Timeline for A launchd job without plist file, how does that work and how to find what job triggers it?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
13 events
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| Apr 10, 2021 at 15:54 | comment | added | sgon00 | Thank you very much for the updated info. I will do more search then. | |
| Apr 10, 2021 at 15:10 | comment | added | Ted Wrigley | @sgon00. if the helper is unreachable at login, the request will fail, and life will go on without it. I don't know if the system is smart enough to cancel the login request at that point, or if it will keep asking; you might have to do trial and error on that. You should read that documentation link I provided more thoroughly if you want those answers; that's the best reference I know for how the system handles daemons. | |
| Apr 10, 2021 at 15:05 | comment | added | Ted Wrigley | @sgon00: Whenever an app is launched. the system registers it (using the bundle id). I don't know the details, though I suppose I could look on Apple's developer pages, but the idea is that if the user requests an app (by trying to open a file, running a script, or etc), the system can find the app wherever it is on disk. In this case the app itself is registering the helper as a login item, so at login the system generates an automatic request for the helper at login, which locates and launches it. | |
| Apr 10, 2021 at 7:04 | comment | added | sgon00 | Thank you very much for the info. Why does the system always try to find the bundle id? Does it register somewhere so the system will always try to find the registered bundle id? OR does the system always scan the entire drive to find any helper apps? I think I will simply remove the Thunder.app directory. Whenever I need to use this app, I will simply mount the downloaded dmg and use the dmg file directly. But before removing it, I would like to understand the concept and logic behind this autostart. I don't want the system to scan my entiure disk at every boot. Cheers. | |
| Apr 10, 2021 at 6:23 | comment | added | Ted Wrigley | @sgon00: yeah, nice the helper app has it's own bundle id the system will always find it, if the directory is mounted at login. You could try moving Thunder to a removable drive, that you don't connect until you need it; that will keep it out of the system's view... | |
| Apr 10, 2021 at 2:37 | comment | added | sgon00 |
Thanks a lot for keep searching my problem. I found a even worse case. After killing/remove any running thunder processes (inlcuding rm backgrounditems.btm). I moved Thunder.app to other directory: mv /Applications/Thunder.app/ $HOME/tmp/thunder_tmp/. And then restart macos system. The most weird thing happened. Thunder helper app started automatically from the new path and login iterms added to new backgrounditems.btm file. It seems MacOS searches my entire harddrive to find all helper app and starts them automatically and added them to login iterm. If this is true, it's very scary!
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| Apr 9, 2021 at 18:10 | comment | added | Ted Wrigley | @sgon00: Ah... I just discovered that the situation might be more annoying than expected. See Apple documentation... Apparently an app can contain a helper app and automatically load it as a service at login. it can only be stopped if the app tells it to stop (through a preference or menu item). Check Thunder to see if this is the case; you might have to delete Thunder entirely. | |
| Apr 9, 2021 at 17:50 | comment | added | Ted Wrigley |
The remove command didn't prevent the helper from restarting? Hm. well, the other thing to consider is that any app which is launched (by any means) will show up as a launchd job; launchd is the main process hierarchy in the system. Check ~/Library/Startup Items and /Library/Startup Items, or search your drive for 'ThunderHelper' or any aliases to it and see it it's in any special folders.
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| Apr 9, 2021 at 15:56 | comment | added | sgon00 | Thanks a lot for your help and I have upvoted your answer. Becase figuring out how it auto starts might be a different question, I have created another question at: apple.stackexchange.com/questions/418465 . Just FYI. | |
| Apr 9, 2021 at 15:38 | comment | added | sgon00 |
I have tried launchctl remove. I have killed the PID too. Right now, I just want to figure out how it auto starts after system boots. Since I am a programmer, I am very careful when I do test cases. I guarantee that I don't start the app by myself. It's OK that those jobs and login iterms will be created when I start the app. That is NOT magic. What I don't understand is how it magically starts iteself after system boots when I never start the app after I stop, remove, kill, rm backgrounditems.btm etc.. Sorry about my limited Enlgish skill. I am not sure if you get what I mean.
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| Apr 9, 2021 at 15:34 | comment | added | Ted Wrigley |
You can try launchctl remove com.xunlei.Thunder.ThunderHelper and see if that kills it. Submitted jobs are kept alive by default, meaning that launchd will restart it if it stops in an irregular fashion. But the next time you run Thunder it will reload the helper app.
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| Apr 9, 2021 at 14:58 | comment | added | sgon00 |
Thanks a lot for this reply. But how can I find who triggers this from the start? I want to prevent this happen, in order to achieve it, I need to know how it works. I am a programmer and new to MacOS (an experienced Linux user). First, I don't run thunder app by myself. Second, I have rm backgrounditems.btm which is the one contains thuner login iterm. Third, I have killed thunder process by PID. But, magically, after I shutdown and start MacOS again. The thunder login iterm will be added to a new backgrounditems.btm file. This launchd job will be auto started. How come? Thanks.
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| Apr 9, 2021 at 14:47 | history | answered | Ted Wrigley | CC BY-SA 4.0 |