iCloud Drive

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iCloud Drive safely stores any kind of file so it can be accessed in iCloud-enabled apps on iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC.

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iOS Feature Proposal: iCloud KeySync
iCloud KeySyc is a privacy-focused feature that securely syncs a user’s personalized keyboard learning across all Apple devices through iCloud. Today, when users upgrade to a new iPhone or begin using a new iPad or Mac, the keyboard often loses much of the personalization it has developed over time. Users must re-teach autocorrect, rebuild custom vocabulary, and wait for the keyboard to relearn their typing habits. iCloud KeySync would allow users to move seamlessly between devices while keeping the keyboard experience familiar from day one. Problem Statement Apple’s keyboard becomes more useful over time as it learns: Frequently used words and phrases Personal slang and abbreviations Emoji preferences Autocorrect adjustments Writing patterns and typing habits When users switch devices, much of this personalization is lost or takes time to rebuild. This creates friction during device upgrades and reduces the feeling of continuity within the Apple ecosystem. Proposed Solution iCloud KeySync securely synchronizes keyboard personalization data across Apple devices. The feature would: Learn and store personalized keyboard behavior on-device. Encrypt and sync personalization data through iCloud. Restore keyboard preferences automatically when signing into a new device. Keep keyboard learning consistent across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Key Features Personalized Vocabulary Sync Synchronizes user-added words, nicknames, slang, and frequently used phrases. Emoji Preference Sync Maintains commonly used emoji patterns across devices. Autocorrect Learning Sync Preserves learned corrections and accepted custom spellings. Typing Behavior Continuity Allows devices to share keyboard learning so users receive familiar suggestions regardless of which Apple device they use. User Controls Enable or disable iCloud KeySync. Reset keyboard learning at any time. View privacy information and storage usage. Privacy and Security Privacy should remain the foundation of the feature. All keyboard learning occurs on-device. Personalization data is end-to-end encrypted. Raw message content is never uploaded. Users retain full control over synchronization settings. Security protections match the standards used by iCloud Keychain. User Benefits New devices feel familiar immediately. Less time correcting autocorrect mistakes. Faster onboarding after device upgrades. Consistent typing experience across the Apple ecosystem. Improved customer satisfaction and retention. Example User Scenario A user upgrades from an older iPhone to a new iPhone. After signing into iCloud and restoring their device, the keyboard immediately recognizes their commonly used phrases, preferred emoji, custom words, and learned typing patterns. The new device feels personalized from the first message typed, without requiring weeks of retraining Business Value Improves the upgrade experience. Strengthens ecosystem continuity. Reinforces Apple’s privacy-first approach to AI and machine learning. Creates a subtle but meaningful quality-of-life improvement for millions of users. Switch phones. Keep your vibe.
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Apple Sign in Freeze
I was experiencing a weird sign in error when using apple sign in with my app and wanted to put it here for anyone else who might experience it in the future, and so apple can make this requirement more clear. I was using CloudKit and apple sign in. If you are not using both this probably does not apply to you. Every time I would go to sign in in the iOS simulator I would enter my password, hit "sign in", and everything just froze. The very odd reason for this is if you are using iCloudKit and apple sign in you need to go to specifically the "identifiers" in the "Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles" menu (https://developer.apple.com/account/resources/identifiers/list). And from there you specifically need an App ID Configuration with apple sign in enabled. From there you have to have the same exact bundle identifier in Xcode under project settings(not an upper tab just click your project in the left panel). And that should allow you to both pass validation and have your sign in work. Hope this helps!
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4d
macOS Tahoe: Denying iCloud access leaves users permanently locked out – no UI recovery path (Regression from Sequoia)
Hi, I'm the developer of Mail Signature (MAS, bundle ID: de.metaflash.mail-signature), a Mac app that uses iCloud Drive to sync email signatures. On macOS Tahoe, when a user denies the iCloud access permission dialog on first launch, there is absolutely no way to reverse that decision through System Settings. Regression from Sequoia: On Sequoia, after denying iCloud access, the app correctly appears under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Files and Folders where the user can toggle access back on. On Tahoe, the app does not appear anywhere in Privacy & Security after denial – not under Files and Folders, not under Apple ID → iCloud, nowhere. Technical details: Affected TCC services: kTCCServiceUbiquity + kTCCServiceLiverpool tccutil reset Ubiquity alone is insufficient Only tccutil reset All triggers the dialog again This suggests both services need to be reset simultaneously Impact: Normal users are permanently locked out with zero recovery path. The only workaround is Terminal: tccutil reset All de.metaflash.mail-signature ...which is completely inaccessible to average consumers. As a MAS developer we have no way to help users programmatically: exec/child_process → sandbox blocked NSUserUnixTask → designed for user-supplied scripts only, not reliable here Apple Events to Terminal → blocked or App Review risk Feedback submitted: FB22746525 Is anyone else seeing this? Would appreciate dups on the Feedback report. Any workaround suggestions from DTS welcome.
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-startDownloadingUbiquitousItemAtURL:error: and NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadRequestedKey
I'm trying to update the iCloud data handling in our app, and I'm running into an issue with a particular file on one particular device. This file never downloads & I haven't been able to pinpoint what's off about it. Right now we just have 2 iCloud accounts & a handful of devices, so I haven't been able to narrow it down yet, but in most cases, all the cloud files download as expected. However, whether or not the file eventually downloads, the NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadRequestedKey key seems to be completely useless. For the following code: NSError *error = nil; BOOL success = [[NSFileManager defaultManager] startDownloadingUbiquitousItemAtURL:self.fileURL error:&error]; if (!success) { NSLog(@"error downloading %@ : %@", self.fileURL, error); } else { NSDictionary *resourceValues = [self.fileURL resourceValuesForKeys:@[NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadRequestedKey, NSURLUbiquitousItemIsDownloadingKey, NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadingErrorKey, NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadingStatusKey] error:&error]; if (!error) { NSString *downloadStatus = resourceValues[NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadingStatusKey]; bool downloadRequested = [resourceValues[NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadRequestedKey] boolValue]; NSLog(@"download requested: %d", downloadRequested); } // ... } downloadRequested is always false, regardless of whether or not the cloud file eventually downloads. I have 2 questions: is there a way to actually check if a download has been requested for a file? what could be preventing this file from downloading? -startDownloadingUbiquitousItemAtURL:error: doesn't report an error, NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadingErrorKey is always nil, and no error is reported in the NSMetadataQuery observer.
