Fix for plugin "cannot be opened because developer cannot be verified" error

[James Steele]

So I was trying to load a plug-in called Sonicrusher by a small independent developer. and was getting this security error. Came across the most effective solution I've found to date in this YouTube video... skip ahead to 3:41 in embedded YouTube below to get to the useful part:




OR open it up a new browser window which will open the video to the correct spot using this link:
https://youtu.be/S-FH9Tlkj5M?t=221


Or it you just want to read the crib notes version— here you go...

Just go find the plugin that "cannot be opened" in the Finder. Open the Terminal. Position the Finder window next to the Terminal window.

In Terminal type:

xattr <-- include a space after xattr

Then go to the Finder window and then drag the plugin into Terminal and drop it just behind "xattr " and Terminal will autofill the path to that file for you. You can then hit Enter and it will show if it's being quarantined. If that's the case, Terminal will respond with "com.apple.quarantine"

To undo the quarantine so the plugin can be validated...

In Terminal type:

sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine <-- include a space after quarantine

Again, drag the plugin into Terminal and drop it just behind "quarantine " to autofill the path to the plugin and hit Enter. Then enter your password when prompted.

That's it. MacOS should stop blocking that plug-in from being loaded. It should no longer cause an error during DP's plugin examination.

[bayswater]

Where were you seeing this error? From what app, etc? I asked because I installed this plugin yesterday, and had no issues in DP. But after I installed it, I started getting an error in Logic with the AU scan app crashing. The error log seemed to say it was something to do with MachFive, but that worked OK.

Maybe it was this plugin that upset Logic.

[James Steele]

Where were you seeing this error? From what app, etc? I asked because I installed this plugin yesterday, and had no issues in DP. But after I installed it, I started getting an error in Logic with the AU scan app crashing. The error log seemed to say it was something to do with MachFive, but that worked OK.

Maybe it was this plugin that upset Logic.

It probably was the plugin that upset Logic. I think Logic Pro blacklisted it on my machine. Flat out won't validate it, yet DP seems to be fine with it, which is the opposite of what I usually see.

But yeah... when I first launched DP after installing Sonicrusher, and was examining plug-ins, it seemed to trigger a dialog from MacOS saying that it could not be opened. In the past, and this time too... I've been able to just let the dialog stay there for a moment and then open System Prefs > Security & Privacy and click that button that pops up that says to allow it to load... but there's a dance back and forth and you can get stuck in a loop going back and forth between DP and System Prefs... I don't remember now. Been up for hours and I'm exhausted.

I somehow managed to get DP to validate and use the AU without having to use the Terminal... I don't remember exactly how now. However, I used AU in my example just because most DP users will probably be using the AU, and it's seems to be the most straightforward and reliable way to fix the issue. Where I had a real problem was getting the VS3 to pass muster with Cubase (hopefully I'm recalling this correctly). Using Terminal was the only solution for me in that case.

I don't know why I encountered it and you didn't. My system specs are in my sig. M1 Max Mac Studio on 12.6.2 Monterrey.

[bayswater]

I don't know why I encountered it and you didn't. My system specs are in my sig. M1 Max Mac Studio on 12.6.2 Monterrey.

Maybe because I’m still using macOS 10.14. I was using DP 11.21 and Logic 10.5. You probably have more security features in your setup.

[James Steele]

I don't know why I encountered it and you didn't. My system specs are in my sig. M1 Max Mac Studio on 12.6.2 Monterrey.

Maybe because I’m still using macOS 10.14. I was using DP 11.21 and Logic 10.5. You probably have more security features in your setup.

I think that's it. You're on Mojave and I think Apple really started locking things down and getting hardcore on the security aspect starting with Catalina. In fact now that I look at the thumbnail of the YouTube video I shared in my initial post, it even says "Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterrey." (Ventura probably wasn't released yet when that video was made.)

[mikehalloran]

There are a number of ways to open apps that give you this. Fortunately, once you’ve opened, you won’t get that message again.

