Hi guys,
Is there any good up-to-date tutorial about publishing a Python based app on Apple Store?
Now, I have developed a standalone Python app from PyCharm, and it's using Pyside6 for UI and some major Python libraries. It's a productivity app with a little A.I. features. I used PyInstaller to prepare the app. Currently, I am stuck at the stage of codesign and Apple Review process, because I am manually doing codesign and building the package from command-line. Without using Xcode, things can get messy or miss easily.
It would be nice to follow a up-to-date tutorial about how to complete the codesign and Apple Review process for a Python based app. For example, what to do, how to do, what to be careful during the Apple Review process, etc. Thanks!
General
RSS for tagDemystify code signing and its importance in app development. Get help troubleshooting code signing issues and ensure your app is properly signed for distribution.
Selecting any option will automatically load the page
Post
Replies
Boosts
Views
Activity
We have an app which is hybrid using React Native and Native features. We released our app recently which showed issues related to missing packages/corrupt package but xCode didn't gave any error and we were able to Archive and submit app successfully.
Topic:
Code Signing
SubTopic:
General
To validate incoming XPC connections from other executables, we perform SecCode checks for the dynamic signature of the connection (kSecCSDynamicInformation).
Reading the setCodeSigningRequirement(_:) function documentation it appears to perform only static signing checks, is that so?
If we use setCodeSigningRequirement(:) function in our listener(:, shouldAcceptNewConnection:) do we still need to check the dynamic information to be properly secure?
Hello Apple Developer Support Community,
I am encountering a persistent issue while trying to code sign my macOS application (PromptVault.app) using a valid Developer ID Application certificate. The signing process fails with the following warning and error for every native .so file inside the app bundle:
`Warning: unable to build chain to self-signed root for signer "(null)"
<file-path>: errSecInternalComponent`
What I have tried so far:
Verified that my Developer ID Application certificate and the associated private key exist correctly in the login keychain.
Confirmed that the intermediate certificate "Apple Worldwide Developer Relations - G6" is installed and valid in the System keychain.
Added Terminal to Full Disk Access in Security & Privacy to ensure signing tools have required permissions.
Executed security set-key-partition-list to explicitly allow code signing tools to access the private key.
Reinstalled both developer and Apple intermediate certificates.
Used codesign to individually sign .so files and then sign the entire bundle.
Ensured macOS and Xcode Command Line Tools are up to date.
Created a clean Python virtual environment and rebuilt all dependencies.
Tested code signing in multiple ways and with verbose logging.
Current status:
Despite all these efforts, the same warning and error persist during the signing process of every .so file. This prevents successful code signing and notarization, blocking distribution.
Request for assistance:
Could anyone confirm if my certificate and keychain setup sounds correct?
Are there known issues or extra steps necessary to properly build the trust chain for Developer ID certificates on macOS 15.6.1 (Sequoia)?
Any suggestions for resolving the errSecInternalComponent during signing native libraries?
Guidance on ensuring the entire certificates chain is trusted and usable by codesign tools?
I can provide debug logs, screenshots of my keychain and security settings, or any other diagnostic information if needed.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Your development team has reached the maximum number of registered iPhone devices.
I am use the free provisioning file.
So how can I delete old device and use my new iPhone to develop my app.
only way is use a paid account?
or register a new Apple ID?
Topic:
Code Signing
SubTopic:
General
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)" > 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.
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!
I tried building a macOS app with Electron, but I ran into problems during notarization.
I used notarytool to upload my DMG and got status: Invalid.
