Demystify code signing and its importance in app development. Get help troubleshooting code signing issues and ensure your app is properly signed for distribution.

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Cosign issue
I am a new macOS developer, and the codesign issue is persistent. I've been trying to resolve it for days. There are two issues: 1.) When downloading and installing frameworks, they are not showing up in Xcode templates. 2.) Regarding codesigning, even though I've installed it on my external drive and placed it in various locations (Library, Templates, Frameworks, Application Contents, macOS Templates and Frameworks) and added through General Libraries in Xcode, persistently encountering issues. I'm experiencing a codesign problem. I've cleaned the build, cleared derived data, downloaded certificates, added them to the access key, and linked the binary. However, the issue persists. Please help me, as this is making the process much more difficult. I've been stuck on this for weeks.
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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329
Feb ’25
Launching an app from Finder
Hi everyone. Sorry if this is not an appropriate forum section for this question. I'm making a game engine and it doesn't launch on my colleague's MacBook, although it does launch on mine. There's an application file, let's say, Sample.app. And along with it in the same folder there's Engine.dylib. If we look at the app-file structure, the executable file's path is Contents/MacOS/Sample. So for the executable file the library is located at the path ../../../Engine.dylib. But when my colleague runs the Sample.app file, he gets an error "Library not loaded: @executable_path/../../../Engine.dylib". Although the path is correct and on my MacBook it works. Are there any ideas how to fix it?
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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Feb ’25
launching app with error "domain: RBSRequestErrorDomain; code: 5; Launch failed."
After upgrading the iOS system to 18.3.1, the APP crashed continuously when it was launched. The following log was seen in the device log: Bootstrapping failed for <FBApplicationProcess: 0x72ad16b80; app<com.xxxx.yyyy>:> with error: <NSError: 0x300cd4d80; domain: RBSRequestErrorDomain; code: 5; "Launch failed."> { NSUnderlyingError = <NSError: 0x300cd4ab0; domain: NSPOSIXErrorDomain; code: 85> { NSLocalizedDescription = Launchd job spawn failed; }; } Our APP is in-house distribution What are the possible causes? How can I solve it?
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Mar ’25
Codesign login password
Xcode is prompting I enter a codesign login password when I am archiving my project. My password seems incorrect since there is no action after I enter my password and tap allow. what could be the problem?
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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106
Mar ’25
Regarding Qt application Code signing on MACOS
Hi support, Currently we are in a process of migrating our Qt application for MAC OS - ventura -v13.4. There is a specific feature in our application in which client tries to communicate with server (Socket communication) using Qt's QsslSocket Apis . To achieve this we are using self signed Ca certificate (.pem ) generated by using openSSl commands which uses IP address of the server. We are manually installing the certificate inside MAC OS - keychain and trusting it manually as well after installing . This is working fine in XCode environment in debug mode in MAC OS and client -server handshake is happening successfully. How ever after creating .dmg file (installer) the same handshake is not happening and we are getting error -Connection time out. Upon investigating this online, we got to know there has to be codesigning (both app bundle and the dmg file )along with notarization of the .dmg file in order to access keychain of MAC OS at runtime to access the self signed certificate installed. Now we have 2 queries here. Is code signing mandatory if we want to verify our app through keychain with .dmg file ? If yes, whats the best way to achieve this ? We have tried 2 options without any luck. option1 - Trying to build our specific target among 'ALL_BUILD' with signing key settings inside xcode where we are providing developer provisional certificate with apple team ID . After that we are trying to archive to generate dmg file which is code signed. We are failing here as the signed dmg is not getting installed due to other app related dependencies are missing . option 2- Code signing the dmg and the app bundle manually outside the environment of xcode with developer certificate and team ID. We are failing here as notarization needs to be done it seems to access keychain for certificate verification If Code signing is not mandatory then whats the best possible way to achieve this considering manually installation of certificate inside keychain with adding trust option is not working at the moment. Please specify the best solution if possible.
