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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CI - Warning: unable to build chain to self-signed root for signer
I am able to sign my application when logged in to the machine, however when build is running in CI (Jenkins), I get this: "Warning: unable to build chain to self-signed root for signer.." We just renewed or certificates, so I am not sure about previous procedure, but it used to work without temporary keychain and stuff, I believe. What should be the recommended way to sign an application on CI? What keychain should we use? system? temporary? other method? Thanks, Itay
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Capability for Provisioning Profile to enable MIE
My app uses a Provisioning Profile (as it bundles up a Network System Extension). I do not use "Automatically manage signing" as its causes code signing/deployment issues 🤷‍♂️ In Xcode (version 26), if I enable " Enhanced Security" and check "Enable Hardware Memory Tagging", Xcode states: Provisioning profile "<>" doesn't include the com.apple.security.hardened-process.checked-allocations and com.apple.security.hardened-process.checked-allocations.soft-mode entitlements. Normally to resolve such errors one simply adds the Capability in "Edit your App ID Configuration" and then regenerates the Provisioning Profile. However, I don't see any such capability to would add these entitlements? (I thought "Hardened Process" would be the one - but alas, no). Clicking the "for more information" link in Xcode to view the relevant(?) "Apple Developer Documentation" generates another error 😵‍💫 Didn't see anything in: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/enabling-enhanced-security-for-your-app
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No profiles for '***.***.***.***' were found
We've been creating iOS apps for a few years now, but when I tried last month, I got an error in my XCode that says: No profiles for 'com.os.hub.mth2' were found Xcode couldn't find any iOS App Development provisioning profiles matching '***.***.***.***'. I'm not sure if it's the cause or not, but when I look at the signing certificates, the Developer ID Application Certificate says: Missing Private Key The weird part of that is that I see a private key with this name in my Keychain access, so I'm not sure what's wrong. There has been a significant time gap between now and the last time we created a mobile app, so I'm not sure if something changed in XCode/MacOS to cause this issue, or if something expired. I'd appreciate any advice.
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Family Controls + Device Activity Entitlement Missing from Provisioning Profiles (Xcode, iOS App Extensions)
Hello everyone, I’ve been stuck for weeks on an issue with Family Controls + Device Activity entitlements in my iOS app, and Apple Developer Support has not provided a solution so far. I’m hoping someone here who has successfully implemented Family Controls + Device Activity can point me in the right direction. About the App • The app is a Digital Wellbeing app called Breakloop. • It lets users select apps they want to block, requires them to complete a positive affirmation before opening those apps, and can re-block apps after a set time (e.g., 10 minutes). • This functionality exactly matches the purpose of Family Controls and Device Activity APIs. What Works So Far • Family Controls capability is enabled in the main app target in Xcode. • We have valid Apple Developer certificates (Apple Development) and a team account. • The main app builds and runs fine when using Family Controls alone. • We have App IDs for: • bl.Breakloop (main app) • bl.Breakloop.BreakloopMonitorExtension • bl.Breakloop.BreakloopShieldConfigurationExtension The Problem The provisioning profiles for the extension targets (BreakloopMonitorExtension and BreakloopShieldConfigurationExtension) do not include the com.apple.developer.device-activity entitlement even though: • The App IDs in the Developer Portal have Family Controls (Development) enabled. • The extensions have the correct entitlements file with both: com.apple.developer.family-controls com.apple.developer.device-activity • Xcode Signing & Capabilities points to the correct provisioning profile + certificate. Because the provisioning profiles don’t include the entitlement, the build fails with: Provisioning profile doesn't include the com.apple.developer.device-activity entitlement. What Apple Support Said Apple Support told me: • “Family Controls grants access to Device Activity.” • They cannot enable it manually or guarantee that profiles will include the entitlement. • They sent links to the documentation but no further assistance. What I Need Help With 1. Has anyone successfully built extensions using Family Controls + Device Activity? 2. Do I need to request any additional approval for Device Activity, or should it appear automatically once Family Controls is enabled? 3. Is there a known Xcode or Apple Developer Portal configuration issue that causes the entitlement to be missing in provisioning profiles? 4. Any working example of a project setup that uses Family Controls + Device Activity in extensions would be extremely helpful. Extra Info • We use the latest Xcode + iOS SDK. • Tried recreating certificates, profiles, and App IDs multiple times. • Followed Apple’s docs for Family Controls + Device Activity exactly. I would greatly appreciate any guidance, especially from someone who has this working with iOS app extensions. Thank you!