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iCloud Drive silent upload deadlock caused by stale HTTP/3 session in nsurlsessiond (FB22476701)
Summary On macOS 26.4.1 (25E253), iCloud Drive file uploads can enter a silent deadlock where every upload attempt fails at the transport layer. No error is surfaced anywhere — not in Finder, not in System Settings, not in the iCloud status panel. The upload queue simply stops. Other iCloud services (Photos, Mail, App Store) continue to work normally through the same networking infrastructure at the same time. Root Cause The issue is a stale HTTP/3 (QUIC) session cached in the user-level nsurlsessiond process's BackgroundConnectionPool. The deadlock cycle: cloudd requests an upload to the GCS storage endpoint nsurlsessiond provides the cached (broken) HTTP/3 session The TLS handshake succeeds, but the body upload dies mid-transfer (err=T, requestDuration=-1.000, responseHeaderBytes=0) cloudd retries with a new connectionUUID — but nsurlsessiond still routes through the same poisoned QUIC session This repeats indefinitely Killing cloudd alone does not help — nsurlsessiond retains the poisoned pool. Only killing both the user-level cloudd and nsurlsessiond clears the pool and forces a fresh protocol negotiation. The Smoking Gun After killing both daemons, the system falls back to HTTP/1.1 for the stuck uploads — and they complete instantly: Before Kill After Kill Protocol h3 (QUIC) http/1.1 (TCP) Largest upload Failed at partial offsets 26 MB in 1.6 seconds Server response 0 bytes 596 bytes (normal) Same endpoint, same files, same network interface (en5), same power state. The only change was the protocol negotiation after a fresh nsurlsessiond. Reproduction Reproduced 3 times on April 11, 2026 using a standardized set of 8 test files (8 bytes to 20 MB) in a non-shared iCloud Drive folder. Each run showed the identical pattern: Small files (<100 KB) squeeze through before the QUIC session stalls Larger files trigger the deadlock every time 5–6 retries with fresh connectionUUIDs, all failing over protocol=h3 After kill cloudd + nsurlsessiond: immediate flush via protocol=http/1.1 An automated evidence-collection script (collect_h3_deadlock_evidence.sh) captures paired before-kill / after-kill logs. Included in the Feedback report. Symptom Check (for others hitting this) /usr/bin/log show --predicate 'process == "cloudd"' --last 5m 2>&1 \ | grep "putContainer.*err=T.*requestDuration=-1.000.*protocol=h3" | wc -l Output > 0 = this deadlock. Output = 0 = different issue. Recovery (one-liner) kill $(ps -axo user,pid,command | awk -v u="$USER" \ '($1==u && /CloudKitDaemon.framework.*cloudd/ && !/--system/) \ || ($1==u && /\/usr\/libexec\/nsurlsessiond/ && !/--privileged/) \ {print $2}') Both daemons respawn within 1–2 seconds. Do not use killall nsurlsessiond — it would also kill the privileged system instance. What was ruled out Network connectivity (Photos uploaded 8 MB through the same pool simultaneously) iCloud account (metadata operations succeeding, only body uploads failing) File type/content (random data, correlation is with size, not type) Storage quota (1.65 TB free) CFNetworkHTTP3Enabled=false (key is ineffective in 26.4.1) Suggested fixes (from the Feedback report) CFNetwork: Invalidate the QUIC session after N consecutive requestDuration=-1.000 failures CloudKit/NSURLSession: Expose a pool invalidation API like [NSURLSession invalidatePoolEntryForEndpoint:] cloudd: Self-healing retry — create a fresh NSURLSession after M consecutive deadlock-signature failures Finder: At minimum, surface the stuck state to the user instead of failing silently Filed as FB22476701 — includes full reproduction timelines, request/connection UUIDs, sysdiagnose, and a 12-page investigation PDF with architecture diagrams and protocol comparison tables. If you're experiencing the same issue, please file a duplicate referencing FB22476701 — Apple prioritizes by duplicate count. System MacBook Air, macOS 26.4.1 (25E253) iCloud Drive with Desktop & Documents sync en0 (WLAN) + en5 (USB-LAN via Studio Display)
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Apr ’26
Sandboxed app loses iCloud Drive access mid-session on macOS 26 — kernel refuses sandbox extension, FP client rejected (NSFileProviderErrorDomain -2001)
Starting somewhere around macOS 26.3, my sandboxed file manager spontaneously loses access to ~/Library/Mobile Documents mid-session. Setup: at launch, the user grants access to '/', '/Users', or '~' via NSOpenPanel; I store a security-scoped bookmark and call startAccessingSecurityScopedResource(). This works fine - including iCloud Drive - until some point mid-session. When it breaks, two things happen simultaneously: Enumeration fails: NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=257 (NSFileReadNoPermissionError)< NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=1 (EPERM) Console shows the kernel refusing extension issuance: couldn't issue sandbox extension com.apple.app-sandbox.read for '/Users//Library/Mobile Documents': Operation not permitted And probing NSFileProviderManager confirms the process has been rejected system-wide: NSFileProviderManager.getDomainsWithCompletionHandler > NSFileProviderErrorDomain Code=-2001 "The application cannot be used right now." (underlying Code=-2014) What makes this specific to FP-backed paths: regular paths under the same '/' bookmark (~/Library/Application Support, etc.) stay accessible and recover normally with a fresh startAccessingSecurityScopedResource() call. Only ~/Library/Mobile Documents and its subtree fail - the entire tree, including the parent directory itself. Relaunch always restores access. What I've tried and ruled out: Re-resolving the bookmark + startAccessingSecurityScopedResource() - returns stale=false, granted=true but access is not restored; the kernel still refuses extension issuance for FP-traversing paths. NSFileCoordinator coordinated read - doesn't help; the coordinator depends on the same sandbox extension the kernel is refusing. Instantiating NSFileProviderManager(for: domain) per domain - fails with -2001 for every domain, confirming the rejection is process-wide, not path- or domain-specific. My working theory: when a FileProvider daemon (bird/cloudd/fileproviderd) restarts mid-session, the process's FP-client XPC registration is invalidated, and the kernel subsequently refuses to issue sandbox extensions for any path served by FP - even with a valid bookmark. The process seems to have no API path to re-register its FP-client identity without relaunching. Current workaround: I detect the -2001 response and prompt the user to relaunch, then do a programmatic self-relaunch if they confirm (which is obviously horribly intrusive). Questions: Is there an API that lets a sandboxed consumer app reconnect its FP-client identity mid-session, short of relaunching? Is there an entitlement or capability that would make the kernel's extension issuance resilient to FP daemon restarts? Has anyone else hit this on 26.x and found a workaround? Filed as FB22547671.
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Apr ’26
Project xcodeproj file can no longer by iCloud Sync
Following an unexpected error message while working in Xcode, the project file xcodeproj is no longer synced in iCloud Drive. The Finder shows a cloud icon with a ! and an error message : (NSFileProviderErrorDomain error -2005.) If the local file is zipped, and unzipped elsewhere on iCloud Drive, then the unzipped file can still not be iCloud Synced. Restoring the file from a Time Machine archive does not solve the issue. Apple Care Support finds that iCloud Drive is working fine except for this xcodeproj file and says the issue is Xcode related.
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Apr ’26
“Desktop & Documents Folders” feature in iCloud Drive.