xcrun notarytool log output
{
"logFormatVersion": 1,
"jobId": "680bf475-a5f4-4675-9083-aa755d492b18",
"status": "Invalid",
"statusSummary": "Archive contains critical validation errors",
"statusCode": 4000,
"archiveFilename": "BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app.zip",
"uploadDate": "2025-09-25T02:50:41.523Z",
"sha256": "e61074b9bba6d03696f2d8b0b13870daafc283960e61ab5002d688e4e82ef6f6",
"ticketContents": null,
"issues": [
{
"severity": "error",
"code": null,
"path": "BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app.zip/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Resources/plugin/XMagic/mac/libpag.framework/libpag",
"message": "The signature of the binary is invalid.",
"docUrl": "https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/notarizing_macos_software_before_distribution/resolving_common_notarization_issues#3087735",
"architecture": "x86_64"
},
{
"severity": "error",
"code": null,
"path": "BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app.zip/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Resources/plugin/XMagic/mac/libpag.framework/libpag",
"message": "The signature does not include a secure timestamp.",
"docUrl": "https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/notarizing_macos_software_before_distribution/resolving_common_notarization_issues#3087733",
"architecture": "x86_64"
},
{
"severity": "error",
"code": null,
"path": "BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app.zip/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Resources/plugin/XMagic/mac/libpag.framework/libpag",
"message": "The signature of the binary is invalid.",
"docUrl": "https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/notarizing_macos_software_before_distribution/resolving_common_notarization_issues#3087735",
"architecture": "arm64"
},
{
"severity": "error",
"code": null,
"path": "BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app.zip/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Resources/plugin/XMagic/mac/libpag.framework/libpag",
"message": "The signature does not include a secure timestamp.",
"docUrl": "https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/notarizing_macos_software_before_distribution/resolving_common_notarization_issues#3087733",
"architecture": "arm64"
}
]
}
I checked the signature of my .app file:
codesign -v -vvv --deep --strict /Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/MacOS/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac
--prepared:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac Helper (GPU).app
--validated:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac Helper (GPU).app
--prepared:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac Helper (Plugin).app
--validated:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac Helper (Plugin).app
--prepared:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/TXFFmpeg.framework/Versions/Current/.
--validated:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/TXFFmpeg.framework/Versions/Current/.
--prepared:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/Electron Framework.framework/Versions/Current/.
--prepared:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/Electron Framework.framework/Versions/Current/Helpers/chrome_crashpad_handler
--validated:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/Electron Framework.framework/Versions/Current/Helpers/chrome_crashpad_handler
--validated:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/Electron Framework.framework/Versions/Current/.
--prepared:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/TXSoundTouch.framework/Versions/Current/.
--validated:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/TXSoundTouch.framework/Versions/Current/.
--prepared:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac Helper.app
--validated:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac Helper.app
--prepared:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac Helper (Renderer).app
--validated:/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/Frameworks/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac Helper (Renderer).app
/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/MacOS/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac: valid on disk
/Users/zhangheng/Desktop/development/coach-app/dist_electron/mac-universal/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac.app/Contents/MacOS/BODYPARK-v3.6.0-mac: satisfies its Designated Requirement
It looks like local signing succeeded, but notarization is failing. I’m a beginner with macOS signing/notarization. Could you please help me figure out what I’m doing wrong and how to fix this? I’d really appreciate any guidance.
I want to export Mac OS application out side App Store and I need to have Developer Id installer certificate to do the same.
When I go to certificate section in developer portal - I only see option of
Mac App Distribution
Mac Installer Distribution
Developer ID Application
Does anyone know where I can check the Developer ID installer part. Developer ID application doesn't work for signing the app manually.
The Developer App Certificate is not trusted.
Topic:
Code Signing
SubTopic:
General
I'm experiencing an issue when exporting an Enterprise distribution certificate where the certificate and private key won't export together - the private key keeps getting left out.
I'm running macOS Tahoe. Has anyone encountered the same issue or know of a solution? Any help would be appreciated.
Topic:
Code Signing
SubTopic:
General
I am using a Sonoma VM (14.6) where i have installed xcode 16.2. When i try login into apple id into xcode, i am getting this error. I know i am entering the correct credentials.
Not sure why this issue is.
In other Sequioa and Tahoe VM , i was able to login.
Hello Apple Developer Forum Community,
I’ve got a problem with the signing process of my AppClip Test App. Can someone help me? As I don’t know hot to get the certificate...
Hi!
I've been scratching my brain for a few days now to no avail.
I have a Perl project that I need to embed within my app. Perl includes a pp command (https://metacpan.org/pod/pp) which takes the runtime binary and then slaps the Perl code at the end of the binary itself which in brings some woes in a sense that the binary then needs to be "fixed" (https://github.com/rschupp/PAR-Packer/tree/master/contrib/pp_osx_codesign_fix) by removing the linker-provided signature and fixing LINKEDIT and LC_SYMTAB header sections of the binary.
