34 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
34 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
# Clawdis macOS XPC architecture (Dec 2025)
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## Goals
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- Single GUI app instance that owns all TCC-facing work (notifications, screen recording, mic, speech, AppleScript).
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- A small surface for automation: the `clawdis-mac` CLI and the Node relay talk to the app via a local XPC channel.
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- Predictable permissions: always the same signed bundle ID, launched by launchd, so TCC grants stick.
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- Limit who can connect: only signed clients from our team (with a same-UID fallback for development).
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## How it works
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- The app registers a Mach service named `com.steipete.clawdis.xpc` via a user LaunchAgent at `~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.steipete.clawdis.plist`.
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- The launch agent runs `dist/Clawdis.app/Contents/MacOS/Clawdis` with `RunAtLoad=true`, `KeepAlive=false`, and a `MachServices` entry for the XPC name.
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- The app hosts the XPC listener (`NSXPCListener(machServiceName:)`) and exports `ClawdisXPCService`.
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- The CLI (`clawdis-mac`) connects with `NSXPCConnection(machServiceName:)`; the Node relay shells out to the CLI.
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- Security: on incoming connections we read the audit token (or PID) and allow only:
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- Code-signed clients with team ID `Y5PE65HELJ`; or
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- Same-UID processes (fallback to avoid blocking local dev).
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## Operational flows
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- Restart/rebuild: `SIGN_IDENTITY="Apple Development: Peter Steinberger (2ZAC4GM7GD)" scripts/restart-mac.sh`
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- Kills existing instances
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- Swift build + package
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- Writes/bootstraps/kickstarts the LaunchAgent
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- CLI version: `clawdis-mac --version` (pulled from `package.json` during packaging)
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- Single instance: app exits early if another instance with the same bundle ID is running.
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## Why launchd (not anonymous endpoints)
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- A Mach service avoids brittle endpoint handoffs and lets the CLI/Node connect even if the app was started by launchd.
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- RunAtLoad without KeepAlive means the app starts once; if it crashes it stays down (no unwanted respawn), but CLI calls will re-spawn via launchd.
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## Hardening notes
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- Audit-token check currently allows same-UID fallback; to lock down further, remove that fallback and require the team ID match.
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- All communication remains local-only; no network sockets are exposed.
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- TCC prompts originate only from the GUI app bundle; run scripts/package-mac-app.sh so the signed bundle ID stays stable.
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