mac 1.5 package is invalid
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#102 mac 1.5 package is invalid
I have a MacBook Pro with an M4 Pro chip and macOS Tahoe 26.0.1 and I’m unable to open the official VVV.app 1.5 that I downloaded from the .dmg.
I get the error: The application “Finder” is not allowed to open “(null)”.
The app binary itself runs fine if launched directly from Terminal:
/Applications/VVV.app/Contents/MacOS/vvv
…but any attempt to open it through Finder or the open command fails with:
_LSOpenURLsWithCompletionHandler() failed for the application /Applications/VVV.app with error -54
This indicates that LaunchServices refuses to register or open the bundle.
After inspection, here’s what I found:
• The Info.plist inside Contents/ is executable (chmod +x) and has extended attributes.
• The Info.plist is missing or mis-configured essential keys (CFBundleName, CFBundlePackageType.).
• Adding those keys manually (CFBundleName, CFBundleIdentifier, CFBundlePackageType, NSPrincipalClass) and cleaning xattrs does not resolve the issue.
• The binary launches perfectly when run directly — so the problem is specifically at the bundle level (LaunchServices/Gatekeeper, not code execution).
Discussion
Hello Benoit,
I think that the main problem is the lack of code signing. You can find more information here:
https://sourceforge.net/p/vvvapp/discussion/649621/thread/5985585477/
Unfortunately macOS is becoming hostile to open source developers, and I do not have nor the will nor the time to learn how to package the program in a better way.
Moreover, I do not have access to Apple Silicon Macs so I cannot build that version.
VVV is open source, so it would be nice if someone could help in building the mac version. If you have suggestions you are welcome, of course.
In the meantime I believe that the best solution is to use the Windows build in a virtual machine with Parallels or VMWare Fusion.
Best regards
Fulvio