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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Mar ’25
Enterprise Vendor Id changing when it shouldn't
Hi All, Really weird one here... I have two bundle ids with the same reverse dns name... com.company.app1 com.company.app2 app1 was installed on the device a year ago. app2 was also installed on the device a year ago but I released a new updated version and pushed it to the device via Microsoft InTunes. A year ago the vendor Id's matched as the bundle id's were on the same domain of com.company. Now for some reason the new build of app2 or any new app I build isn't being recognised as on the same domain as app1 even though the bundle id should make it so and so the Vendor Id's do not match and it is causing me major problems as I rely on the Vendor Id to exchange data between the apps on a certain device. In an enterprise environment, does anyone know of any other reason or things that could affect the Vendor Id? According to Apple docs, it seems that only the bundle name affects the vendor id but it isn't following those rules in this instance.
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Jun ’25
Binary Signing Error
I will post my app xyz.app uses XY swift package this swift package is a wrapper for XYSDK.xcframework XYSDK.xcframework written in c++ and app running on arm64 macos and iphones succesfully. I got this error when i want to distribute it. Currently i sign .framework for ios with Apple Distribution Certificate and same certificate for macos framework there is no other signing step for swift package or xcframework other than that when i want to archive it validates succesfully. Exporting step shows that app has signed, has provisining profile. but .framework is only signed has no provisioning profile. Also one point i see: i have one target named xyz and its Frameworks, Lİbraries and Embedded Context has only XY package but Embed part has no option like embed and sign etc. Blank. I need more info about what am i doing wrong in which step ? I am stuck and can not move any further like weeks Error Detail: Invalid Signature. The binary with bundle identifier XYSDK at path “xyz.app/Frameworks/XYSDK.framework” contains an invalid signature. Make sure you have signed your application with a distribution certificate, not an ad hoc certificate or a development certificate. Verify that the code signing settings in Xcode are correct at the target level (which override any values at the project level). Additionally, make sure the bundle you are uploading was built using a Release target in Xcode, not a Simulator target. If you are certain your code signing settings are correct, choose “Clean All” in Xcode, delete the “build” directory in the Finder, and rebuild your release target. For more information, please consult https://developer.apple.com/support/code-signing. (90035)
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May ’25
Command CodeSign failed with a nonzero exit code - OpenGL
Hey, So i am trying to setup OpenGL on my mac. Specs : M2 Pro, 15.5 (24F74) Now i have setup the entire project properly as far as i know. GLFW, GLAD and the OpenGL framework. the build libraries are also reference and everything. I have also included the glad.c file in the folder. i have also kept it to run locally in signing tab. its still giving me Command CodeSign failed with a nonzero exit code All the ss are provided
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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Jul ’25
Investigating Third-Party IDE Code-Signing Problems
I regularly see questions from folks who’ve run into code-signing problems with their third-party IDE. There’s a limit to how much I can help you with such problems. This post explains a simple test you can run to determine what side of that limit you’re on. If you have any questions or comments, please put them in a new thread here on DevForums. Put it in Code Signing > General topic area and apply whatever tags make sense for your specific situation. Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com" Investigating Third-Party IDE Code-Signing Problems DTS doesn’t support third-party tools. If you’re using third-party tooling and encounter a code-signing problem, run this test to determine whether you should seek help from Apple or from your tool’s vendor. IMPORTANT Some third-party tools create Xcode projects that you then build and run in Xcode. While that approach is understandable, it’s not something that DTS supports. So, the steps below make sense even if you’re already using Xcode. To check that code-signing is working in general: Launch Xcode. In Xcode > Settings > Accounts, make sure you’re signed in with your developer account. Create a new project from the app project template for your target platform. For example, if you’re targeting iOS, use the iOS > App project template. When creating the project: Select the appropriate team in the Team popup. Choose a bundle ID that’s not the same as your main app’s bundle ID. Choose whatever language and interface you want. Your language and interface choices are irrelevant to code signing. Choose None for your testing system and storage model. This simplifies your project setup. In the Signing & Capabilities editor, make sure that: "Automatically manage signing” is checked. The Team popup and Bundle Identifier fields match the value you chose in the previous step. Select a simulator as the run destination. Choose Product > Build. This should always work because the simulator doesn’t use code signing [1]. However, doing this step is important because it confirms that your project is working general. Select your target device as the run destination. Choose Product > Build. Then Product > Run. If you continue to have problems, that’s something that Apple folks can help you with. If this works, there’s a second diagnostic test: Repeat steps 1 through 10 above, except this time, in step 4, choose a bundle ID that is the same as your main app’s bundle ID. If this works then your issue is not on the Apple side of the fence, and you should escalate it via the support channel for the third-party tools you’re using. On the other hand, if this fails, that’s something we can help you with. I recommend that you first try to fix the issue yourself. For links to relevant resources, see Code Signing Resources. You should also search the forums, because we’ve helped a lot of folks with a lot of code-signing issues over the years. If you’re unable to resolve the issue yourself, feel free to start a thread here in the forums. Put it in Code Signing > General topic area and apply whatever tags make sense for your specific situation.