Dear Apple Support, I would like to raise a concern regarding the behavior of the “Desktop & Documents Folders” feature in iCloud Drive. From a business and development standpoint, the fact that folders may be automatically moved or created without clear and explicit user awareness is quite concerning. File system behavior is something users generally expect to remain predictable and fully under their control. In particular, when working in development environments, even small and unintended changes to folder structures can lead to issues such as broken file paths, build errors, or inconsistencies in project setups. The possibility that such changes may occur automatically introduces an element of uncertainty that is difficult to manage in professional workflows. Additionally, there are security considerations. For example, if sensitive files such as configuration data or API keys are temporarily stored on the Desktop, the possibility that they could be unintentionally synced to the cloud raises valid concerns. Even if safeguards exist, the lack of clear visibility and explicit confirmation makes it difficult to confidently assess and manage risk. Overall, the current behavior gives the impression that folder operations may occur without sufficient transparency. From a business perspective, this impacts trust, predictability, and operational reliability. I would appreciate consideration of the following improvements: Clear and explicit communication before any folder movement or creation occurs A strictly opt-in model with unambiguous user consent Greater visibility into when and how synchronization affects local files Options to ensure fully local control over specific directories Thank you for your attention to this matter. I hope this feedback will contribute to improving the reliability and transparency of the feature. Sincerely,
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Mar ’26
iCloud Account Signing Out
I have several macOS applications that use CloudKit. I need to test and finds out what happens when the user signs out of their iCloud account. That's because the application may lose data after signing out and then signing in again. Every time I do that, it'll take 15, 20 minutes... I don't time it, but it takes quite a gigantic time to sign out as the spinner keeps rolling. Why does it take so long to just sign out? This sign out effect is untestable because it takes a long time to sign out of an iCloud account and then make changes to the code and then test again. In case you need to know, my system version is Sequoia 15.7.
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Feb ’26
Unable to create record in public cloudkit database for missing/not authenticated iCloud user
While testing record creation in public CloudKit database for authenticated user I am able to do so without any issues. But for devices missing iCloud account or authentication expired I am seeing the below error: ▿ <CKError 0x97a959200: "Permission Failure" (10/2007); server message = "CREATE operation not permitted"; op = 67331DE3AF3DD666; uuid = 1F3ACD4F-A799-4CD4-ADF0-EDE9E12F2DCB; container ID = "***"> _nsError : <CKError 0x97a959200: "Permission Failure" (10/2007); server message = "CREATE operation not permitted"; op = 67331DE3AF3DD666; uuid = 1F3ACD4F-A799-4CD4-ADF0-EDE9E12F2DCB; container ID = "***"> I am unable to add create/write permission to _world security role in dashboard. Is this something not supported by Cloudkit? Only authenticated iCloud users will be able to create and write data to public database as well?
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Feb ’26
Finder tag colors and folder icons become gray for iCloud Drive items (URLResourceValues / xattr / QLThumbnailGenerator)
Hi, I’m working on a macOS app that includes a file browser component. And I’m trying to match Finder’s behavior for color tags and folder icons. For local files/folders everything works fine: Tag color key returns the expected label number via NSColor * labelColor = nil; [fileURL getResourceValue:&labelColor forKey:NSURLLabelColorKey error:nil]; NSNumber * labelKey = nil; [fileURL getResourceValue:&labelKey forKey:NSURLLabelNumberKey error:nil]; QLThumbnailGenerator obtains the expected colored folder icon (including emoji/symbol overlay if set) via QLThumbnailGenerationRequest * request = [[QLThumbnailGenerationRequest alloc] initWithFileAtURL:fileURL size:iconSize scale:scaleFactor representationTypes:QLThumbnailGenerationRequestRepresentationTypeIcon]; request.iconMode = YES; [[QLThumbnailGenerator sharedGenerator] generateBestRepresentationForRequest:request completionHandler:^(QLThumbnailRepresentation * _Nullable thumbnail, NSError * _Nullable error) { if (thumbnail != nil && error == nil) { NSImage * thumbnailImage = [thumbnail NSImage]; // ... } }]; However, for items on iCloud Drive (whether currently downloaded locally or only stored in the cloud), the same code always produces gray colors, while Finder shows everything correctly: NSURLLabelNumberKey always returns 1 (gray) for items with color tags, and 0 for non-tagged. Folder icons returned via QLThumbnailGenerator are gray, no emoji/symbol overlays. Reading tag data from xattr gives values like “Green\1” (tag name matches, but numeric value is still "Gray"). Also, if I move a correctly-tagged local item into iCloud Drive, it immediately becomes gray in my app (Finder still shows the correct colors). Question: What is the supported way to retrieve Finder tag colors and the correct folder icon appearance (color + overlays) for items in iCloud Drive, so that the result matches Finder? I am on macOS Tahoe 26.2/26.3, Xcode 26.2 (17C52). If you need any additional details, please let me know. Thanks!
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Feb ’26
NSPathControl -setURL: crash on macOS Tahoe
I received the following crash: Thread 0 Crashed: libsystem_kernel.dylib __pthread_kill + 8 libsystem_pthread.dylib pthread_kill + 296 (pthread.c:1721) libsystem_c.dylib abort + 124 (abort.c:122) libc++abi.dylib __abort_message + 132 (abort_message.cpp:66) libc++abi.dylib demangling_terminate_handler() + 304 (cxa_default_handlers.cpp:76) libobjc.A.dylib _objc_terminate() + 156 (objc-exception.mm:496) libc++abi.dylib std::__terminate(void (*)()) + 16 (cxa_handlers.cpp:59) libc++abi.dylib __cxxabiv1::failed_throw(__cxxabiv1::__cxa_exception*) + 88 (cxa_exception.cpp:152) libc++abi.dylib __cxa_throw + 92 (cxa_exception.cpp:299) libobjc.A.dylib objc_exception_throw + 448 (objc-exception.mm:385) Foundation -[NSConcreteMutableAttributedString initWithString:] + 268 (NSAttributedString.m:1049) CloudDocs -[BRCloudPathComponentDisplayMetadata initWithDisplayName:suffix:url:icon:] + 180 (BRCloudPathComponentDisplayMetadata.m:75) CloudDocs -[NSURL(BRCloudPathComponent) br_pathComponentDisplayMetadataWithOptions:]_block_invoke + 516 (BRCloudPathComponentDisplayMetadata.m:292) CloudDocs -[NSArray(BRAdditions) br_transform:keepNull:] + 228 (NSArray+BRAdditions.m:20) CloudDocs -[NSURL(BRCloudPathComponent) br_pathComponentDisplayMetadataWithOptions:] + 76 (BRCloudPathComponentDisplayMetadata.m:276) AppKit -[NSPathCell _autoUpdateCellContents] + 2080 (NSPathCell.m:442) AppKit -[NSPathCell setURL:] + 76 (NSPathCell.m:599) AppKit -[NSPathControl setURL:] + 64 (NSPathControl.m:366) I tried reproducing on my end by passing various URLs in iCloud Drive to an NSPathControl, file reference urls, attempting to evict a URL from iCloud Drive then settings the URL property without luck. Setting the URL to nil does not crash (the property is nullable). I have no idea how to trigger that code path. Anyone else run into this and have a workaround?
