storeuid Process Incorrectly Appearing as Frontmost Window

After updating to macOS 15.6, the system process storeuid (located at /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/CommerceKit.framework/Versions/A/Resources/storeuid.app/Contents/MacOS/storeuid) is incorrectly being detected as a frontmost window with GUI elements, despite being a background system process without a user interface.

Product Information

  • Product: macOS
  • Version: 15.6
  • Build Number: [Please add your build number - you can find this in Apple Menu > About This Mac]

Description of the Issue

The storeuid process, which is part of the CommerceKit framework and handles App Store-related functionality, is now being reported by the Core Graphics Window Server as having windows in the normal window layer (layer 0). This is causing issues for:

  1. Window management applications that enumerate visible windows
  2. Scripts using CGWindowListCopyWindowInfo that filter for on-screen windows
  3. Applications that manage window focus and visibility

Previously, this process operated entirely in the background without registering as having GUI windows. This change appears to be a regression introduced in macOS 15.6.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Update to macOS 15.6
  2. Use Core Graphics APIs to enumerate windows:
    import Quartz
    window_list = Quartz.CGWindowListCopyWindowInfo(
        Quartz.kCGWindowListOptionOnScreenOnly | Quartz.kCGWindowListExcludeDesktopElements,
        Quartz.kCGNullWindowID
    )
    
  3. Filter for windows with kCGWindowLayer == 0 and kCGWindowOwnerName != "Window Server"
  4. Observe that storeuid appears in the results despite having no visible interface

Expected Behavior

The storeuid process should not appear in window enumeration results for visible windows, as it is a background system service without a user interface.

Actual Behavior

The storeuid process appears as if it has visible windows, causing it to be included in window management operations and potentially interfering with applications that manage window visibility and focus.

Answered by DTS Engineer in 852344022

You’ve written this like a bug report, and DevForums isn’t the right place to report bugs. Rather, do that using Feedback Assistant. See Bug Reporting: How and Why? for lots of hints and tips on that process.

Please post your bug number, just for the record.

Share and Enjoy

Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"

You’ve written this like a bug report, and DevForums isn’t the right place to report bugs. Rather, do that using Feedback Assistant. See Bug Reporting: How and Why? for lots of hints and tips on that process.

Please post your bug number, just for the record.

Share and Enjoy

Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"

storeuid Process Incorrectly Appearing as Frontmost Window
 
 
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