I’ve never had a plug-in give me this grief, however. I’ll have to add that Terminal command sequence to my bag of stupid Mac tricks.

[James Steele]

I’ve never had a plug-in give me this grief, however. I’ll have to add that Terminal command sequence to my bag of stupid Mac tricks.

This is only the second time it's happened to me and the error is much like what happens when you install something like the UAD-2 software for the first time that installs an extension and you have to go into System Prefs > Security & Privacy and give it the okay.

I just checked and this particular plug had no actual installer. You unzip the archive and then manually drag each one of the various format plug in files to the proper location. Then when you launch DP and it examines the plug-in, that's when MacOS barks at you and gives you the "cannot be opened..." dialog.

I remember some other guy on YouTube had video with a much more awkward solution involving attempting to open the plug with Notepad (?) so that it would create the opportunity in the System Prefs > Security & Privacy panel to click "Allow" and proceed, but it was a hassle and a little dodgy.

[James Steele]

There are a number of ways to open apps that give you this. Fortunately, once you’ve opened, you won’t get that message again.

The one I'm most familiar with is the right-click the app and choose "open" method. That's become second nature to me now.

[cuttime]

How much effort does it take for a developer to register a plug with Apple? Does it cost them anything? I had this problem with a bunch of Full Bucket Music older plugs, but their newer plugs verify just fine.

https://developer.apple.com/support/ide ... ification/

[mikehalloran]

How much effort does it take for a developer to register a plug with Apple? Does it cost them anything? I had this problem with a bunch of Full Bucket Music older plugs, but their newer plugs verify just fine.

https://developer.apple.com/support/ide ... ification/

Besides engineering and testing time, one must be a Registered Apple Developer, usually $99 or $299 annually, depending on if an individual or company. Apple then has to Notarize and approve it which does not happen overnight—can take months.

[James Steele]

Just updating this quickly. There's a lot I didn't know and still don't know about Terminal. A much easier way to do this is. Just go find the plugin that "cannot be opened" in the Finder. Open the Terminal. Position the Finder window next to the Terminal window.

In Terminal type:

xattr <-- include a space after xattr

And then go to the Finder window and then drag the plugin into Terminal and drop it just behind "xattr " and Terminal will autofill the path to that file for you. You can then hit Enter and it will show if it's being quarantined.

To undo the quarantine so the plugin can be validated...

In Terminal type:

sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine

... then again, drag the plugin into Terminal and drop it just behind "quarantine " and hit Enter. Then enter your password when prompted. You can then validate the plugin.

This saves a lot of time navigating down into the plugin directories. I just updated the original post with this easier method.

[James Steele]

Oh... the above appears to work for apps as well that are quarantined. I downloaded a free VI called Minipol by Karanyi Sounds. It didn't come with an installer so not only did I have to do this for the AU and VST plugs, but also the standalone app.

[EMRR]

I was able to load all my legacy plugs on the M1 back to about 2010 with these methods

[James Steele]

I was able to load all my legacy plugs on the M1 back to about 2010 with these methods

That's good news! Yep, it seems like on newer versions of MacOS, if you attempt to just drag some random ".component" file (Audio Unit) into the Components folder without using a verified installer, the OS is going to block it and bark at you. This was the most reliable method I found of getting around that problem.

[mhschmieder]

Oh man, I missed this post earlier, maybe because it had been a few months since there was a response, until right AFTER my Ventura upgrade started causing this error on a couple of plug-ins. I'll have to look this over if I'm still getting the error, but I think I reinstalled those plugs and had success afterwards. My main issue seems to be IK Multimedia Registry Error.

Possibly related, I also got some errors on plug-ins whose installation time could not be verified, which was also fixed by a reinstall. So, I think these two specific problems, at least, probably just indicate a "bridge too far" to Ventura from whatever macOS version was installed at the time the plug-ins were first put on the computer.

I'll look over the work-through posted above, a bit later, and see if it matches anything I came across since my Sunday upgrade to Ventura.