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App signing fails after account upgrade
New to working with xcode and building apps. I started last weekend, and deploying to my usb connected iPhone 16 was working great all week. Yesterday, I upgraded to a paid developer account to start using TestFlight, and I could no longer deploy to my phone. Failed to install embedded profile for com.spred.spred-alpha : 0xe800801a (This provisioning profile does not have a valid signature (or it has a valid, but untrusted signature).) i using automatic provisioning - not a custom provisioning profile. i have tried: deleting all the certificates in keychain for my developer account and recreating them, and also doing the same in the developer portal. logging out and logging back in with my developer id in xcode deleting the app bundle directory and all other associated files in the Xcode/DerivedData directory reinstalling Xcode cleaning my build directory and trying again. changing the bundle identifier to a new name. (It always matches the portal app name) Among other things. It just won’t work. I can run the app inn a simulator, but not get it deployed to my phone. what else can I do? The only things I can think of are that somehow Xcode is still stuck using the free account somehow, or that the free account cert originally used expired after 7 days, and now I’m in some stuck state.
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Possible bug in Capability Requests tab
Hello, Recently our team requested the "Notification (NSE) filtering" capability. Our request was rejected but we sent a new request with a more detailed explanation of our need. However if we go check the status of the request in the Capability Requests tab the status is "No requests". We sent the new request yesterday. Is it even possible to request a capability after a rejected request? We really need the capability and the absence of it is blocking our progress.
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Xcode not recognizing approved User Assigned Device Name capability in provisioning profile
Hi, I am experiencing an issue where Xcode displays a "Provisioning profile doesn't support the capability" error for the User Assigned Device Name capability, despite it being approved by Apple and visible in our provisioning profile on the Developer Portal. Background We have completed and submitted the required capability request form to Apple for the User Assigned Device Name capability and received approval. The capability appears correctly in our provisioning profile on the Apple Developer Portal and shows among the enabled capabilities alongside other standard capabilities like In-App Purchase and Push Notifications. Issue However, Xcode consistently displays the error message when trying to enable the User Assigned Device Name capability in our project settings, preventing successful builds with this functionality. Troubleshooting Steps Attempted We have tried multiple troubleshooting steps including: Regenerating provisioning profiles Performing clean builds Clearing DerivedData Manually installing profiles Adding the com.apple.developer.device-information.user-assigned-device-name entitlement manually to our entitlements file Toggling automatic signing on and off Environment Details Xcode Version: 16.4 (16F6) iOS Deployment Target: iOS 13 Profile Type: Distribution provisioning profile Capability: User Assigned Device Name Despite the capability being approved by Apple and visible in our provisioning profile, Xcode does not recognize it. This appears to be a synchronization issue between the Apple Developer Portal and Xcode's capability validation system. Has anyone encountered similar issues with recently approved capabilities, specifically the User Assigned Device Name capability? Could you please provide guidance on how to resolve this capability recognition issue? Any suggestions for resolving this discrepancy between the Developer Portal and Xcode would be greatly appreciated.
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Failed Qualification After Receiving Default Mail Capability
Hi Apple DTS & community folks, I’m reaching out regarding an issue we’ve encountered with the com.apple.developer.mail-client capability for our app (bundle identifier: so.notion.Mail). We were granted this entitlement last week to allow the app to be set as a default Mail client. While everything works as expected when archiving and distributing builds locally in Xcode, we’re running into a problem when using Xcode Cloud. Specifically, Xcode Cloud attempts to archive and distribute an Ad-Hoc build, but the Ad-Hoc provisioning profile does not include this special entitlement. Since we’re using Xcode-managed profiles, we don’t have the ability to create or adjust an explicit profile ourselves. This issue only arises in Xcode Cloud—local distribution works unless we explicitly attempt an Ad-Hoc build (which is not our intent). I’ve included a screenshot of the error for reference. We found this forum post describing the same issue, where the resolution was Apple enabling the entitlement for Ad-Hoc builds. We’d like to request that Apple enable this capability for Ad-Hoc builds for the Notion Mail application so that Xcode Cloud distribution functions correctly. Thank you for your help!
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macOS 26 Launch Constraints
I've recently upgraded to the RC candidates of macOS 26 and Xcode 26. The app I'm building has a helper tool using SMAppService. When I run the app and helper tool in macOS 15 or macOS 26, all works as expected. When it runs on macOS 13 or 14, which previously worked. The helper now crashes on launch with the following reason: Termination Reason: CODESIGNING 4 Launch Constraint Violation I found this developer session which seems to address this, but the plist I've added doesn't seem to satisfy the constraint. https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2023/10266/ Here are the contents of my new plist: Are there any gotchas here that I might be missing? Thanks!