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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350
Aug ’25
Apple ID, Dev Prog Team ID, and provisioning profiles
I was working in Xcode with a free personal Team ID. I upgraded to the Dev Program and now have a paid Team ID. I used the same Apple ID for both. The paid Team ID shows up in developer.apple.com as associated with my Apple ID. However, Xcode is not using the paid Team ID in signing, it's stuck on my old personal Team ID. In addition, I'm getting provisioning errors (0xe8008015) when we try to run our app on an iPhone. Anyone have any thoughts? I've scoured the forums and ChatGPT'd, Cursor'd, etc...all of the suggested fixes do not work. This almost seems like Apple needs to make my Apple ID associated with the paid Team ID or something, to start. Thanks all.
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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1k
Aug ’25
Inquiry Regarding Gatekeeper Behavior During Application Upgrade
Can you please help us with the scenario below, including details and Apple’s recommendations? I've already read through the Notarization and Gatekeeper documentation. The installed version of our application is 1.2.3, located in /Applications/XYZSecurity.app. We created an upgrade package for version 1.2.4. As part of the pre-install script in the 1.2.4 installer, we explicitly deleted some obsolete .dylib files from /Applications/XYZSecurity.app/Contents/Frameworks and some executable files from /Applications/XYZSecurity.app/Contents/MacOS that were no longer needed in version 1.2.4. The installation of version 1.2.4 completed successfully, but we see the below error logs in installer.log: PackageKit: Failed to unlinkat file reference /Applications/XYZSecurity.app/Contents/Frameworks/libhelper.dylib PackageKit: Failed to unlinkat file reference /Applications/XYZSecurity.app/Contents/MacOS/helper-tool Our Key Questions: Is it the right practice to remove obsolete files in the pre-install script during an upgrade? Is this approach recommended by Apple? Can this cause any issues with Apple Gatekeeper? Is there a possibility of my application getting blocked by Gatekeeper as a result?
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Sep ’25
compile code required signing from unexisting user
Hi, This is my first time developing for iPhone, and I believe I have encountered an unusual edge case related to user management. Background: I work at a very small company currently in the proof-of-concept stage of building an iOS app. We created an Apple account under the company name: Green Vibe, using our corporate email. Initially, I developed the app under the free account on my local iPhone, and everything worked smoothly. When NFC functionality became necessary, we upgraded to a paid Apple Developer account. At that point, I enrolled as a developer under my personal name (Or Itach) while logged in with the Green Vibe Apple account. I want to emphasize that only one Apple account was created — the Green Vibe account. The Issue: When attempting to add NFC, I was able to create the required certificate under the name Or Itach. However, when compiling the project, Xcode prompts me to enter the login password for the user Or Itach. This is problematic because there is no Apple ID associated with that name — only the Apple Developer enrollment under Green Vibe exists. Request: Could you please advise on the proper way to resolve this situation? Specifically: Should the developer enrollment be tied directly to the Green Vibe account rather than to an individual name? How can I correctly configure the account so that Xcode no longer requires a nonexistent Apple ID password? Thank you very much for your support and clarification.
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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Sep ’25
Transfer App ID from one dev account to another for existing Enterprise app
We have an enterprise app that was developed when the IT group in the U.S. had their own enterprise developer account and HQ in Europe had their own. App's were kept separate for whatever reason. Over the past few years all new app ids etc have been created in HQ account but the local US account still contains this one legacy app ID. The app it's associated with is distributed globally and on tens of thousands of devices. Is there a way to transfer the app id etc to from the local US dev account to the HQ owned global account. I know this is possible with App Store distributed app's but this is an enterprise app that is distributed to our corp owned devices through AirWatch.
