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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When starting a process on macOS Sequoia, it gets terminated by the kernel.
I have an executable file named infogodesk, located in the directory /usr/local/SmpAgent/rustdesk/infogodesk. When I execute it using the terminal with ./infogodesk, the process gets terminated by the kernel. However, if I move the executable to another directory, it works fine. This issue is very frustrating, and I hope to get some help. Below is the console log output: 默认 11:26:28.162205+0800 kernel ASP: Validation category (6) does not match top-level policy match (3) for process: /usr/local/SmpAgent/rustdesk/infogodesk 默认 11:26:28.162211+0800 kernel Validation category policy: Notifying syspolicyd about /usr/local/SmpAgent/rustdesk/infogodesk with PID 88264 默认 11:26:28.166695+0800 kernel CODE SIGNING: cs_invalid_page(0x104e04000): p=88264[infogodesk] final status 0x23000200, denying page sending SIGKILL 默认 11:26:28.166698+0800 kernel CODE SIGNING: process 88264[infogodesk]: rejecting invalid page at address 0x104e04000 from offset 0x0 in file "/usr/local/SmpAgent/rustdesk/infogodesk" (cs_mtime:1734509326.0 == mtime:1734509326.0) (depth:0) 默认 11:26:28.166738+0800 kernel infogodesk[88264] Corpse allowed 1 of 5 默认 11:26:28.255182+0800 ReportCrash ASI found [ReportCrash] (sensitive) 'Pid 88264 'infogodesk' CORPSE: Extracting Completed 1, Recent: Pid 86766 'ReportCrash' CORPSE' 默认 11:26:28.261619+0800 ReportCrash ASI found [ReportCrash] (sensitive) 'Pid 88264 'infogodesk' CORPSE: Extracting Completed 1, Recent: Pid 86767 'ReportCrash' CORPSE'
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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491
Dec ’24
Stripping protections to allow lldb debugging
Chrome has started crashing almost immediately after startup. I've reported the issue to the Chrome team here: https://issues.chromium.org/issues/385433270 I'm hoping to debug the issue a bit more myself. This page from the Chrome team https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/master/docs/mac/debugging.md#chrome-builds suggests using the follow to strip off the protections: codesign --force --sign - path/to/Google\ Chrome.app However, applying that seems to have no effect: % codesign --force --sign - /Applications/Google\ Chrome\ copy.app /Applications/Google Chrome copy.app: replacing existing signature /Applications/Google Chrome copy.app: resource fork, Finder information, or similar detritus not allowed % lldb /Applications/Google\ Chrome\ copy.app (lldb) target create "/Applications/Google Chrome copy.app" Current executable set to '/Applications/Google Chrome copy.app' (arm64). (lldb) run error: process exited with status -1 (attach failed (Not allowed to attach to process. Look in the console messages (Console.app), near the debugserver entries, when the attach failed. The subsystem that denied the attach permission will likely have logged an informative message about why it was denied.)) I have tried other variations like the following based on Stack Overflow, this forum, etc., but with the same result. (I'm still a little vague on the meaning for some flags, sorry.) Though codesign says that it's "replacing existing signature", as far as I can tell, nothing is changing: % cat <<EOF > debuggee-entitlement.xml <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>com.apple.security.get-task-allow</key> <true/> </dict> </plist> EOF % codesign --verbose=4 -fs - --options library-validation --entitlements debuggee-entitlement.xml /Applications/Google\ Chrome\ copy.app /Applications/Google Chrome copy.app: replacing existing signature /Applications/Google Chrome copy.app: resource fork, Finder information, or similar detritus not allowed file with invalid attached data: Disallowed xattr com.apple.FinderInfo found on /Applications/Google Chrome copy.app lldb still fails the same way. Here's what I see after the above: % codesign -d -vvv /Applications/Google\ Chrome\ copy.app Executable=/Applications/Google Chrome copy.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome Identifier=com.google.Chrome Format=app bundle with Mach-O universal (x86_64 arm64) CodeDirectory v=20500 size=1821 flags=0x12a00(kill,restrict,library-validation,runtime) hashes=46+7 location=embedded Hash type=sha256 size=32 CandidateCDHash sha256=5d7beab2b03d9892426076b24acc19815d7a3ff8 CandidateCDHashFull sha256=5d7beab2b03d9892426076b24acc19815d7a3ff8c1446966e422c3c10672626b Hash choices=sha256 CMSDigest=5d7beab2b03d9892426076b24acc19815d7a3ff8c1446966e422c3c10672626b CMSDigestType=2 CDHash=5d7beab2b03d9892426076b24acc19815d7a3ff8 Signature size=8989 Authority=Developer ID Application: Google LLC (EQHXZ8M8AV) Authority=Developer ID Certification Authority Authority=Apple Root CA Timestamp=Dec 17, 2024 at 2:47:58 PM Notarization Ticket=stapled Info.plist entries=44 TeamIdentifier=EQHXZ8M8AV Runtime Version=15.0.0 Sealed Resources version=2 rules=13 files=63 Internal requirements count=1 size=288 From what I can tell, my codesign runs have changed nothing... I see no diff as compared with what I see running codesign -d on a fresh copy. Is it possible to strip off the protections on my local instance to allow debugging with lldb? If so, could someone share a command for accomplishing that? Although I'm asking about this because of Chrome specifically, I'm hoping to learn more about codesigning in general and to be more empowered as a user to be able to debug when an app I depend on is crashing. Thanks much! Happy Holidays!