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Jan ’26
Macos uses NSFilePrefertAction and userInfo to implement context menu, but it does not take effect
On the macOS platform, I am planning to use the combination of NSFileProviders Custom Action and userInfo to implement custom context menus. However, the NSExtensions FileProviders Action Activation Rule in info does not work as long as it is related to userInfo. Are there any restrictions on the use of this userInfo? keepDownloaded is bool value
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Jan ’26
Git and iCloud
Hi guys, also those at Apple, I love what you all do and make, long time Linux user switched since silicon. But is there perhaps any timeline on improving the interaction between iCloud and git? Perhaps it is on me to check beforehand, but I enabled Desktop & Doc sync on iCloud (which included some git repos) and these now malfunction completely. Bad object errors, lost wheels, insanely long syncing, and worst of all - randomly removed environment variables! I only noticed when random stuff stopped working out of the blue; only after re-configuring zsh and doing scorched earth on brew did it click. I mean, there is a '.nosync' flaggy thing to add to dirs, but it isn't even officially supported. Moreover, when trying to disable sync for docs, it will delete local repos! So either it's disabling and starting all over again, or waiting for the sync to finish (which breaks things) and going through a long restoration process. I don't expect iCloud for the average Joe to be super specced for developers, but perhaps there could be room for some minor improvements that would at least prevent git repositories from completely breaking, e.g. just ignoring them or not syncing certain folder/file types. Restoring the whole thing (if even possible) is an extremely long and tedious process. Sorry for the rant, but I feel this might be appreciated. One of the things I like about this ecosystem, proprietary it is, is the seemliness and easy of use. If iCloud Drive is advertised as 'it will work', it's only fair that this would apply to developers too (and that they are not required to check beforehand whether it will break all of their git repositories). Or it is just me getting old. :) Cheers, Frans
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Dec ’25
iOS 26.2: Deleted images and video reappear in camera roll
When I delete an image from my camera roll, my iPhone adds another previously deleted image to my camera roll. This previously deleted image or video is from up to 3 years ago, and isn't in my recently deleted. Therefore, these added images should technically not exist. I am using an iPhone 12 running iOS 26 public beta, but apparently this issue is happening on iOS 18 too. I feel worried that an image/video that I deleted for privacy reasons may appear back in my camera roll. I'll add that I am paying for iCloud+ storage, and I still have 15GB of local storage left on my device.
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214
Dec ’25
NSWorkspace openURL fails on file in iCloud Drive
When I pass a file path url of a file in iCloud Drive to -[NSWorkspace openURLs:withApplicationAtURL:configuration:completionHandler:], it fails. There is no exception, and the completion handler isn't called. This is in a sandboxed app on macOS 26.1. NSWorkspaceOpenConfiguration* config = NSWorkspaceOpenConfiguration.configuration; config.activates = YES; config.promptsUserIfNeeded = YES; NSLog(@"performDrag 2 with %@", filePathObs); [NSWorkspace.sharedWorkspace openURLs: filePathObs withApplicationAtURL: appURL configuration: config completionHandler: ^(NSRunningApplication * _Nullable app, NSError * _Nullable error) { NSLog(@"performDrag 3"); if (error != nil) { NSLog(@"%@\n%@", error, filePathObs); } NSLog(@"complete performDrag"); }]; NSLog(@"performDrag 4"); In the debug log, the performDrag 2 and performDrag 4 messages appear. I also looked in the Console log, but the only messages that mention my app don't mean anything to me. AFIsDeviceGreymatterEligible Missing entitlements for os_eligibility lookup 6c Reentrant message: kDragIPCCompleted, current message: kDragIPCLeaveApplication
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998
Dec ’25
checkResourceIsReachableAndReturnError or fileExistsAtPath for security scoped resources
A security scoped bookmark can only be created for URLs that point to resources that exist. What is the preferred/correct API to use to determine if the resource exists? [NSFileManager fileExistsAtPath:] is more explicitly about existence, but might return NO if the app hasn't established access to the resource via an implicit or explicit startAccessingSecurityScopedResource? [NSURL checkResourceIsReachableAndReturnError] might explicitly deal with the latter issue (?), but might also return an error for other reasons than the resource not existing (?). Thanks!
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Nov ’25
Exact meaning of NSURLBookmarkCreationMinimalBookmark
For bookmark creation and resolving, there's a NSURLBookmark{Creation,Resolution}MinimalBookmark enum value. What does this value imply on macOS and iOS? Specifically, to create security scoped bookmarks on macOS, we use NSURLBookmarkResolutionWithSecurityScope, but that is not available on iOS. Are iOS bookmarks always security scoped? Does the minimal enum imply security scoped bookmarks? Is 0 a valid value to bookmarkDataWithOptions, and does that give an even less scoped bookmark than NSURLBookmarkCreationMinimalBookmark`? We are also using NSURLBookmarkCreationWithoutImplicitSecurityScope on both iOS and macOS, to avoid any implicit resolution of bookmarks we resolve, so that we can explicitly control access by explicit calls to start/stopAccessing. How does NSURLBookmarkCreationWithoutImplicitSecurityScope relate to the enum values discussed above? Thanks! (https://mothersruin.com/software/Archaeology/reverse/bookmarks.html provides some really interesting insights, but doesn't discuss the minimal bookmarks.)
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Nov ’25
Balancing implicit startAccessingSecurityScopedResource
If I'm reading this guide correctly, macOS will automatically/implicitly startAccessingSecurityScopedResource for files opened via drag to Dock icon or NSOpenPanel. And I'm expected to call stopAccessingSecurityScopedResource to balance it once I'm done. Does that mean that if I don't, I'm leaking kernel resources as per the docs? If you fail to relinquish your access to file-system resources when you no longer need them, your app leaks kernel resources. If sufficient kernel resources leak, your app loses its ability to add file-system locations to its sandbox, such as with Powerbox or security-scoped bookmarks, until relaunched. What is this limit in practice for macOS and iOS? I've seen number ranging from 1000-2500. From my testing, iOS does not provide the same implicit startAccessingSecurityScopedResource when using UIDocumentPickerViewController. Is this a correct observation/per design? Now, in the cases where I'm creating an NSURL by resolving a saved bookmark, I'm expected to explicitly startAccessingSecurityScopedResource. Based on this, from what I can tell, this means that I can't universally call startAccessingSecurityScopedResource whenever I access a resource by URL, balanced with a stopAccessingSecurityScopedResource when done, as depending on how I got the URL it might already be implicitly started. Is this a correct observation? Do I need to explicitly check whether I'm on iOS (never implicit?), or macOS (sometimes implicit?), and selectively startAccessingSecurityScopedResource based on every call site that may give me a security-scoped file? If so, is there a complete list of the entrypoints that may give me such files (file dialog, drag and drop, etc)? Thanks!
