on the forums just to have the trillion dollar dev team tell you to file a bug report that I pay $99/year just to have the privilege to? Make it make sense. Anyways, the answer is below.

Solution:

1. I used this answer as the basis for the logic (if you have enough StackOverflow reputation please upvote it): https://stackoverflow.com/a/79412831/19708203
2. I did make a small tweak to his solution, by removing the pre-generated Copy Bundle Resources Build Phase completely. I also am using a script to auto-generate the Input and Output File Lists (I didn't use single files like he did). See my setup in the image attached.
3. I was able to automate the above with some post-prebuild scripts (npx expo prebuild - I'm using Expo React Native so was able to create a custom Expo plugin. Sorry, I'm not sure what the Xcode equivalent is, but PM me if you want the script nonetheless)