Nevertheless, I've successfully gotten the binary built, fixed up and codesigned it via codesign -s '$CS' mytool (where $CS is the codesigning identity). I can verify the signature as valid using codesign -v --display mytool:
Identifier=mytool
Format=Mach-O thin (arm64)
CodeDirectory v=20400 size=24396 flags=0x0(none) hashes=757+2 location=embedded
Signature size=4820
Signed Time=5. 1. 2026 at 8:54:53 PM
Info.plist=not bound
TeamIdentifier=XXXXXXX
Sealed Resources=none
Internal requirements count=1 size=188
It runs without any issues in Terminal, which is great.
As I need to incorporate this binary in my app which is sandboxed, given my experience with other binaries that I'm including in the app, I need to codesign the binary with entitlements com.apple.security.app-sandbox and com.apple.security.inherit. So, I run:
codesign -s '$CS' --force --entitlements ./MyTool.entitlements --identifier com.charliemonroe.mytool mytool
... where the entitlements file contains only the two entitlements mentioned above.
Now I add the binary to the Xcode project, add it to the copy resources phase and I can confirm that it's within the bundle and that it's codesigned:
codesign -vvvv --display MyApp.app/Contents/Resources/mytool
Identifier=com.xxx.xxx.xxx
Format=Mach-O thin (arm64)
CodeDirectory v=20500 size=24590 flags=0x10000(runtime) hashes=757+7 location=embedded
VersionPlatform=1
VersionMin=1703936
VersionSDK=1704448
Hash type=sha256 size=32
CandidateCDHash sha256=0a9f93af81e8e5cb286c3df6e638b2f78ab83a9e
CandidateCDHashFull sha256=0a9f93af81e8e5cb286c3df6e638b2f78ab83a9edf463ce45d1cd3f89a6a4a00
Hash choices=sha256
CMSDigest=0a9f93af81e8e5cb286c3df6e638b2f78ab83a9edf463ce45d1cd3f89a6a4a00
CMSDigestType=2
Executable Segment base=0
Executable Segment limit=32768
Executable Segment flags=0x1
Page size=16384
CDHash=0a9f93af81e8e5cb286c3df6e638b2f78ab83a9e
Signature size=4800
Authority=Apple Development: XXXXXX (XXXXXX)
Authority=Apple Worldwide Developer Relations Certification Authority
Authority=Apple Root CA
Signed Time=9. 1. 2026 at 5:12:22 PM
Info.plist=not bound
TeamIdentifier=XXXXX
Runtime Version=26.2.0
Sealed Resources=none
Internal requirements count=1 size=196
codesign --display --entitlements :- MyApp.app/Contents/Resources/mytool
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "https://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"><plist version="1.0"><dict><key>com.apple.security.app-sandbox</key><true/><key>com.apple.security.inherit</key><true/></dict></plist>
All seems to be in order! But not to Gatekeeper... Attempting to run this using the following code:
let process = Process()
process.executableURL = Bundle.main.url(forResource: "mytool", withExtension: nil)!
process.arguments = arguments
try process.run()
process.waitUntilExit()
Results in failure:
process.terminationStatus == 255
Console shows the following issues:
default 17:12:40.686604+0100 secinitd mytool[88240]: root path for bundle "<private>" of main executable "<private>"
default 17:12:40.691701+0100 secinitd mytool[88240]: AppSandbox request successful
error 17:12:40.698116+0100 kernel exec of /Users/charliemonroe/Library/Containers/com.charliemonroe.MyApp/Data/tmp/par-636861726c69656d6f6e726f65/cache-9c78515c29320789b5a543075f2fa0f8072735ae/mytool denied since it was quarantined by MyApp and created without user consent, qtn-flags was 0x00000086
Quarantine, hum? So I ran:
xattr -l MyApp.app/Contents/Resources/mytool
None listed.
It is a signed binary within a signed app. There are other binaries that are included within the app and run just fine exactly this way (most of them built externally using C/C++ and then codesigned exectly as per above), so I really don't think it's an issue with the app's sandbox setup...
Is there anyone who would be able to help with this? Thank you in advance!
