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Use when a macOS app needs a TCC permission or touches private data — the map of which API, Info.plist key, and entitlement each permission needs, pre-prompt explanation patterns, denied-state recovery with System Settings deep links, and honest privacy copy.
Codex 또는 Claude로 설치 이 Prompt를 복사해 Codex, Claude 또는 다른 어시스턴트에 붙여 넣으면 Skill 페이지를 검토하고 설치를 진행할 수 있습니다.
SOC 직업 분류 기준
Use when shipping a macOS app outside the App Store — Developer ID signing with hardened runtime, notarization with notarytool, stapling, building a clean drag-to-Applications DMG, and verifying the result launches on a stranger's Mac.
Use when reading, writing, or watching the macOS clipboard — NSPasteboard types and multiple representations, the changeCount polling pattern, the transient/concealed pasteboard conventions clipboard tools must respect, and the Sequoia paste-privacy alerts.
Use when adding or reviewing keyboard shortcuts in a macOS app — in-app vs global, RegisterEventHotKey vs the KeyboardShortcuts package vs NSEvent monitors, user-configurable recording, conflict handling, and which defaults won't collide with the system.
Use when adding, reviewing, or debugging Launch at Login in a macOS app — SMAppService registration, the requiresApproval state, a Settings toggle that reflects reality, and migration off deprecated login-item APIs.
Use when adding or reviewing macOS user notifications — UNUserNotificationCenter permission flow, categories and action buttons, click routing through the delegate, foreground presentation, and rules that keep notifications from becoming spam.
Use between coding-agent runs (Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, Aider, etc.) to stop the project from drifting, overbuilding, or accumulating dead weight. Forces a read-only audit that classifies every active item as KEEP / DELAY / REMOVE and ends with a single, unambiguous next action. Trigger on "audit before continuing", "what should I do next", "this project got too big", "between runs", "trim scope", "stop adding stuff", or any signal that the project feels noisy and the next step is unclear. Do NOT load for trivial one-line fixes, when the next action is already obvious, or when you're mid-run and just need to keep going.
| name | macos-permissions-privacy |
| description | Use when a macOS app needs a TCC permission or touches private data — the map of which API, Info.plist key, and entitlement each permission needs, pre-prompt explanation patterns, denied-state recovery with System Settings deep links, and honest privacy copy. |
Request only what the app needs now, explain why before the system asks, and give every denied state a recovery path. On macOS the permission landscape (TCC) is a patchwork — each permission has its own API, its own Info.plist key, and its own failure mode; the map below is most of the work.
Use this skill when the user says:
Do not use this skill for notification permission specifically (see macos-notifications) or for iOS-only flows like App Tracking Transparency.
Explain before the system prompts. Request at the moment of need.
Request the narrowest thing that works. Every denied state has a
visible recovery path.
The column you'll consult most. "Prompt?" = can the app trigger a system dialog, or must the user flip a switch in System Settings themselves?
| Need | API to check/request | Info.plist usage string | Prompt? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Files the user picks | NSOpenPanel / drag-in + security-scoped bookmarks | — | Picker is consent |
| Desktop / Documents / Downloads (programmatic) | just access it; system prompts once | — | Yes, automatic |
| Network volumes / removable | same | — | Yes, automatic |
| Full Disk Access | none — attempt access, detect failure | — | No — Settings only |
| Accessibility (control UI, event taps) | AXIsProcessTrustedWithOptions | — | Prompt opens Settings |
| Screen Recording | CGPreflightScreenCaptureAccess() / CGRequestScreenCaptureAccess() | — | Once; then Settings |
| Input Monitoring | IOHIDCheckAccess(.listenEvent) / IOHIDRequestAccess | — | Yes |
| Automation (Apple Events) | AEDeterminePermissionToAutomateTarget | NSAppleEventsUsageDescription | Yes, per target app |
| Camera / Microphone | AVCaptureDevice.requestAccess(for:) | NSCameraUsageDescription / NSMicrophoneUsageDescription | Yes |
| Contacts | CNContactStore.requestAccess | NSContactsUsageDescription | Yes |
| Calendar / Reminders | EKEventStore.requestFullAccessToEvents() | NSCalendarsFullAccessUsageDescription | Yes |
| Location | CLLocationManager.requestWhenInUseAuthorization | NSLocationUsageDescription | Yes |
Sandboxed apps additionally need the matching entitlement (com.apple.security.files.user-selected.read-write, .device.camera, .personal-information.*, …) — without it the API fails without even prompting. A missing Info.plist usage string doesn't ask either: it crashes the app at request time.
1. Check silently. Never re-prompt on launch; read status first.
2. Pre-explain at the moment of need. The system dialog must never be the first the user hears of it:
The user clicks "Watch this folder"
→ sheet: "To notice new files, the app needs access to the
folder you choose. Nothing leaves your Mac." [Choose Folder…]
→ NSOpenPanel (which itself grants the access)
3. Request narrowly. A folder picker instead of Full Disk Access. One target app for Automation instead of "everything". whenInUse instead of always.
