CODEWITHSUNDEEP
xcodemacosxcode9.2
Quack
Quack

Reputation: 25

How to run a macOS app as root and use system calls?

I'm trying to run the setpriority command from my macOS app (objective-c). It never works and I'm assuming it is because the app is not being run as the root user.

Xcode version 9.2 (9C40b)

I would appreciate any help, thanks!

Upvotes: 1

Views: 3887

Answers (2)

Charles Srstka
Charles Srstka

Reputation: 17040

It's not recommended to run GUI apps on macOS as root. Instead, you should factor out the part of your application which needs root access into a separate helper tool, launch that tool as root using the SMJobBless() function, and then communicate with the tool using XPC.

Apple provides the EvenBetterAuthorizationSample example code to give a pretty good basic framework to work from.

EDIT: I decided to make my own authorization sample project a while ago that should be a little easier to use than the venerable EvenBetterAuthorizationSample. You can check it out at CSAuthSample.

Upvotes: 1

TheNextman
TheNextman

Reputation: 12566

You want to run as root, or you want to run with sudo? There's a difference. Running as root is definitely not recommended, you will get strange behaviour from the system.

You wrote:

I've tried opening the app with sudo

That should work. How have you tried? You need to call the binary within the .app bundle. Running open against the bundle won't work.

e.g.

sudo ./Xcode.app/Contents/MacOS/Xcode

Upvotes: 2

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