macOS Intel-App can be started from terminal and from spotlight search, but not via double-click or launchpad

[gernophil]

Hey,
this is a follow-up from this discussion, but it's not directly related. We are still not able to generate a signed x86_64 app from noScribe, but leaving it unsigned and allow it manually is currently a doable workaround. This worked till the last release (0.5), but now we made a major update (0.6), which works as a Python script for arm64 and x86_64 without issues. After packing it using PyInstaller it still works for arm64, but for x86_64 it shows a weird behavior. We can't start the app using a double click, but we can start it using the terminal:

cd /Applications # it seems to be important to start it with /Applications set as wd
open noScribe.app

We can also start it by searching it via the spotlight search (cmd+space) and executing it. Of course, we did some googling, but nothing seems to work. Do you have any idea, what could be causing this? Might this be a macOS bug?

Here are some log excerpts (I can share the full one, if that necessary:
Crash report:

...
Notes:
PC register does not match crashing frame (0x0 vs 0x7FF89D202A84)

Crashed Thread:        0  Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread

Exception Type:        EXC_CRASH (SIGABRT)
Exception Codes:       0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000

Termination Reason:    Namespace SIGNAL, Code 6 Abort trap: 6
Terminating Process:   noScribe [1946]

Application Specific Information:
abort() called


Error Formulating Crash Report:
PC register does not match crashing frame (0x0 vs 0x7FF89D202A84)
...

Stream log:

...
error            17:19:59.727818+0100              noScribe             *** Assertion failure in <private>, NSMenuItem.m:565
standard      17:19:59.729310+0100              noScribe             *** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInternalInconsistencyException', reason: 'Invalid parameter not satisfying: aString != nil'
...
error            17:19:59.729348+0100              noScribe             An uncaught exception was raised
error            17:19:59.729407+0100              noScribe             Invalid parameter not satisfying: aString != nil
error            17:19:59.729496+0100              noScribe             (
      ...
)
problem          17:19:59.730837+0100              noScribe             FAULT: NSInternalInconsistencyException: <private>; <private>
...

[rokm]

cd /Applications # it seems to be important to start it with /Applications set as wd

What happens if you don't?

[gernophil]

Usually difference in behavior w.r.t. terminal vs Finder points to use of some environment variable that is not present in the second case. Can you think of anything like that in your codebase?

Not really. We always set the app path using app_dir = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__)) and then always use relative paths to app_dir. Also, it's the same code for arm64 and x86_64, so, if it was a path issue, both archs should have it, don't you think?

[rokm]

Also, it's the same code for arm64 and x86_64, so, if it was a path issue, both archs should have it, don't you think?

Hmm, that is a good point. Unless there's a subtle difference in rosetta2 vs native? I guess this could be verified by dumping the environment in both builds, either before your program crashes, or in a dedicated test program.

Do you have an estimate at what point the program crashes - it is a specific import or part of the code, or does it happen in the bootloader, before the program code is reached?

[gernophil]

Still trying to find the faulty line of code, because I always have to rebuild after changing something. Couldn't identify it yet, but I'll keep trying.

Do you know of any updates for Rosetta2 that have been released recently. I don't find any information on the version or a changelog for it. I doubt it's still the same as it was when the Silicon chips where released for the first time.

[rokm]

Do you know of any updates for Rosetta2 that have been released recently. I don't find any information on the version or a changelog for it. I doubt it's still the same as it was when the Silicon chips where released for the first time.

I don't, sorry. I wouldn't be surprised if things changed to a greater extent between macOS 14 and 15, though.

[bwoodsend]

You can confirm/reject the environment variable theory by launching your application from a terminal via:

env -i /Applications/appname.app/Contents/MacOS/appname