One of our apps (built with Xcode 26.1.1 and distributed via TestFlight) crashes upon launch on iOS 17 with Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGKILL) and Termination Reason: CODESIGNING 2 Invalid Page.
I have never seen this before. Any pointers?
On iOS 18 & 26 this does not happen btw.
My team is distributing a cross-platform app outside the Mac App Store via ZIP file. The app works perfectly on Windows, but on macOS, while the ZIP downloads and extracts without issue, the app refuses to open. Users see either the app appear in the dock then immediately disappear or a Gatekeeper prompt saying the developer cannot be verified. We suspect the root cause is related to code signing and/or notarization, but we're not entirely sure where the breakdown is occurring.
We have a few questions as we work through this. For ZIP-based distribution outside the Mac App Store, is both a Developer ID certificate and Apple notarization required on current macOS versions? We've also seen references to using ditto instead of Finder's built-in Compress option when packaging the ZIP. Is that necessary to properly preserve the app bundle structure and extended attributes?
Any guidance on where this process might be going wrong would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!
Background
We are using a Developer ID application certificate to sign our application. We lost the private key and we need to revoke it before we can receive a new one.
Per documentation (https://developer.apple.com/support/certificates/), I know that previously installed applications will still be able to run, but new installations will not be able to work.
I want to confirm what will happen when we revoke the certificate so we know how to prepare customers for this upcoming change.
Questions Will existing installations of the application receive a notice that the certificate has been revoked?
Will previously installed applications be able to launch again after they are closed?
What will the user see when they try to install the application with the revoked certificate?
The actual error:
pkgbuild: error: Could not find appropriate signing identity for “Developer ID installer: My Name (DeveloperID)”.
I'm trying to sign a program written with gfortran. The steps worked the last time (Mar 23) I built this code.
The steps to error:
a) xcrun notarytool store-credentials --apple-id "xxx" --team-id "yyy"
Giving Profile Name zzz and App-specific password
b) codesign --force --timestamp --options=runtime -s "Developer ID Application: My Name (yyy)" AppName
c) pkgbuild --root ROOT --identifier org.aaa.bbb --version "1.1.1" --sign "Developer ID installer: My Name (yyy)" AppName.pkg
ROOT contains the package contents
At this point I get the error
pkgbuild: error: Could not find appropriate signing identity for “Developer ID installer: My Name (yyy)”
Are there steps that have changed. Any suggestions?
Thanks, David
My iOS version of the app is available on the App Store with a non-team ID prefix for its bundle ID. It has been available there for a long time and I am not sure why I chose a custom prefix for it.
The Mac version of the same app is available on the Mac App Store with a different bundle ID and with a prefix that matches my team ID.
I am currently looking to "merge" both apps into a single bundle ID. The plan is to stop using the current Mac app and release a new one as a universal app under the existing bundle ID for the iOS app.
Unfortunately, it looks like that the Mac App Store does not actually allow any submissions that have a non-team ID for a prefix.
I know that it is a very specific case but any suggestions would be welcomed.
Topic:
Code Signing
SubTopic:
General
In the LightweightCodeRequirements framework, there is a LaunchCodeRequirement object which can be used as a requirement object for a Process for example.
What I don't understand (I admit my macOS low-level knowledge is limited) is that how can this be used in a secure way that doesn't fall victim of a Time-of-Check/Time-of-Use issue.
e.g.
I specify a LaunchCodeRequirement via Process.launchRequirement for my process, let's say /usr/local/bin/mycommandlinetool.
The LaunchCodeRequirement specifies my development team and a developer ID certificate.
The process must be started in some form, before a SecCode/SecTask object can be created, rather than a SecStaticCode object (which only guarantees its validity checks to be intact as long as the file is not modified).
But if the process was started, then I have no tools in my set to prevent it from executing its initialization code or similar. Then, by the time I'm able to check via SecCode/SecTask functions the LaunchCodeRequirement, I might have already ran malicious code - if mycommandlinetool was maliciously replaced.
Or does the operating system use a daemon to copy the executable specified for Process to a secure location, then creates the SecStaticCode object, assesses the LaunchCodeRequirement and if passed, launches the executable from that trusted location (which would make sure it is immutable for replacement by malicious actors)?
I have a hard time understanding how this works under the hood - if I remember correctly these are private APIs.