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Previously verified apps failing to verify online with gatekeeper
I have an application that I have been signing, notarizing and distributing to beta testers for a year with no issues, note: I have never got stapling to work I always get a error 65 in the process. But up until yesterday that hasn't been an issue and online verification has always worked. Yesterday morning around 9am online gatekeeper verification has been failing with: APP not opened, apple cannot verify app is free of malware. etc this keeps happening, with every build I try. redownloading previously successful builds show the same behavior I know I can allow in privacy and security, but heading towards launch I dont want to have to tell users to do that. has there been a change in how gatekeeper works or issues with the service? any help with this or getting stapling working would be very appreciated!
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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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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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disable-library-validation entitlement makes app unlaunchable
An open-source app that I bundle for macOS needs to use the disable-library-validation entitlement. In spite of TN3125: Inside Code Signing: Provisioning Profiles | Apple Developer Documentation#Entitlements-on-macOS claiming that hardened runtime entitlements don't need provisioning profiles and the app successfully notarizing, trying to run the app fails with the error "Disallowing because no eligible provisioning profiles found". So I created a provisioning profile, but when creating the App ID the only selection that seemed relevant was Hardened Runtime. That turns out not to include disable-library-validation so now launching fails with "Unsatisfied entitlements: >com.apple.security.cs.disable-library-validation" What's the right capability?
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Certificate not showing under "My Certificates" in Keychain (no private key attached)
I am trying to set up code signing for my macOS/Tauri app and I’m running into a problem with my Developer ID Application certificate in Keychain Access. Steps I followed: Generated a CSR on my Mac using Keychain Access → Certificate Assistant → Request a Certificate From a Certificate Authority. Uploaded the CSR to the Apple Developer portal. Downloaded the resulting .cer file and installed it in my login Keychain. The certificate appears under All Items, but it does not show under My Certificates, and there is no private key attached. What I expected: The certificate should pair with the private key created during CSR generation and show under My Certificates, allowing me to export a .p12 file. What I’ve tried so far: Verified that the WWDR Intermediate Certificate is installed. Ensured I’m on the same Mac and same login Keychain where I created the CSR. Revoked and regenerated the certificate multiple times. Tried importing into both login and system Keychains. Problem: The certificate never links with the private key and therefore cannot be used for signing. Has anyone experienced this issue or knows why the certificate would fail to pair with the private key in Keychain Access? Any workaround or fix would be greatly appreciated.
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codesign Failure with errSecInternalComponent Error
I am experiencing a persistent issue when trying to sign my application, PhotoKiosk.app, using codesign. The process consistently fails with the error errSecInternalComponent, and my troubleshooting indicates the problem is with how the system accesses or validates my certificate's trust chain, rather than the certificate itself. Error Details and Configuration: codesign command executed: codesign --force --verbose --options=runtime --entitlements /Users/sergiomordente/Documents/ProjetosPhotocolor/PhotoKiosk-4M/entitlements.plist --sign "Developer ID Application: Sérgio Mordente (G75SJ6S9NC)" /Users/sergiomordente/Documents/ProjetosPhotocolor/PhotoKiosk-4M/dist/PhotoKiosk.app Error message received: Warning: unable to build chain to self-signed root for signer "(null)" /Users/sergiomordente/Documents/ProjetosPhotocolor/PhotoKiosk-4M/dist/PhotoKiosk.app: errSecInternalComponent Diagnostic Tests and Verifications Performed: Code Signing Identity Validation: I ran the command security find-identity -v -p codesigning, which successfully confirmed the presence and validity of my certificate in the Keychain. The command output correctly lists my identity: D8FB11D4C14FEC9BF17E699E833B23980AF7E64F "Developer ID Application: Sérgio Mordente (G75SJ6S9NC)" This suggests that the certificate and its associated private key are present and functional for the system. Keychain Certificate Verification: The "Apple Root CA - G3 Root" certificate is present in the System Roots keychain. The "Apple Worldwide Developer Relations Certification Authority (G6)" certificate is present and shown as valid. The trust setting for my "Developer ID Application" certificate is set to "Use System Defaults". Attempted Certificate Export via security: To further diagnose the problem, I attempted to export the certificate using the security find-certificate command with the exact name of my identity. Command executed (using double quotes): security find-certificate -c -p "Developer ID Application: Sérgio Mordente (G75SJ6S9NC)" &gt; mycert.pem Error message: security: SecKeychainSearchCopyNext: The specified item could not be found in the keychain. The same error occurred when I tried with single quotes. This result is contradictory to the output of find-identity, which successfully located the certificate. This suggests an internal inconsistency in the Keychain database, where the certificate is recognized as a valid signing identity but cannot be located via a simple certificate search. Additional Troubleshooting Attempts: I have already recreated the "Developer ID Application" certificate 4 times (I am at the limit of 5), and the issue persists with all of them. The application has been rebuilt, and the codesign command was run on a clean binary. Conclusion: The problem appears to be an internal macOS failure to build the trust chain for the certificate, as indicated by the errSecInternalComponent error. Although the certificate is present and recognized as a valid signing identity by find-identity, the codesign tool cannot complete the signature. The failure to find the certificate with find-certificate further supports the suspicion of an inconsistency within the keychain system that goes beyond a simple certificate configuration issue. I would appreciate any guidance on how to resolve this, especially given that I am at my developer certificate limit and cannot simply generate a new one.