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Nov ’25
iOS Feature Proposal: iCloud KeySync
iCloud KeySyc is a privacy-focused feature that securely syncs a user’s personalized keyboard learning across all Apple devices through iCloud. Today, when users upgrade to a new iPhone or begin using a new iPad or Mac, the keyboard often loses much of the personalization it has developed over time. Users must re-teach autocorrect, rebuild custom vocabulary, and wait for the keyboard to relearn their typing habits. iCloud KeySync would allow users to move seamlessly between devices while keeping the keyboard experience familiar from day one. Problem Statement Apple’s keyboard becomes more useful over time as it learns: Frequently used words and phrases Personal slang and abbreviations Emoji preferences Autocorrect adjustments Writing patterns and typing habits When users switch devices, much of this personalization is lost or takes time to rebuild. This creates friction during device upgrades and reduces the feeling of continuity within the Apple ecosystem. Proposed Solution iCloud KeySync securely synchronizes keyboard personalization data across Apple devices. The feature would: Learn and store personalized keyboard behavior on-device. Encrypt and sync personalization data through iCloud. Restore keyboard preferences automatically when signing into a new device. Keep keyboard learning consistent across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Key Features Personalized Vocabulary Sync Synchronizes user-added words, nicknames, slang, and frequently used phrases. Emoji Preference Sync Maintains commonly used emoji patterns across devices. Autocorrect Learning Sync Preserves learned corrections and accepted custom spellings. Typing Behavior Continuity Allows devices to share keyboard learning so users receive familiar suggestions regardless of which Apple device they use. User Controls Enable or disable iCloud KeySync. Reset keyboard learning at any time. View privacy information and storage usage. Privacy and Security Privacy should remain the foundation of the feature. All keyboard learning occurs on-device. Personalization data is end-to-end encrypted. Raw message content is never uploaded. Users retain full control over synchronization settings. Security protections match the standards used by iCloud Keychain. User Benefits New devices feel familiar immediately. Less time correcting autocorrect mistakes. Faster onboarding after device upgrades. Consistent typing experience across the Apple ecosystem. Improved customer satisfaction and retention. Example User Scenario A user upgrades from an older iPhone to a new iPhone. After signing into iCloud and restoring their device, the keyboard immediately recognizes their commonly used phrases, preferred emoji, custom words, and learned typing patterns. The new device feels personalized from the first message typed, without requiring weeks of retraining Business Value Improves the upgrade experience. Strengthens ecosystem continuity. Reinforces Apple’s privacy-first approach to AI and machine learning. Creates a subtle but meaningful quality-of-life improvement for millions of users. Switch phones. Keep your vibe.
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Apple Sign in Freeze
I was experiencing a weird sign in error when using apple sign in with my app and wanted to put it here for anyone else who might experience it in the future, and so apple can make this requirement more clear. I was using CloudKit and apple sign in. If you are not using both this probably does not apply to you. Every time I would go to sign in in the iOS simulator I would enter my password, hit "sign in", and everything just froze. The very odd reason for this is if you are using iCloudKit and apple sign in you need to go to specifically the "identifiers" in the "Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles" menu (https://developer.apple.com/account/resources/identifiers/list). And from there you specifically need an App ID Configuration with apple sign in enabled. From there you have to have the same exact bundle identifier in Xcode under project settings(not an upper tab just click your project in the left panel). And that should allow you to both pass validation and have your sign in work. Hope this helps!
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341
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4d
macOS Tahoe: Denying iCloud access leaves users permanently locked out – no UI recovery path (Regression from Sequoia)
Hi, I'm the developer of Mail Signature (MAS, bundle ID: de.metaflash.mail-signature), a Mac app that uses iCloud Drive to sync email signatures. On macOS Tahoe, when a user denies the iCloud access permission dialog on first launch, there is absolutely no way to reverse that decision through System Settings. Regression from Sequoia: On Sequoia, after denying iCloud access, the app correctly appears under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Files and Folders where the user can toggle access back on. On Tahoe, the app does not appear anywhere in Privacy & Security after denial – not under Files and Folders, not under Apple ID → iCloud, nowhere. Technical details: Affected TCC services: kTCCServiceUbiquity + kTCCServiceLiverpool tccutil reset Ubiquity alone is insufficient Only tccutil reset All triggers the dialog again This suggests both services need to be reset simultaneously Impact: Normal users are permanently locked out with zero recovery path. The only workaround is Terminal: tccutil reset All de.metaflash.mail-signature ...which is completely inaccessible to average consumers. As a MAS developer we have no way to help users programmatically: exec/child_process → sandbox blocked NSUserUnixTask → designed for user-supplied scripts only, not reliable here Apple Events to Terminal → blocked or App Review risk Feedback submitted: FB22746525 Is anyone else seeing this? Would appreciate dups on the Feedback report. Any workaround suggestions from DTS welcome.
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232
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3w
-startDownloadingUbiquitousItemAtURL:error: and NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadRequestedKey
I'm trying to update the iCloud data handling in our app, and I'm running into an issue with a particular file on one particular device. This file never downloads & I haven't been able to pinpoint what's off about it. Right now we just have 2 iCloud accounts & a handful of devices, so I haven't been able to narrow it down yet, but in most cases, all the cloud files download as expected. However, whether or not the file eventually downloads, the NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadRequestedKey key seems to be completely useless. For the following code: NSError *error = nil; BOOL success = [[NSFileManager defaultManager] startDownloadingUbiquitousItemAtURL:self.fileURL error:&error]; if (!success) { NSLog(@"error downloading %@ : %@", self.fileURL, error); } else { NSDictionary *resourceValues = [self.fileURL resourceValuesForKeys:@[NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadRequestedKey, NSURLUbiquitousItemIsDownloadingKey, NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadingErrorKey, NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadingStatusKey] error:&error]; if (!error) { NSString *downloadStatus = resourceValues[NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadingStatusKey]; bool downloadRequested = [resourceValues[NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadRequestedKey] boolValue]; NSLog(@"download requested: %d", downloadRequested); } // ... } downloadRequested is always false, regardless of whether or not the cloud file eventually downloads. I have 2 questions: is there a way to actually check if a download has been requested for a file? what could be preventing this file from downloading? -startDownloadingUbiquitousItemAtURL:error: doesn't report an error, NSURLUbiquitousItemDownloadingErrorKey is always nil, and no error is reported in the NSMetadataQuery observer.