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General Tags:
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581
Dec ’24
Xcode 16.2 無法在IOS 18.2 Debug
Xcode 16.2 無法在IOS 18.2 Debug Xcode 16.2 iOS 18.2 直接建立新專案 Xcode -> Create New Project -> Multiplatform -> Application -> App 選擇 實體手機 -> 執行 error: attach by pid '1050' failed -- attach failed (Not allowed to attach to process. Look in the console messages (Console.app), near the debugserver entries, when the attach failed. The subsystem that denied the attach permission will likely have logged an informative message about why it was denied.) Logging Error: Failed to initialize logging system due to time out. Log messages may be missing. If this issue persists, try setting IDEPreferLogStreaming=YES in the active scheme actions environment variables.
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847
Dec ’24
SHA256 Hash - no example code
note technically code-signing but related...... Why has there been no update to the documentation at: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appstorereceipts/validating_receipts_on_the_device To demonstrate how to validate an SHA256 app store hash ??? The January deadline is looming and I can find no working example code which sucessfully validates an SHA256 hash HELP !!!!
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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363
Dec ’24
Unable to load my enterprise application in iOS 18 and above
We have an enterprise application which customers are using since long. Suddenly some customers have reported they are unable to open app in iOS 18 OS. On lower versions like 17 it is working fine. We have a deploy this enterprise application on our server from that link our customer can download and install the app in iPhone. Now they are blocked due to this error. After installing the app when they open app below error message is shown to them. "AppName" is no longer available.
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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627
Dec ’24
LocalAuthentication like Face ID crashes using swift 6 iOS 18.1
Hello, I have been implementing faceID authentication using LocalAuthentication, and I've noticed that if i use swift 5 this code compiles but when i change to swift 6 it gives me a crash saying this compile error: i have just created this project for this error purpose so this is my codebase: import LocalAuthentication import SwiftUI struct ContentView: View { @State private var isSuccess: Bool = false var body: some View { VStack { if isSuccess { Text("Succed") } else { Text("not succeed") } } .onAppear(perform: authenticate) } func authenticate() { let context = LAContext() var error: NSError? if context.canEvaluatePolicy(.deviceOwnerAuthenticationWithBiometrics, error: &amp;error) { let reason = "We need to your face to open the app" context.evaluatePolicy(.deviceOwnerAuthenticationWithBiometrics, localizedReason: reason) { sucexd, error in if sucexd { let success = sucexd Task { @MainActor [success] in isSuccess = success } } else { print(error?.localizedDescription as Any) } } } else { print(error as Any) } } } #Preview { ContentView() } also i have tried to not use the task block and also gives me the same error. i think could be something about the LAContext NSObject that is not yet adapted for swift 6 concurrency? also i tried to set to minimal but is the same error Im using xcode 16.1 (16B40) with M1 using MacOS Seqouia 15.0.1 Help.
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831
Dec ’24
Trying to track down why codesign is now failing certain files
App is built using jdk21, jpackage to create dmg, pulls in the needed jre. Been working fine until about a week ago when notarize start failing bad signing, which when examined it's complaining modified files - a handful of jre license and copyright text files. DMGs built, signed and notarised successfully are now failing codesign verification. Has a macOS 15.1.1 release or Xcode 16.1 patched something, is there new behaviour to be aware of plse?
