macos // gatekeeper

macOS Installation

The native Polarity-MD macOS builds are currently not Apple-signed, so Gatekeeper may block them on first launch. This page shows safe, step-by-step ways to allow the plugin.

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Why macOS blocks it

Gatekeeper is Apple's security layer for downloaded software. It helps prevent unknown apps from running silently. Since the current Polarity-MD builds are unsigned developer builds, macOS flags them until you explicitly allow them.

Important: only bypass Gatekeeper for files downloaded from the official Polarity-MD source.

Method 1: System Settings (Recommended)

This is the safest approach because it only approves the blocked item instead of disabling Gatekeeper globally.

  1. Install Polarity-MD to your plugin folder (VST3, AU, or CLAP).
  2. Open your DAW and trigger a plugin scan or load Polarity-MD once.
  3. When macOS blocks it, open System Settings and go to Privacy & Security.
  4. Scroll to the Security section and click Open Anyway for Polarity-MD.
  5. Confirm the prompt, then reopen your DAW and rescan plugins.

Method 2: Right-click Open

This can whitelist the item after a manual confirmation.

  1. In Finder, locate the plugin bundle, for example Polarity-MD.vst3 or Polarity-MD.component.
  2. Right-click the file and choose Open.
  3. Click Open in the warning dialog.
  4. Relaunch your DAW and rescan plugins.

If Finder does not give a useful Open flow for your plugin format, use Method 1 or Method 3.

Method 3: Terminal (Advanced)

Remove quarantine attributes from the plugin bundle or file.

# System-wide install paths (requires sudo)
sudo xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Polarity-MD.vst3"
sudo xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Polarity-MD.component"
sudo xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP/Polarity-MD.clap"

# User install paths (no sudo)
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "$HOME/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Polarity-MD.vst3"
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "$HOME/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Polarity-MD.component"
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "$HOME/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP/Polarity-MD.clap"

Then relaunch your DAW and run a plugin rescan.

Method 4: Disable Gatekeeper globally (Not recommended)

This affects your whole system, not just this plugin. Prefer the methods above.

# Disable Gatekeeper globally
sudo spctl --master-disable

# Re-enable Gatekeeper globally
sudo spctl --master-enable

Troubleshooting

Problem What to do
No "Open Anyway" button appears Try loading the plugin once first, then return to Privacy & Security. macOS only shows this after a block event.
DAW still loads an older build Remove older Polarity-MD copies from the plugin folders you use, then rescan so the host picks up the current native build.
Still blocked after allowing once Clear quarantine with xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine ..., then restart the DAW and rescan.
Plugin does not show in DAW Confirm the file is in the correct plugin folder and trigger a full plugin rescan in the DAW.
Only one format works (VST3 / AU / CLAP) Remove quarantine for each installed format separately because each bundle has its own attribute.

Quick Verify

# Check whether quarantine attribute is still present
xattr "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Polarity-MD.vst3"

# Check user folder variant
xattr "$HOME/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Polarity-MD.vst3"

If you no longer see com.apple.quarantine and the DAW scan succeeds, installation is complete.