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482
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3w
iCloud Drive silent upload deadlock caused by stale HTTP/3 session in nsurlsessiond (FB22476701)
Summary On macOS 26.4.1 (25E253), iCloud Drive file uploads can enter a silent deadlock where every upload attempt fails at the transport layer. No error is surfaced anywhere — not in Finder, not in System Settings, not in the iCloud status panel. The upload queue simply stops. Other iCloud services (Photos, Mail, App Store) continue to work normally through the same networking infrastructure at the same time. Root Cause The issue is a stale HTTP/3 (QUIC) session cached in the user-level nsurlsessiond process's BackgroundConnectionPool. The deadlock cycle: cloudd requests an upload to the GCS storage endpoint nsurlsessiond provides the cached (broken) HTTP/3 session The TLS handshake succeeds, but the body upload dies mid-transfer (err=T, requestDuration=-1.000, responseHeaderBytes=0) cloudd retries with a new connectionUUID — but nsurlsessiond still routes through the same poisoned QUIC session This repeats indefinitely Killing cloudd alone does not help — nsurlsessiond retains the poisoned pool. Only killing both the user-level cloudd and nsurlsessiond clears the pool and forces a fresh protocol negotiation. The Smoking Gun After killing both daemons, the system falls back to HTTP/1.1 for the stuck uploads — and they complete instantly: Before Kill After Kill Protocol h3 (QUIC) http/1.1 (TCP) Largest upload Failed at partial offsets 26 MB in 1.6 seconds Server response 0 bytes 596 bytes (normal) Same endpoint, same files, same network interface (en5), same power state. The only change was the protocol negotiation after a fresh nsurlsessiond. Reproduction Reproduced 3 times on April 11, 2026 using a standardized set of 8 test files (8 bytes to 20 MB) in a non-shared iCloud Drive folder. Each run showed the identical pattern: Small files (<100 KB) squeeze through before the QUIC session stalls Larger files trigger the deadlock every time 5–6 retries with fresh connectionUUIDs, all failing over protocol=h3 After kill cloudd + nsurlsessiond: immediate flush via protocol=http/1.1 An automated evidence-collection script (collect_h3_deadlock_evidence.sh) captures paired before-kill / after-kill logs. Included in the Feedback report. Symptom Check (for others hitting this) /usr/bin/log show --predicate 'process == "cloudd"' --last 5m 2>&1 \ | grep "putContainer.*err=T.*requestDuration=-1.000.*protocol=h3" | wc -l Output > 0 = this deadlock. Output = 0 = different issue. Recovery (one-liner) kill $(ps -axo user,pid,command | awk -v u="$USER" \ '($1==u && /CloudKitDaemon.framework.*cloudd/ && !/--system/) \ || ($1==u && /\/usr\/libexec\/nsurlsessiond/ && !/--privileged/) \ {print $2}') Both daemons respawn within 1–2 seconds. Do not use killall nsurlsessiond — it would also kill the privileged system instance. What was ruled out Network connectivity (Photos uploaded 8 MB through the same pool simultaneously) iCloud account (metadata operations succeeding, only body uploads failing) File type/content (random data, correlation is with size, not type) Storage quota (1.65 TB free) CFNetworkHTTP3Enabled=false (key is ineffective in 26.4.1) Suggested fixes (from the Feedback report) CFNetwork: Invalidate the QUIC session after N consecutive requestDuration=-1.000 failures CloudKit/NSURLSession: Expose a pool invalidation API like [NSURLSession invalidatePoolEntryForEndpoint:] cloudd: Self-healing retry — create a fresh NSURLSession after M consecutive deadlock-signature failures Finder: At minimum, surface the stuck state to the user instead of failing silently Filed as FB22476701 — includes full reproduction timelines, request/connection UUIDs, sysdiagnose, and a 12-page investigation PDF with architecture diagrams and protocol comparison tables. If you're experiencing the same issue, please file a duplicate referencing FB22476701 — Apple prioritizes by duplicate count. System MacBook Air, macOS 26.4.1 (25E253) iCloud Drive with Desktop & Documents sync en0 (WLAN) + en5 (USB-LAN via Studio Display)
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603
Activity
Apr ’26
Sandboxed app loses iCloud Drive access mid-session on macOS 26 — kernel refuses sandbox extension, FP client rejected (NSFileProviderErrorDomain -2001)
Starting somewhere around macOS 26.3, my sandboxed file manager spontaneously loses access to ~/Library/Mobile Documents mid-session. Setup: at launch, the user grants access to '/', '/Users', or '~' via NSOpenPanel; I store a security-scoped bookmark and call startAccessingSecurityScopedResource(). This works fine - including iCloud Drive - until some point mid-session. When it breaks, two things happen simultaneously: Enumeration fails: NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=257 (NSFileReadNoPermissionError)< NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=1 (EPERM) Console shows the kernel refusing extension issuance: couldn't issue sandbox extension com.apple.app-sandbox.read for '/Users//Library/Mobile Documents': Operation not permitted And probing NSFileProviderManager confirms the process has been rejected system-wide: NSFileProviderManager.getDomainsWithCompletionHandler > NSFileProviderErrorDomain Code=-2001 "The application cannot be used right now." (underlying Code=-2014) What makes this specific to FP-backed paths: regular paths under the same '/' bookmark (~/Library/Application Support, etc.) stay accessible and recover normally with a fresh startAccessingSecurityScopedResource() call. Only ~/Library/Mobile Documents and its subtree fail - the entire tree, including the parent directory itself. Relaunch always restores access. What I've tried and ruled out: Re-resolving the bookmark + startAccessingSecurityScopedResource() - returns stale=false, granted=true but access is not restored; the kernel still refuses extension issuance for FP-traversing paths. NSFileCoordinator coordinated read - doesn't help; the coordinator depends on the same sandbox extension the kernel is refusing. Instantiating NSFileProviderManager(for: domain) per domain - fails with -2001 for every domain, confirming the rejection is process-wide, not path- or domain-specific. My working theory: when a FileProvider daemon (bird/cloudd/fileproviderd) restarts mid-session, the process's FP-client XPC registration is invalidated, and the kernel subsequently refuses to issue sandbox extensions for any path served by FP - even with a valid bookmark. The process seems to have no API path to re-register its FP-client identity without relaunching. Current workaround: I detect the -2001 response and prompt the user to relaunch, then do a programmatic self-relaunch if they confirm (which is obviously horribly intrusive). Questions: Is there an API that lets a sandboxed consumer app reconnect its FP-client identity mid-session, short of relaunching? Is there an entitlement or capability that would make the kernel's extension issuance resilient to FP daemon restarts? Has anyone else hit this on 26.x and found a workaround? Filed as FB22547671.
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283
Activity
Apr ’26
Project xcodeproj file can no longer by iCloud Sync
Following an unexpected error message while working in Xcode, the project file xcodeproj is no longer synced in iCloud Drive. The Finder shows a cloud icon with a ! and an error message : (NSFileProviderErrorDomain error -2005.) If the local file is zipped, and unzipped elsewhere on iCloud Drive, then the unzipped file can still not be iCloud Synced. Restoring the file from a Time Machine archive does not solve the issue. Apple Care Support finds that iCloud Drive is working fine except for this xcodeproj file and says the issue is Xcode related.
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342
Activity
Apr ’26
“Desktop & Documents Folders” feature in iCloud Drive.