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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465
Dec ’24
Not Allowed To Open Rust Binary In Terminal
Hi, I am a long time programmer in C#, and newer to Rust, and a rookie to MacOS 15.1. Over the past few days I have made numerous attempts to run a Rust GUI binary that I compiled on Mac. Here are some examples of things I have tried using. Executable compiled in M1 mac not running on Apple Silicon Mac - help - The Rust Programming Language Forum And here.... How to run unsigned apps in macOS 15.1 Also here... "sudo spctl --master-disable" There are many more that I have tried. I also tried moving the binary from my developer folder to the Application folder and running.... xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/csv Note that "csv" is the name of my binary. You have probably seen this 100 times, so can you point me to me to something that allows my Rust binaries to run under MacOS? PS The Rust program code works just fine under Linux. I can either type Cargo Run and run the binary from the Terminal or go directly to the executable and double click on it to open the GUI application. The only thing that MacOS lets me do it open the GUI from the Terminal. Commander One says that I do not have the proper credentials to open the file directly. Finder also does not allow me to open the binary directly. Thanks, Jim
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1.1k
Dec ’24
Cannot sign my app
Hello, I am on maxOS 14.6 and I developed a C++ application for macOS with graphical-user interface by using wxWidgets. The .app application bundle is built correctly and the application runs. Now I would like to sign it to get it notarized. I get the following error sudo codesign -vvv --deep --strict MyApp.app/Contents/MacOS/MyApp MyApps.app/Contents/MacOS/MyApp: code has no resources but signature indicates they must be present If I check the signature I get % pkgutil --check-signature MyApp.app Package "MyApp": Status: package is invalid (checksum did not verify) How may I fix this? Thank you!
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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373
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
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
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
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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616
Nov ’24
Why xcodebuild in Xcode 16 in our CI logs out the Apple ID and creates a new one
Hello, We use automatic signing and Fastlane on our CI. Fastlane uses xcodebuild to create an archive. xcodebuild -workspace ourApp.xcworkspace -scheme app-dev -destination generic/platform=iOS -archivePath app-dev.xcarchive -skipPackagePluginValidation -allowProvisioningUpdates -authenticationKeyID OurAppStoreConnectAuthKey -authenticationKeyIssuerID OurAppStoreConnectAuthKeyIssuerId -authenticationKeyPath /path/to/OurAppStoreConnectKey.p8 clean archive All works fine, but .... Why does Xcode 16 log out logged Apple ID and create a new every build? As a result, we have more and more Unknown Apple IDs in Xcode, and for each of them an error appears in log. Error: xcodebuild[3174:1804334] DVTDeveloperAccountManager: Failed to load credentials for 0A1DF15C-ETC-ETC: Error Domain=DVTDeveloperAccountCredentialsError Code=0 "Invalid credentials in keychain for 0A1DF15C-ETC-ETC, missing Xcode-Username" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Invalid credentials in keychain for 0A1DF15C-ETC-ETC, missing Xcode-Username} Of course, the originally logged-in Apple ID has an error corresponding to his non-logged-in state. xcodebuild[3174:1804334] DVTDeveloperAccountManager: Failed to load credentials for originally_logged-in_user: Error Domain=DVTDeveloperAccountCredentialsError Code=0 "Invalid credentials in keychain for originally_logged-in_user, missing Xcode-Token" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Invalid credentials in keychain for originally_logged-in_user, missing Xcode-Token} Why does this happen and how can it be fixed? Why does Xcode 16 log out its logged Apple ID?
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4.1k
Oct ’24
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
Apr ’24
The Care and Feeding of Developer ID
I regularly see folks run into problems with their Developer ID signing identities. Historically I pointed them to my posts on this thread, but I’ve decided to collect these ideas together in one place. If you have questions or comments, start a new thread here on DevForums and tag it with Developer ID so that I see it. IMPORTANT Nothing I write here on DevForums is considered official documentation. It’s just my personal ramblings based on hard-won experience. There is a bunch of official documentation that covers the topics I touch on here, including: Xcode documentation Xcode Help Developer Account Help Developer > Support > Certificates For a lot more information about code signing, see the Code Signing Resources pinned post. Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com" The Care and Feeding of Developer ID Most Apple signing assets are replaceable. For example, if you accidentally lose access to your Apple Development signing identity, it’s a minor inconvenience. Just use the Developer website to revoke your previous certificate and create a replacement. Or have Xcode do that for you. IMPORTANT If you don’t understand the difference between a certificate and a digital identity, and hence signing identity, read Certificate Signing Requests Explained before reading this post. Some signing assets are precious. Losing access to such assets has significant consequences. Foremost amongst those are Developer ID signing identities. These allow you to sign Mac products that ship independently. Anyone with access to your Developer ID signing identity can sign code as you. This has a number of consequences, both for you and for your relationship