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Oct ’25
Code Signing Resources
General: Forums topic: Code Signing Forums subtopics: Code Signing > General, Code Signing > Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles, Code Signing > Notarization, Code Signing > Entitlements Forums tags: Code Signing, Signing Certificates, Provisioning Profiles, Entitlements Developer Account Help — This document is good in general but, in particular, the Reference section is chock-full of useful information, including the names and purposes of all certificate types issued by Apple Developer web site, tables of which capabilities are supported by which distribution models on iOS and macOS, and information on how to use managed capabilities. Developer > Support > Certificates covers some important policy issues Bundle Resources > Entitlements documentation TN3125 Inside Code Signing: Provisioning Profiles — This includes links to the other technotes in the Inside Code Signing series. WWDC 2021 Session 10204 Distribute apps in Xcode with cloud signing Certificate Signing Requests Explained forums post --deep Considered Harmful forums post Don’t Run App Store Distribution-Signed Code forums post Resolving errSecInternalComponent errors during code signing forums post Finding a Capability’s Distribution Restrictions forums post Signing code with a hardware-based code-signing identity forums post New Capabilities Request Tab in Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles forums post Isolating Code Signing Problems from Build Problems forums post Investigating Third-Party IDE Code-Signing Problems forums post Determining if an entitlement is real forums post Mac code signing: Forums tag: Developer ID Creating distribution-signed code for macOS documentation Packaging Mac software for distribution documentation Placing Content in a Bundle documentation Embedding nonstandard code structures in a bundle documentation Embedding a command-line tool in a sandboxed app documentation Signing a daemon with a restricted entitlement documentation Defining launch environment and library constraints documentation WWDC 2023 Session 10266 Protect your Mac app with environment constraints TN2206 macOS Code Signing In Depth archived technote — This doc has mostly been replaced by the other resources linked to here but it still contains a few unique tidbits and it’s a great historical reference. Manual Code Signing Example forums post The Care and Feeding of Developer ID forums post TestFlight, Provisioning Profiles, and the Mac App Store forums post For problems with notarisation, see Notarisation Resources. For problems with the trusted execution system, including Gatekeeper, see Trusted Execution Resources. Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"
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30k
Sep ’25
Xcode Signing and Capabilities
I'm currently befuddled by the entire signing and certificate process. I don't understand what I need, what the team admin needs to do, or how to go about doing it so that I can build the project. We've managed to have this working in the past but I guess the system has changed somewhat. Here's what we have going: A Unity project which hasn't changed from a few years ago. I build the project in unity, open the Xcode project and this: There's an issue with the Signing and Capabilities. If I choose automatic setup it shows an error saying that it requires a development team. I had the account admin add my Apple ID to the team so I'm not sure why that's an issue still. Do I need to pay the 99$ to be able to building Xcode? If I try to do it manually I select the provisioning profile that the account admin sent me and it auto selects the team associated with the provisioning profile I guess but then there's no singing certificate. The error says: There is no signing certificate "iOS Development" found. No "iOS Development" signing certificate matching team ID "V7D5YBZRMV" with a private key was found. So, if someone could explain to me like I'm 5 the entire signing and certificate process is and let me know what we're doing wrong with the team/provisioning profile/certificate setup I would be very much appreciative.
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4.3k
Aug ’25
Unable to Write Files Within App Bundle After Codesigning and Notarization
I have already posted asking about this: [quote='768005021, CynthiaSun, /thread/768005, /profile/CynthiaSun'] Codesigned and notarized app cannot directly write files inside the app bundle... [/quote] But there are still some doubts that have not been answered. We use Qt to develop an application on the macOS platform, and we are attempting to perform code signing and notarization to ensure our the application is trusted by Apple. However, there are a few things that seem weird regarding this statement: "App bundles are read-only by design." Let me provide more details. Currently, when our application starts, it needs to create folder (e.g. Temp) in the root directory of the executable For example: Myapp.app/Contents/MacOS/Myapp ---> Myapp.app/Contents/MacOS/Temp The folder is designed for storing runtime logs or config files for our application. In the past, users may also modify the settings inside target folder if needed. However, the strange thing is that after the application is codesigned and notarized. When we double-click the application Myapp (a.k.a Myapp.app) in Finder, it could successfully launch and create the Temp folder inside the Myapp.app/Contents/MacOS folder. However, when we navigate and attempt to run the main application executable in command line mode (as our application supports this command line execution) $ cd Myapp.app/Contents/MacOS $ ./Myapp -h As our application will check if the root folder has write permission before starting (i.e., check if Myapp.app/Contents/MacOS is writable because we require to create Temp folder in the following steps) It pop up the error that folder does not have write permission. The aforementioned scenarios seems to conflict with this statement: "App bundles are read-only by design" (because when the application is launched directly by clicking in Finder, the Temp folder can be created successfully, but via the console command line, it cannot). I would like to confirm again if writing files in the notarized application MacOS directory is not allowed? If not, have any recommended approaches? (e.g., changing the folder to another directory). What causes the different results in these running scenarios? We are not concerned about breaking the signature after application launched, as it seems that macOS will add it to system trust list after first time successfully launch. (Download the app from internet --> System: it is an app downloaded from the internet. Are you sure want to open it...? OK --> Although our application creates the Temp folder after first launch, when we click the application second time, it could directly open the app)
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Nov ’24
New application certificate fails to codesign binary file with error: "Warning: unable to build chain to self-signed root for signer <certificate> <filepath>: errSecInternalComponent"
Platforms: Ventura and Big Sur Steps to Reproduce: Create new application and installer CSRs with keypairs Generate new certificates in Apple web portal Repackage certificates as .p12 using exported private keys since they are not referenced in keychain app by default. Import certificates into MacOS Keychain Set certificate access to "Always Trust" for all certificate uses Sign binary fails using "codesign --force --sign " Sign installer package succeeds using "productsign --sign Additional Info: The private keys ware initially not recognized by the Keychain application resulting a certificate without a private key "leaf" beneath them. To resolve it I exported the private key and repackaged certificate as a .p12 file. Both certificates appear "good" when evaluated for code signing The installer certificate shows an intermediate and root while the application certificate does not Repackaging as .p12 with expected intermediate and root did not resolve the issue Installing all available intermediates and roots from Apple did not resolve the issue Signing a test app with XCode succeeds In production, we sign using CMake so we need to be able to sign code from the command line with codesign.
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805
Dec ’24
Can an application signed with "com.apple.security.cs.disable-library-validation" be published as trusted?
I am working on releasing my macOS arm64 app. My problem is that after the user downloads the dmg, double-clicking my.app in the dmg, a Gatekeeper pop-up box will appear with a warning that the developer cannot be verified. Question: Can an application signed with "com.apple.security.cs.disable-library-validation" be published as trusted? If yes, what steps have I missed? If not, can I get an official response from Apple? (Because I referred to this post, it seems to mention that it is possible to publish trusted software.I have looked up similar questions on the forum and tried many things, but nothing works. ) Here are my steps: Use the codesign to sign my.app. Because my app needs to access third-party dynamic libraries, entitlements.plist contains a "com.apple.security.cs.disable-library-validation". After the "codesign -dvvv" check, the signature was successful.✅ Use the "xcrun notarytool" command to notarize my app, and the status is displayed as accepted.✅ Use "xcrun stapler staple" to attach the notarization to my app, and it returns success.✅ Use the "spctl -a -v " command to verify whether my app has passed Gatekeeper, and it returns that it has passed.✅ Then I packaged my.app into a dmg, and then attached the notarization mark to the dmg, which was successful.✅ I completed the above steps and distributed the dmg. When I downloaded the dmg as a user test and double-clicked my.app in it, the Gatekeeper pop-up box still appeared, and the developer cannot be verified.❌
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704
Dec ’24
Offline App
Hello, I'm new at developing an ios app, but I have created a basic app, I plan to use just for me using xcode and the language swift. I intend to use this app, to display a video and images on ipads that will be used as KIOS on a trade show. I don't need this app to be published on the app store as I intend to use it solely for my use. Is there a way I can do something like this that won't be restricted with the 10 days restriction? I learned xcode/swift as little as I could to create the app, but now I'm limited to the 10 days, and only 3 devices. Is there a way I can create an offline app, that doesn't have the all the restrictions? I plan to use these ipads over and over again on tradeshows to display my work.
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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566
Dec ’24