My macOS app+helper is not in the "System Preferences/Login Item/Allow Background" list

Question

I created a macOS app that can run in foreground (NSApplicationActivationPolicyRegular) and in background (NSApplicationActivationPolicyAccessory) and can be launched by an Helper (Login Item) and run in background. I use XCode 15.3 (15E204a) on macOS 14.2.1 on a MacBook Pro 16", 2019, 2,3 GHz Intel Core i9 8 core.

I archive my app, I notarize it for direct distribution then I save it to the /Applications folder. Then I delete my Debug app from …/Xcode/DerivedData/MyApp-dal…xu/Build/Products/Debug so I am sure I have one only copy of my app on the disk.

I firstly launch my app as NSApplicationActivationPolicyRegular then I select my menu item "Set the app as Login Item". So I call

SMAppService *service = [SMAppService loginItemServiceWithIdentifier:@"com.mydomain.Helper"];

I get a

service.status == SMAppServiceStatusNotFound

So I am stuck. I notice that my app doesn't show up in the System Preferences/Login Items/ "Allow Background" list. So on Terminal I run the command

sudo sfltool resetbtm

Now the "Allow Background" apps list is empty. Then I reboot. All the apps listed in "Allow Background" list reappear and are all turned "on". I turn them back off. My app is on the list too (turned "on" too). I leave it on. Now I can launch my app as NSApplicationActivationPolicyRegular, select again my menu item "Set the app as Login Item" and call

SMAppService *service = [SMAppService loginItemServiceWithIdentifier:@"com.domain.Helper"];

Now I get a

service.status == SMAppServiceStatusEnabled

so I install the NSStatusItem and switch to background (NSApplicationActivationPolicyAccessory). I can logout and login and my app gets properly launched by the Helper and run in background. Everything works well.

I guess I miss something, because I think this is not the way to distribute my app to the customers. I can't ask my customers to run the Terminal command sudo sfltool resetbtm, reboot then turn back "off" all the unwanted apps from the "Allow Background" list then turn my app "on".

Furthermore, if I delete my app, it disappears from the "Allow Background" apps list, then if I copy it back to the /Applications folder, it doesn't show up yet in the "Allow Background" apps list. I have to invoke again the sudo sfltool resetbtm Terminal command, reboot… to see it in that list. I tried on 3 machines with macOS 14.2.1. Same result.

I have read several articles and posts about NSApplicationActivationPolicyAccessory, SMAppService, but I didn't find my case. The Info.plist file of the Helper properly contains

<key>LSBackgroundOnly</key><true/>
<key>LSUIElement</key><true/>

• What do I miss?

• Why my app doesn't show up in the "Allow Background" apps list when I simply copy it within the /Applications folder?