with Apple. Identify a Developer ID Signing Identity A Developer ID signing identity consists of two parts: the certificate and the private key. There are two different flavours, identifiable by the subject name in the certificate: Developer ID Application — This is named Developer ID Application: TTT, where TTT identifies your team. Use this to sign code and disk images. Developer ID Installer — This is named Developer ID Installer: TTT, where TTT identifies your team. Use this to sign installer packages. Note If you do KEXT development, there’s a third flavour, namely a KEXT-enabled Developer ID Application signing identity. For more details, see KEXT Code Signing Problems. This post focuses on traditional signing identities, where you manage the private key. Xcode Cloud introduced cloud signing, where signing identities are “stored securely in the cloud”. These identities have the Managed suffix in Certificates, Identifiers, and Profiles. For example, Developer ID Application Managed is the cloud signing equivalent of Developer ID Application. To learn more about cloud signing, watch WWDC 2021 Session 10204 Distribute apps in Xcode with cloud signing. To identify these certificates ‘in the wild’, see Identifying a Cloud Managed Signing Certificate. Limit Access to Developer ID Anyone with your Developer ID signing identity can sign code as you. Given that, be careful to limit access to these signing identities. This is true both for large organisations and small developers. In a large organisation, ensure that only folks authorised to ship code on behalf of your organisation have access to your Developer ID signing identities. Most organisations have some sort of release process that they use to build, test, and authorise a release. This often involves a continuous integration (CI) system. Restrict CI access to only those folks involved in the release process. Even if you’re a small developer with no formal release process, you can still take steps to restrict access to Developer ID signing identities. See Don’t Leak Your Private Key, below. In all cases, don’t use your Developer ID signing identities for day-to-day development. That’s what Apple Development signing identities are for. Create Developer ID Signing Identities as the Account Holder Because Developer ID signing identities are precious, the Developer website will only let the Account Holder create them. For instructions on how to do this, see Developer Account Help > Create certificates > Create Developer ID certificates. For more information about programme roles, see Developer > Support > Program Roles. IMPORTANT In an Organization team it’s common for the Account Holder to be non-technical. They may need help getting this done. For hints and tips on how to avoid problems while doing this, see Don’t Lose Your Private Key and Don’t Leak Your Private Key, both below. Limit the Number of Developer ID Signing Identities You Create Don’t create Developer ID signing identities unnecessarily. Most folks only need to create one. Well, one Developer ID Application and maybe one Developer ID Installer. A large organisation might need more, perhaps one for each sub-unit, but that’s it. There are two reasons why this is important: The more you have, the more likely it is for one to get into the wrong hands. Remember that anyone with your Developer ID signing identity can sign code as you. The Developer website limits you to 5 Developer ID certificates. Note I can never remember where this limit is actually documented, so here’s the exact quote from this page: You can create up to five Developer ID Application certificates and up to five Developer ID Installer certificates using either your developer account or Xcode. Don’t Lose Your Private Key There are two standard processes for creating a Developer ID signing identity: Developer website — See Developer Account Help > Create certificates > Create Developer ID certificates. Xcode — See Xcode Help > Maintaining signing assets > Manage signing certificates. Both processes implicitly create a private key in your login keychain. This makes it easy to lose your private key. For example: If you do this on one Mac and then get a new Mac, you might forget to move the private key to the new Mac. If you’re helping your Organization team’s Account Holder to create a Developer ID signing identity, you might forget to export the private key from their login keychain. It also makes it easy to accidentally leave a copy of the private key on a machine that doesn’t need it; see Don’t Leak Your Private Key, below, for specific advice on that front. Every time you create a Developer ID signing identity, it’s a good idea to make an independent backup of it. For advice on how to do that, see Back Up Your Signing Identities, below. That technique is also useful if you need to copy the signing identity to a continuous integration system. If you think you’ve lost the private key for a Developer ID signing identity, do a proper search for it. Finding it will save you a bunch of grief. You might be able to find it on your old Mac, in a backup, in a backup for your old Mac, and so on. For instructions on how to extract your private key from a general backup, see Recover a Signing Identity from a Mac Backup. If you’re absolutely sure that you previous private key is lost, use the Developer website to create a replacement signing identity. If the Developer website won’t let you create any more because you’ve hit the limit discussed above, talk to Developer Programs Support. Go to Apple > Developer > Contact Us and follow the path Development and Technical > Certificates, Identifiers, and Provisioning Profiles. Don’t Leak Your Private Key Anyone with your Developer ID signing identity can sign code as you. Thus, it’s important to take steps to prevent its private key from leaking. A critical first step is to limit access to your Developer ID signing identities. For advice on that front, see Limit Access to Developer ID, above. In an Organization