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"Application damaged and can't be opened' error prompt on 15.6.1 Sequoia
We have an application which keeps throwing the error "application is damaged and cannot be opened. You should move it to Trash" I have already referred to the documentation: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/706379 and https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/706442 I have checked the following possible root causes: Codesign of the application using the codesign command Notarization of the application using the spctl command Executable permissions Checked for the presence of "com.apple.quarantine" flag for the application using xattr -l <path to executables" Checked the bundle structure None of the above listed items seemed to be a problem and are as expected. Can you please help us understand what could cause this issue and how to resolve this without recommending an uninstall/reinstall of the application?
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Universal Link
Hello, I'm developing a feature for my app, that allows users to challenge their friends. The friend request functionality is built using Universal Links, but I've run into a significant issue. The Universal Links are correctly deep-linking into the app. However, once the app opens, nothing happens—the friend request acceptance or rejection flow does not occur. This prevents users from completing friend requests and building their friend list. Here are examples of the Universal Links I'm generating: https://www.strike-force.app/invite?type=invite&amp;amp;userID=... https://www.strike-force.app/invite?type=invite&amp;amp;friendRequestID=... https://www.strike-force.app/profile?userID=... I've recently updated my cloudflare-worker.js to serve a paths array of ["*"] in the AASA file, so I believe the links themselves should be valid. Technical Details &amp;amp; Error Logs In the console, I am consistently seeing the following error message: Cannot issue sandbox extension for URL:https://www.strike-force.app/invite?token=7EF1E439-090B-4DF2-BE64-9904F50A3F8B Received port for identifier response: &amp;lt;(null)&amp;gt; with error:Error Domain=RBSServiceErrorDomain Code=1 "Client not entitled" UserInfo={RBSEntitlement=com.apple.runningboard.process-state, NSLocalizedFailureReason=Client not entitled, RBSPermanent=false} elapsedCPUTimeForFrontBoard couldn't generate a task port This error appears to be related to entitlements and process state, but I am not sure if it's the root cause of the Universal Link issue or a separate problem. The 'Client not entitled' error on line 3 has had me chasing down entitlements issues. But, I've added the Associated Domains entitlement with the proper applink URLs and verified this in my Developer Portal. I've regenerated my provisioning profile, manually installed it, and selected/de-selected Automatically Manage Signing. As well I've verified my AASA file and it's correctly being served via HTTPS and returning a 200. curl -i https://strike-force.app/.well-known/apple-app-site-association curl -i https://www.strike-force.app/.well-known/apple-app-site-association I am looking for guidance on why the friend request flow is not being triggered after a successful deep-link and how I can fix the related error. Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Cannot request SensorKit capability – “Request” form does not appear
Hi! We are trying to request the SensorKit entitlement (com.apple.developer.sensorkit.reader.allow) for a research app we’re working on. When we go to Apple Developer → Certificates, Identifiers &amp; Profiles → Identifiers, we see the SensorKit capability listed under "Capability Requests", but: There’s no form or button to submit the request, unlike with other capabilities. We tested this using an Account Holder role, and also tried requesting other capabilities — which do show the form correctly, so this seems to be an issue specific to SensorKit. We’d appreciate any guidance on: Whether this is a known issue with the SensorKit request flow. If there’s an alternative way to request this capability while the form is unavailable. Thanks in advance!
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