Dear Apple Support, I would like to raise a concern regarding the behavior of the “Desktop & Documents Folders” feature in iCloud Drive. From a business and development standpoint, the fact that folders may be automatically moved or created without clear and explicit user awareness is quite concerning. File system behavior is something users generally expect to remain predictable and fully under their control. In particular, when working in development environments, even small and unintended changes to folder structures can lead to issues such as broken file paths, build errors, or inconsistencies in project setups. The possibility that such changes may occur automatically introduces an element of uncertainty that is difficult to manage in professional workflows. Additionally, there are security considerations. For example, if sensitive files such as configuration data or API keys are temporarily stored on the Desktop, the possibility that they could be unintentionally synced to the cloud raises valid concerns. Even if safeguards exist, the lack of clear visibility and explicit confirmation makes it difficult to confidently assess and manage risk. Overall, the current behavior gives the impression that folder operations may occur without sufficient transparency. From a business perspective, this impacts trust, predictability, and operational reliability. I would appreciate consideration of the following improvements: Clear and explicit communication before any folder movement or creation occurs A strictly opt-in model with unambiguous user consent Greater visibility into when and how synchronization affects local files Options to ensure fully local control over specific directories Thank you for your attention to this matter. I hope this feedback will contribute to improving the reliability and transparency of the feature. Sincerely,
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426
Activity
Mar ’26
iCloud Account Signing Out
I have several macOS applications that use CloudKit. I need to test and finds out what happens when the user signs out of their iCloud account. That's because the application may lose data after signing out and then signing in again. Every time I do that, it'll take 15, 20 minutes... I don't time it, but it takes quite a gigantic time to sign out as the spinner keeps rolling. Why does it take so long to just sign out? This sign out effect is untestable because it takes a long time to sign out of an iCloud account and then make changes to the code and then test again. In case you need to know, my system version is Sequoia 15.7.
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2
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320
Activity
Feb ’26
Unable to create record in public cloudkit database for missing/not authenticated iCloud user
While testing record creation in public CloudKit database for authenticated user I am able to do so without any issues. But for devices missing iCloud account or authentication expired I am seeing the below error: ▿ <CKError 0x97a959200: "Permission Failure" (10/2007); server message = "CREATE operation not permitted"; op = 67331DE3AF3DD666; uuid = 1F3ACD4F-A799-4CD4-ADF0-EDE9E12F2DCB; container ID = "***"> _nsError : <CKError 0x97a959200: "Permission Failure" (10/2007); server message = "CREATE operation not permitted"; op = 67331DE3AF3DD666; uuid = 1F3ACD4F-A799-4CD4-ADF0-EDE9E12F2DCB; container ID = "***"> I am unable to add create/write permission to _world security role in dashboard. Is this something not supported by Cloudkit? Only authenticated iCloud users will be able to create and write data to public database as well?
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220
Activity
Feb ’26
Finder tag colors and folder icons become gray for iCloud Drive items (URLResourceValues / xattr / QLThumbnailGenerator)
Hi, I’m working on a macOS app that includes a file browser component. And I’m trying to match Finder’s behavior for color tags and folder icons. For local files/folders everything works fine: Tag color key returns the expected label number via NSColor * labelColor = nil; [fileURL getResourceValue:&labelColor forKey:NSURLLabelColorKey error:nil]; NSNumber * labelKey = nil; [fileURL getResourceValue:&labelKey forKey:NSURLLabelNumberKey error:nil]; QLThumbnailGenerator obtains the expected colored folder icon (including emoji/symbol overlay if set) via QLThumbnailGenerationRequest * request = [[QLThumbnailGenerationRequest alloc] initWithFileAtURL:fileURL size:iconSize scale:scaleFactor representationTypes:QLThumbnailGenerationRequestRepresentationTypeIcon]; request.iconMode = YES; [[QLThumbnailGenerator sharedGenerator] generateBestRepresentationForRequest:request completionHandler:^(QLThumbnailRepresentation * _Nullable thumbnail, NSError * _Nullable error) { if (thumbnail != nil && error == nil) { NSImage * thumbnailImage = [thumbnail NSImage]; // ... } }]; However, for items on iCloud Drive (whether currently downloaded locally or only stored in the cloud), the same code always produces gray colors, while Finder shows everything correctly: NSURLLabelNumberKey always returns 1 (gray) for items with color tags, and 0 for non-tagged. Folder icons returned via QLThumbnailGenerator are gray, no emoji/symbol overlays. Reading tag data from xattr gives values like “Green\1” (tag name matches, but numeric value is still "Gray"). Also, if I move a correctly-tagged local item into iCloud Drive, it immediately becomes gray in my app (Finder still shows the correct colors). Question: What is the supported way to retrieve Finder tag colors and the correct folder icon appearance (color + overlays) for items in iCloud Drive, so that the result matches Finder? I am on macOS Tahoe 26.2/26.3, Xcode 26.2 (17C52). If you need any additional details, please let me know. Thanks!
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228
Activity
Feb ’26
How to determine if a folder is a dataless folder
There will be a cloud download icon on the folder, and when I click download, I will go to download the file below. Then this icon will disappear, but when I move a dataless file into the folder, the cloud download icon will appear again. I understand if there is any way to determine whether the folder has downloaded properties
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331
Activity
Jan ’26
NSPathControl -setURL: crash on macOS Tahoe
I received the following crash: Thread 0 Crashed: libsystem_kernel.dylib __pthread_kill + 8 libsystem_pthread.dylib pthread_kill + 296 (pthread.c:1721) libsystem_c.dylib abort + 124 (abort.c:122) libc++abi.dylib __abort_message + 132 (abort_message.cpp:66) libc++abi.dylib demangling_terminate_handler() + 304 (cxa_default_handlers.cpp:76) libobjc.A.dylib _objc_terminate() + 156 (objc-exception.mm:496) libc++abi.dylib std::__terminate(void (*)()) + 16 (cxa_handlers.cpp:59) libc++abi.dylib __cxxabiv1::failed_throw(__cxxabiv1::__cxa_exception*) + 88 (cxa_exception.cpp:152) libc++abi.dylib __cxa_throw + 92 (cxa_exception.cpp:299) libobjc.A.dylib objc_exception_throw + 448 (objc-exception.mm:385) Foundation -[NSConcreteMutableAttributedString initWithString:] + 268 (NSAttributedString.m:1049) CloudDocs -[BRCloudPathComponentDisplayMetadata initWithDisplayName:suffix:url:icon:] + 180 (BRCloudPathComponentDisplayMetadata.m:75) CloudDocs -[NSURL(BRCloudPathComponent) br_pathComponentDisplayMetadataWithOptions:]_block_invoke + 516 (BRCloudPathComponentDisplayMetadata.m:292) CloudDocs -[NSArray(BRAdditions) br_transform:keepNull:] + 228 (NSArray+BRAdditions.m:20) CloudDocs -[NSURL(BRCloudPathComponent) br_pathComponentDisplayMetadataWithOptions:] + 76 (BRCloudPathComponentDisplayMetadata.m:276) AppKit -[NSPathCell _autoUpdateCellContents] + 2080 (NSPathCell.m:442) AppKit -[NSPathCell setURL:] + 76 (NSPathCell.m:599) AppKit -[NSPathControl setURL:] + 64 (NSPathControl.m:366) I tried reproducing on my end by passing various URLs in iCloud Drive to an NSPathControl, file reference urls, attempting to evict a URL from iCloud Drive then settings the URL property without luck. Setting the URL to nil does not crash (the property is nullable). I have no idea how to trigger that code path. Anyone else run into this and have a workaround?
