Hello,
I am developing a macOS menu bar window-management utility (similar in functionality to Magnet / Rectangle) that relies on the Accessibility (AXUIElement) API to move and resize windows and on global hotkeys.
I am facing a consistent issue when App Sandbox is enabled.
Summary:
- App Sandbox enabled
- Hardened Runtime enabled
- Apple Events entitlement enabled
- NSAccessibilityDescription present in Info.plist
- AXIsProcessTrustedWithOptions is called with prompt enabled
Observed behavior:
- When App Sandbox is enabled, the Accessibility permission prompt never appears.
- The app cannot be manually added in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
- AXIsProcessTrusted always returns false.
- As a result, window snapping does not work.
When App Sandbox is disabled:
- The Accessibility prompt appears correctly.
- The app functions as expected.
This behavior occurs both:
- In local builds
- In TestFlight builds
My questions:
- Is this expected behavior for sandboxed macOS apps that rely on Accessibility APIs?
- Are window-management utilities expected to ship without App Sandbox enabled?
- Is there any supported entitlement or configuration that allows a sandboxed app to request Accessibility permission?
Thank you for any clarification.