macOS Tahoe: Denying iCloud access leaves users permanently locked out – no UI recovery path (Regression from Sequoia)

Hi,

I'm the developer of Mail Signature (MAS, bundle ID: de.metaflash.mail-signature), a Mac app that uses iCloud Drive to sync email signatures.

On macOS Tahoe, when a user denies the iCloud access permission dialog on first launch, there is absolutely no way to reverse that decision through System Settings.

Regression from Sequoia: On Sequoia, after denying iCloud access, the app correctly appears under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Files and Folders where the user can toggle access back on.

On Tahoe, the app does not appear anywhere in Privacy & Security after denial – not under Files and Folders, not under Apple ID → iCloud, nowhere.

Technical details:

  • Affected TCC services: kTCCServiceUbiquity + kTCCServiceLiverpool
  • tccutil reset Ubiquity <bundleId> alone is insufficient
  • Only tccutil reset All <bundleId> triggers the dialog again
  • This suggests both services need to be reset simultaneously

Impact: Normal users are permanently locked out with zero recovery path. The only workaround is Terminal: tccutil reset All de.metaflash.mail-signature ...which is completely inaccessible to average consumers.

As a MAS developer we have no way to help users programmatically:

  • exec/child_process → sandbox blocked
  • NSUserUnixTask → designed for user-supplied scripts only, not reliable here
  • Apple Events to Terminal → blocked or App Review risk

Feedback submitted: FB22746525

Is anyone else seeing this? Would appreciate dups on the Feedback report. Any workaround suggestions from DTS welcome.

macOS Tahoe: Denying iCloud access leaves users permanently locked out – no UI recovery path (Regression from Sequoia)
 
 
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