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224
Activity
Jan ’26
Macos uses NSFilePrefertAction and userInfo to implement context menu, but it does not take effect
On the macOS platform, I am planning to use the combination of NSFileProviders Custom Action and userInfo to implement custom context menus. However, the NSExtensions FileProviders Action Activation Rule in info does not work as long as it is related to userInfo. Are there any restrictions on the use of this userInfo? keepDownloaded is bool value
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1
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225
Activity
Jan ’26
Git and iCloud
Hi guys, also those at Apple, I love what you all do and make, long time Linux user switched since silicon. But is there perhaps any timeline on improving the interaction between iCloud and git? Perhaps it is on me to check beforehand, but I enabled Desktop & Doc sync on iCloud (which included some git repos) and these now malfunction completely. Bad object errors, lost wheels, insanely long syncing, and worst of all - randomly removed environment variables! I only noticed when random stuff stopped working out of the blue; only after re-configuring zsh and doing scorched earth on brew did it click. I mean, there is a '.nosync' flaggy thing to add to dirs, but it isn't even officially supported. Moreover, when trying to disable sync for docs, it will delete local repos! So either it's disabling and starting all over again, or waiting for the sync to finish (which breaks things) and going through a long restoration process. I don't expect iCloud for the average Joe to be super specced for developers, but perhaps there could be room for some minor improvements that would at least prevent git repositories from completely breaking, e.g. just ignoring them or not syncing certain folder/file types. Restoring the whole thing (if even possible) is an extremely long and tedious process. Sorry for the rant, but I feel this might be appreciated. One of the things I like about this ecosystem, proprietary it is, is the seemliness and easy of use. If iCloud Drive is advertised as 'it will work', it's only fair that this would apply to developers too (and that they are not required to check beforehand whether it will break all of their git repositories). Or it is just me getting old. :) Cheers, Frans
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148
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Dec ’25
iOS 26.2: Deleted images and video reappear in camera roll
When I delete an image from my camera roll, my iPhone adds another previously deleted image to my camera roll. This previously deleted image or video is from up to 3 years ago, and isn't in my recently deleted. Therefore, these added images should technically not exist. I am using an iPhone 12 running iOS 26 public beta, but apparently this issue is happening on iOS 18 too. I feel worried that an image/video that I deleted for privacy reasons may appear back in my camera roll. I'll add that I am paying for iCloud+ storage, and I still have 15GB of local storage left on my device.
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214
Activity
Dec ’25
NSWorkspace openURL fails on file in iCloud Drive
When I pass a file path url of a file in iCloud Drive to -[NSWorkspace openURLs:withApplicationAtURL:configuration:completionHandler:], it fails. There is no exception, and the completion handler isn't called. This is in a sandboxed app on macOS 26.1. NSWorkspaceOpenConfiguration* config = NSWorkspaceOpenConfiguration.configuration; config.activates = YES; config.promptsUserIfNeeded = YES; NSLog(@"performDrag 2 with %@", filePathObs); [NSWorkspace.sharedWorkspace openURLs: filePathObs withApplicationAtURL: appURL configuration: config completionHandler: ^(NSRunningApplication * _Nullable app, NSError * _Nullable error) { NSLog(@"performDrag 3"); if (error != nil) { NSLog(@"%@\n%@", error, filePathObs); } NSLog(@"complete performDrag"); }]; NSLog(@"performDrag 4"); In the debug log, the performDrag 2 and performDrag 4 messages appear. I also looked in the Console log, but the only messages that mention my app don't mean anything to me. AFIsDeviceGreymatterEligible Missing entitlements for os_eligibility lookup 6c Reentrant message: kDragIPCCompleted, current message: kDragIPCLeaveApplication
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998
Activity
Dec ’25
checkResourceIsReachableAndReturnError or fileExistsAtPath for security scoped resources
A security scoped bookmark can only be created for URLs that point to resources that exist. What is the preferred/correct API to use to determine if the resource exists? [NSFileManager fileExistsAtPath:] is more explicitly about existence, but might return NO if the app hasn't established access to the resource via an implicit or explicit startAccessingSecurityScopedResource? [NSURL checkResourceIsReachableAndReturnError] might explicitly deal with the latter issue (?), but might also return an error for other reasons than the resource not existing (?). Thanks!
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246
Activity
Nov ’25
Exact meaning of NSURLBookmarkCreationMinimalBookmark
For bookmark creation and resolving, there's a NSURLBookmark{Creation,Resolution}MinimalBookmark enum value. What does this value imply on macOS and iOS? Specifically, to create security scoped bookmarks on macOS, we use NSURLBookmarkResolutionWithSecurityScope, but that is not available on iOS. Are iOS bookmarks always security scoped? Does the minimal enum imply security scoped bookmarks? Is 0 a valid value to bookmarkDataWithOptions, and does that give an even less scoped bookmark than NSURLBookmarkCreationMinimalBookmark`? We are also using NSURLBookmarkCreationWithoutImplicitSecurityScope on both iOS and macOS, to avoid any implicit resolution of bookmarks we resolve, so that we can explicitly control access by explicit calls to start/stopAccessing. How does NSURLBookmarkCreationWithoutImplicitSecurityScope relate to the enum values discussed above? Thanks! (https://mothersruin.com/software/Archaeology/reverse/bookmarks.html provides some really interesting insights, but doesn't discuss the minimal bookmarks.)
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5
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176
Activity
Nov ’25
Balancing implicit startAccessingSecurityScopedResource
If I'm reading this guide correctly, macOS will automatically/implicitly startAccessingSecurityScopedResource for files opened via drag to Dock icon or NSOpenPanel. And I'm expected to call stopAccessingSecurityScopedResource to balance it once I'm done. Does that mean that if I don't, I'm leaking kernel resources as per the docs? If you fail to relinquish your access to file-system resources when you no longer need them, your app leaks kernel resources. If sufficient kernel resources leak, your app loses its ability to add file-system locations to its sandbox, such as with Powerbox or security-scoped bookmarks, until relaunched. What is this limit in practice for macOS and iOS? I've seen number ranging from 1000-2500. From my testing, iOS does not provide the same implicit startAccessingSecurityScopedResource when using UIDocumentPickerViewController. Is this a correct observation/per design? Now, in the cases where I'm creating an NSURL by resolving a saved bookmark, I'm expected to explicitly startAccessingSecurityScopedResource. Based on this, from what I can tell, this means that I can't universally call startAccessingSecurityScopedResource whenever I access a resource by URL, balanced with a stopAccessingSecurityScopedResource when done, as depending on how I got the URL it might already be implicitly started. Is this a correct observation? Do I need to explicitly check whether I'm on iOS (never implicit?), or macOS (sometimes implicit?), and selectively startAccessingSecurityScopedResource based on every call site that may give me a security-scoped file? If so, is there a complete list of the entrypoints that may give me such files (file dialog, drag and drop, etc)? Thanks!
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372
Activity
Nov ’25