4. Handle denial with recovery. Show the off state where the feature lives and in Settings, with a deep link.
func openPrivacyPane(_ pane: String) {
let url = URL(string:
"x-apple.systempreferences:com.apple.preference.security?\(pane)")!
NSWorkspace.shared.open(url)
}
// The panes you'll actually need:
// Privacy_Accessibility Privacy_ScreenCapture Privacy_AllFiles
// Privacy_Automation Privacy_Microphone Privacy_Camera
// Privacy_ListenEvent (input monitoring) Privacy_LocationServices
A denied state without a button to the right pane is a dead end; with it, it's a two-click fix.
In the sandbox, whatever the user picks (or drags in) is granted. Persist access with a security-scoped bookmark, or the grant dies with the process:
// After NSOpenPanel:
let bookmark = try url.bookmarkData(options: .withSecurityScope,
includingResourceValuesForKeys: nil,
relativeTo: nil)
// store `bookmark` (Data) in your app support dir
// On next launch:
var stale = false
let url = try URL(resolvingBookmarkData: bookmark,
options: .withSecurityScope,
relativeTo: nil,
bookmarkDataIsStale: &stale)
guard url.startAccessingSecurityScopedResource() else { /* re-pick */ return }
defer { url.stopAccessingSecurityScopedResource() }
// … read/write …
If stale is true, re-create the bookmark from the resolved URL. If resolving fails (folder moved/deleted), ask the user to pick again — don't silently do nothing.
// Check without prompting:
let trusted = AXIsProcessTrusted()
// Check AND show the system's "grant in Settings" dialog once:
let options = [kAXTrustedCheckOptionPrompt.takeUnretainedValue() as String: true]
let trusted = AXIsProcessTrustedWithOptions(options as CFDictionary)
The grant does not take effect until your process is relaunched in some flows — after the user enables it, re-check on didBecomeActiveNotification and offer "Relaunch" if features still fail.
if !CGPreflightScreenCaptureAccess() { // silent check
let granted = CGRequestScreenCaptureAccess() // prompts once, ever
if !granted { /* show recovery UI → Privacy_ScreenCapture */ }
}
CGRequestScreenCaptureAccess only produces a dialog the first time; afterwards it just returns false. Treat "false" as "send them to Settings", and expect macOS 15+ to periodically re-confirm this permission with the user on your behalf.
There is no API to request FDA. First redesign: can a folder picker cover it? If genuinely not (backup tools, indexers), detect by probing a protected path and guide:
// TCC-protected on every Mac; unreadable without FDA
let probe = FileManager.default
.homeDirectoryForCurrentUser
.appendingPathComponent("Library/Mail")
let hasFDA = (try? FileManager.default
.contentsOfDirectory(atPath: probe.path)) != nil
Pair the guide screen with Privacy_AllFiles and exact instructions ("drag the app into the list, then relaunch").
var target = NSAppleEventDescriptor(bundleIdentifier: "com.apple.finder")
let status = AEDeterminePermissionToAutomateTarget(
target.aeDesc, typeWildCard, typeWildCard, true) // true = may prompt
// noErr = allowed · errAEEventNotPermitted = denied
// procNotFound = target not running (launch it first, then ask)
Requires NSAppleEventsUsageDescription in Info.plist and (sandboxed) a scripting-targets entitlement. The prompt names the target app — one prompt per target.
Wherever a permission is explained — pre-prompt sheet, Settings, onboarding:
Why we need this one sentence, the feature not the API
What we access concrete: "the folder you choose", not "your files"
What stays local say it plainly if everything does
How to change it "System Settings > Privacy & Security > X, anytime"
If the app is local-first, say so in the permission moment — "processed on your Mac, never uploaded" is the sentence that converts a hesitant deny into a grant, and it must be true.
Apps that need 2+ permissions should show their state honestly in one place:
Permissions
Folder access ~/Notes granted Change…
Accessibility Not granted Open System Settings…
Screen recording Granted
Re-read all statuses when the app becomes active — every one of these can be revoked behind your back, and stale "Granted" labels destroy trust.
[ ] Every permission has a pre-prompt explanation in product language
[ ] Requests fire at the moment of need, never stacked at first launch
[ ] Narrowest scope chosen (picker over FDA, one target over many)
[ ] Info.plist usage strings present for every prompting API (missing = crash)
[ ] Sandbox entitlements match the APIs used
[ ] Denied state visible where the feature lives, with the right deep link
[ ] Statuses re-checked on app activation, never cached across launches
[ ] Security-scoped bookmarks persisted and stale-handled for file access
[ ] Privacy copy states what stays local — and it's true
tccutil reset <service> <bundle-id>) → feature first-use shows your explanation, then the system prompt.