Fixing "not allowed to send keystrokes" error in Automator workflow

Question

MacOS Ventura 13.3 but I have had some form of this problem on and off for a couple years.

I have a simple workflow that types the current date in ISO 8601 format, it is a single AppleScript action like tell application "System Events"...keystroke $DATE essentially. It breaks, often, with an error saying the workflow is "unable to send keystrokes". Perhaps something resets on OS upgrades, I'm not sure, but I wish I better understood the steps necessary to fix it. I gave Automator, AppleScript Utility, and the workflow itself the Accessibility permission "allow the applications below to control your computer"—as this answer says—but that alone does not seem sufficient (but might be necessary?). I don't see any relevant keyboard settings.

I suspect some or all of these apps also need to be on the Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation list...except there is no way to add (or remove, for that matter) apps to that list. There is no "plus" button and dragging an app onto the list does nothing. I've read here and in Apple's forums some suggestions that an app is supposed to request this permission the first time it needs it and to add an app to the list you should reinstall it. A fine solution...but you cannot reinstall Automator or AppleScript Utility, they cannot be deleted. The workflow itself also does not trigger a prompt for this permission, as far as I can tell, and I doubt giving it access would be enough. How is one supposed to add applications to the Automation list? Is there a CLI to this list?

Answer 1

I don't know if this will work every time, but I got my workflow functioning again with these steps:

• Open the workflow in Automator
• Try to run it, error occurs (this step might not be necessary?)
• Automator menu > Reset Warnings
• Run the workflow again, no errors this time
• Workflow works again

I can't explain why that works, it seems very odd, and there isn't even a prompt about permissions after "reset warnings", but it did the trick this time. There are no visible changes in settings (nothing was added to the Automation or Accessibility lists).

Answer 2

The solution I found was this (Unfortunately, I think you will have to export under a new name every time you make a change in your application, so be sure to have finished before doing this.) :

• Open your workflow in Automator.
• Export your application under a new name.
• Run it outside Automator by double clicking on it in the finder.
• Accept all permissions : the one for the System events keystroke might get under a second one and go under all your opened windows. It will open System Settings Accessibility options where you can now authorize your new automator application.

Hope it works for you too! { 8 )-