team, only the Account Holder can create Developer ID signing identities. When they do this, a copy of the identity’s private key will most likely end up in their login keychain. Once you’ve exported the signing identity, and confirmed that everything is working, make sure to delete that copy of the private key. Some organisations have specific rules for managing Developer ID signing identities. For example, an organisation might require that the private key be stored in a hardware token, which prevents it from being exported. Setting that up is a bit tricky, but it offers important security benefits. Even without a hardware token, there are steps you can take to protect your Developer ID signing identity. For example, you might put it in a separate keychain, one with a different password and locking policy than your login keychain. That way signing code for distribution will prompt you to unlock the keychain, which reminds you that this is a significant event and ensures that you don’t do it accidentally. If you believe that your private key has been compromised, follow the instructions in the Compromised Certificates section of Developer > Support > Certificates. IMPORTANT Don’t go down this path if you’ve simply lost your private key. Back Up Your Signing Identities Given that Developer ID signing identities are precious, consider making an independent backup of them. To back up a signing identity to a PKCS#12 (.p12) file: Launch Keychain Access. At the top, select My Certificates. On the left, select the keychain you use for signing identities. For most folks this is the login keychain. Select the identity. Choose File > Export Items. In the file dialog, select Personal Information Exchange (.p12) in the File Format popup. Enter a name, navigate to your preferred location, and click Save. You might be prompted to enter the keychain password. If so, do that and click OK. You will be prompted to enter a password to protect the identity. Use a strong password and save this securely in a password manager, corporate password store, on a piece of paper in a safe, or whatever. You might be prompted to enter the keychain password again. If so, do that and click Allow. The end result is a .p12 file holding your signing identity. Save that file in a secure location, and make sure that you have a way to connect it to the password you saved in step 9. Remember to backup all your Developer ID signing identities, including the Developer ID Installer one if you created it. To restore a signing identity from a backup: Launch Keychain Access. Choose File > Import Items. In the open sheet, click Show Options. Use the Destination Keychain popup to select the target keychain. Navigate to and select the .p12 file, and then click Open. Enter the .p12 file’s password and click OK. If prompted, enter the destination keychain password and click OK. Recover a Signing Identity from a Mac Backup If you didn’t independently backup your Developer ID signing identity, you may still be able to recover it from a general backup of your Mac. To start, work out roughly when you created your Developer ID signing identity: Download your Developer ID certificate from the Developer website. In the Finder, Quick Look it. The Not Valid Before field is the date you’re looking for. Now it’s time to look in your backups. The exact details depend on the backup software you’re using, but the basic process runs something like this: Look for a backup taken shortly after the date you determined above. In that backup, look for the file ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain. Recover that to a convenient location, like your desktop. Don’t put it in ~/Library/Keychains because that’ll just confuse things. Rename it to something unique, like login-YYYY-MM-DD.keychain, where YYYY-MM-DD is the date of the backup. In Keychain Access, choose File > Add Keychain and, in the resulting standard file panel, choose that .keychain file. On the left, select login-YYYY-MM-DD. Chose File > Unlock Keychain “login-YYYY-MM-DD“. In the resulting password dialog, enter your login password at the date of the backup. At the top, select My Certificates. Look through the list of digital identities to find the Developer ID identity you want. If you don’t see the one you’re looking for, see Further Recovery Tips below. Export it using the process described at the start of Back Up Your Signing Identities. Once you’re done, remove the keychain from Keychain Access: On the left, select the login-YYYY-MM-DD keychain. Choose File > Delete Keychain “login-YYYY-MM-DD”. In the confirmation alert, click Remove Reference. The login-YYYY-MM-DD.keychain is now just a file. You can trash it, keep it, whatever, at your discretion. This process creates a .p12 file. To work with that, import it into your keychain using the process described at the end of Back Up Your Signing Identities. IMPORTANT Keep that .p12 file as your own independent backup of your signing identity. Further Recovery Tips If, in the previous section, you can’t find the Developer ID identity you want, there are a few things you might do: Look in a different backup. If your account has more than one keychain, look in your other keychains. If you have more than one login account, look at the keychains for your other accounts. If you have more than one Mac, look at the backups for your other Macs. The login-YYYY-MM-DD keychain might have the private key but not the certificate. Add your Developer ID certificate to that keychain to see if it pairs with a private key. Revision History 2025-03-28 Excised the discussion of Xcode’s import and export feature because that was removed in Xcode 16. 2025-02-20 Added some clarification to the end of Don’t Leak Your Private Key. 2023-10-05 Added the Recover a Signing Identity from a Mac Backup and Further Recovery Tips sections. 2023-06-23 Added a link to Identifying a Cloud Managed Signing Certificate. 2023-06-21 First posted.
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