2

Currently on macOS Catalina.

I work in sound design and audio development. I use several Automator-scripts and other workflow applications to control various stuff, and for every new project or when I make any change in any AppleScript, I get a nagging dialogue to "Allow for Keystrokes", "Allow for Accessibility", etc. Sometimes I have to re-authorize all my automator scripts after changing a single line in one of them.

This is killing my workflow, and this was implemented in macOS Mojave and forward with the new Privacy and Integrity-routines. On High Sierra this was never a problem, which was the system I used before.

I need to disable this permanently. I want any app to make any change it want. I know the risks, but I don't care. It is not a problem for me running an isolated systems with absolute control over all apps I use. I never install anything new, it's an audio workstation with bare minimum applications installed.

I've tried Disabling SIP, didn't help. Adding an application to "Full disk access" still makes me have to authorized it in all other fields. Sometimes, when I use application A to control application B, if doing changes in App A, the option to again authorize it to control B never shows up, and is not available.

Question is: Does anyone know how I can globally disable the Security & Privacy check in macOS Catalina so that any application I start can control/do whatever it want? If there's no "official" setting, is there no way to hack the underlying preferences or similar?

macOS should have a power user mode.

Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

The only solution that I know of is to approach the problem from another direction.

Writing all of your own Automator apps (which are going to continually run into this problem), and trying to find loopholes to make them work? That's going to be a losing battle.

You might be able to solve this with SD Notary: Notarizing Made Easy from the folks who make Script Debugger. Honestly, I don't know, but it might be worth checking out.

What I would be doing is using Keyboard Maestro to handle the automation. Once Keyboard Maestro has been given the proper authorizations, it can handle any of these situations (I presume, since you don't give specifics, I can't say 100%).

Then you will have one centralized place where you can control and manage all of these various automation actions, as well as a community where you can ask for help as you learn the ropes.

macOS should have a power user mode.

I agree wholeheartedly. 100%. No doubt.

But it doesn't, and I suspect it is very unlikely to add one.

That being said, I think Keyboard Maestro is the closest you can get to a Power User Mode on the Mac. No, it's not from Apple (I doubt they could make anything as good), but I'm not aware of anything that will give you more power and flexibility.

(Non-Disclaimer: I'm just a user of the app. I don't get paid, compensated, rewarded, or anything else in exchange for my endorsement and recommendation. I just happily give the developer my money whenever a new version comes out.)

Improve this answer
2
  • Thanks for your response. I use Keyboard Maestro myself for a lot of other tasks, but the problem is that I have continually rolling projects working in game development, sometimes up to 2-3 games simultaneously, and the Automator solution has been the absolute simplest so far to manage this properly between computers in sync, etc. The automators are set up so I have to change about two lines to make it adapted to a specific project. I would like to say "I can't believe Apple hasn't given this as an option", but then again, I'm not surprised. For several reasons. Nevertheless, it's insane.
    – Andreas Hedlund
    Commented Feb 24, 2021 at 19:15
  • Sounds like you should move to a swift or native solution, rather than relying on AppleScript, which is on its way out.
    – eWhizz
    Commented Jun 11, 2022 at 1:39
0

The answer is in this knowledge base article

https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/mac-help/mchl07817563/mac

You need to allow the apps to allow control of other apps in the Privacy Settings. If you edit your Automator App, you may need to once again grant access.

Improve this answer
3
  • That doesn't answer the question though. You can toggle the abilities of apps already listed there. But how do you add an app? There's no plus button, dragging apps onto the list doesn't work. If Automator isn't already listed (it isn't on my mac) then it cannot be added & cannot do anything.
    – phette23
    Commented Mar 29, 2023 at 16:13
  • I agree, I have the same issue. Did you find any solution, @phette23?
    – Wandering_geek
    Commented Apr 26 at 8:57
  • @Wandering_geek There are some relevant suggestions on my related question apple.stackexchange.com/questions/457806/… though I've not had a reason to test any of them recently
    – phette23
    Commented Apr 29 at 15:22

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .