Automating Button Click in macOS File Access Permission Dialog

Jeffkr · January 25, 2025, 7:30am

Hello all,

I’m trying to automate the process of clicking the “OK” button in the macOS file access permission dialogs that appear when an app requests access to a folder (e.g., Desktop).

For example, the dialog typically looks like this:

“MyApplication.app” would like to access files in your Desktop folder.

Buttons: “Don’t Allow”, “OK”

In my case, I don’t really care which button is pressed, but ideally, I’d like the “OK” button to be clicked automatically.

The goal is to avoid manual intervention in Security & Privacy settings, since the users do not have administrator passwords.

Any suggestions on how to achieve this programmatically?

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

robertfern · January 25, 2025, 4:21pm

If they don’t have administrator accounts, they won’t be able to do it anyway, because it will ask for the username and password of an administrator

Jeffkr · January 25, 2025, 4:32pm

I have the password encrypted in the script. However, in this case I would not care if they knew the password, my primary goal is to prevent the need for the user to press a button.

robertfern · January 25, 2025, 5:05pm

you would have to use GUI scripting to achieve this. Also an App can’t GUI script itself, so you would have to call a second script using

do shell script “osascript”

Do you have a copy of the script? If not, then make a short script that will cause the dialog to appear and post it.

Jeffkr · January 25, 2025, 6:00pm

Hello robertfern,

Below is a copy of the script, which only requires permission to control the Desktop when compiled as an “Application” script:


-- Define username and password for the sudo command
set uName to "administrator" -- Replace with your actual username
set pass1 to "myPassWord"
try
	-- Step 1: Copy "Illustrator.qlgenerator" from "/System/Library/QuickLook" to the Desktop
	do shell script "cp -R /System/Library/QuickLook/Illustrator.qlgenerator /Users/" & uName & "/Desktop/Illustrator.qlgenerator" user name uName password pass1 with administrator privileges
on error
	set uName to "Administrator"
	do shell script "cp -R /System/Library/QuickLook/Illustrator.qlgenerator /Users/" & uName & "/Desktop/Illustrator.qlgenerator" user name uName password pass1 with administrator privileges
end try

-- Step 2: Ensure full read/write permissions on the copied file on the Desktop
set desktopFolder to "/Users/" & uName & "/Desktop/Illustrator.qlgenerator"
do shell script "sudo chmod -R 777 " & quoted form of desktopFolder with administrator privileges

-- Step 3: Open "Illustrator.qlgenerator" by right-clicking and showing package contents
tell application "Finder"
	-- Use the absolute path to the desktop and the Illustrator.qlgenerator file
	set illustratorFilePath to "/Users/" & uName & "/Desktop/Illustrator.qlgenerator"
	set illustratorFile to POSIX file illustratorFilePath as alias
	open illustratorFile
	delay 1 -- Allow Finder to open the file
	set packageContents to folder "Contents" of illustratorFile
end tell


---Press the "OK" button


-- Step 4: Open "Info.plist" in the "Contents" folder with TextEdit
tell application "TextEdit"
	-- Build the POSIX path to Info.plist
	set plistPath to illustratorFilePath & "/Contents/Info.plist"
		-- Step 5: Change the file permissions to be writable (using sudo)
	do shell script "sudo chmod 777 " & quoted form of plistPath with administrator privileges
	-- Open Info.plist
	open POSIX file plistPath
end tell

-- Step 6: Delete all text in the opened Info.plist
tell application "TextEdit"
	set the text of document 1 to ""
end tell

-- Step 7: Replace content with new Info.plist XML
set newPlistContent to "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC \"-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN\" http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd>
<plist version=\"1.0\">
<dict>
<key>BuildMachineOSBuild</key>
<string>20A241133</string>
<key>CFBundleDevelopmentRegion</key>
<string>English</string>
<key>CFBundleDocumentTypes</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>CFBundleTypeRole</key>
<string>QLGenerator</string>
<key>LSItemContentTypes</key>
<array>
<string>com.adobe.encapsulated-postscript</string>
</array>
</dict>
</array>
<key>CFBundleExecutable</key>
<string>Illustrator</string>
<key>CFBundleGetInfoString</key>
<string>5.0, Copyright Apple Inc. 2007-2013</string>
<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
<string>com.apple.qlgenerator.illustrator</string>
<key>CFBundleInfoDictionaryVersion</key>
<string>6.0</string>
<key>CFBundleName</key>
<string>Illustrator</string>
<key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>
<string>5.0</string>
<key>CFBundleSupportedPlatforms</key>
<array>
<string>MacOSX</string>
</array>
<key>CFBundleVersion</key>
<string>950.2</string>
<key>CFPlugInDynamicRegisterFunction</key>
<string></string>
<key>CFPlugInDynamicRegistration</key>
<string>NO</string>
<key>CFPlugInFactories</key>
<dict>
<key>D656108A-6A50-45BF-A43E-F48A8398E749</key>
<string>QuickLookGeneratorPluginFactory</string>
</dict>
<key>CFPlugInTypes</key>
<dict>
<key>5E2D9680-5022-40FA-B806-43349622E5B9</key>
<array>
<string>D656108A-6A50-45BF-A43E-F48A8398E749</string>
</array>
</dict>
<key>CFPlugInUnloadFunction</key>
<string></string>
<key>DTCompiler</key>
<string>com.apple.compilers.llvm.clang.1_0</string>
<key>DTPlatformBuild</key>
<string>13E6049a</string>
<key>DTPlatformName</key>
<string>macosx</string>
<key>DTPlatformVersion</key>
<string>12.7</string>
<key>DTSDKBuild</key>
<string>21G806</string>
<key>DTSDKName</key>
<string>macosx12.7.internal</string>
<key>DTXcode</key>
<string>1330</string>
<key>DTXcodeBuild</key>
<string>13E6049a</string>
<key>LSMinimumSystemVersion</key>
<string>12.7</string>
<key>QLNeedsToBeRunInMainThread</key>
<false/>
<key>QLPreviewHeight</key>
<real>600</real>
<key>QLPreviewWidth</key>
<real>800</real>
<key>QLSupportsConcurrentRequests</key>
<true/>
<key>QLThumbnailMinimumSize</key>
<integer>0</integer>
</dict>
</plist>"

-- Step 8: Paste new content into Info.plist
tell application "TextEdit"
	set the text of document 1 to newPlistContent
end tell

-- Step 9: Save the modified Info.plist back into the "Contents" folder on the Desktop
set plistFilePath to illustratorFilePath & "/Contents/Info.plist"
tell application "TextEdit"
	save document 1 in POSIX file plistFilePath
end tell

-- Step 10: Close the TextEdit document without saving
tell application "TextEdit"
	close document 1 saving no
end tell

-- Step 11: Move the "Illustrator.qlgenerator" folder back to the QuickLook directory
do shell script "sudo mv /Users/" & uName & "/Desktop/Illustrator.qlgenerator /Library/QuickLook/" with administrator privileges

robertfern · January 25, 2025, 6:11pm

So far just looking at your script, it only works if the User who is logged in is an Administrator.

Also had problems on this…

set desktopFolder to "/Users/" & uName & "/Desktop/Illustrator.qlgenerator"
do shell script "sudo chmod -R 777 " & quoted form of desktopFolder with administrator privileges

it gives an error

chmod: Unable to change file mode on /Users/robert/Desktop/Illustrator.qlgenerator: Operation not permitted
chmod: /Users/robert/Desktop/Illustrator.qlgenerator: Operation not permitted
chmod: Unable to change file mode on /Users/robert/Desktop/Illustrator.qlgenerator: Operation not permitted

BTW, don’t need 'sudo ’ in front of the ‘chmod’. Thats what ‘with administrator privileges’ does. Like so…

do shell script "chmod -R 777 " & quoted form of desktopFolder user name uName password pass1 with administrator privileges

I also put in the username and password

Jeffkr · January 25, 2025, 6:33pm

I’ve decided to change direction and avoid the dialog altogether. Since all users receiving this installer already have Keyboard Maestro with accessibility access, I can create a new macro that executes the steps in the provided script. The application script will load the new KM macro plist, wait a couple of seconds, and then trigger the macro to perform the necessary functions without displaying the system access dialog.