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macOS Notarization

Notarization is Apple's security service that scans your app for malicious software before distribution. Starting with macOS 10.15 (Catalina), apps distributed outside the Mac App Store must be notarized or Gatekeeper will block them.

Notarization vs. Code Signing​

These are two separate steps, both required:

StepWhat it doesRequired since
Code signingProves the app came from you and wasn't modifiedmacOS 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
NotarizationApple scans your app for malware; issues a ticketmacOS 10.15 (Catalina)
StaplingAttaches the notarization ticket to the app bundleRecommended (enables offline verification)

electron-builder handles all three steps automatically when configured.

Prerequisites​

Before notarizing, you need:

  1. An active Apple Developer Program membership ($99/year)
  2. A Developer ID Application certificate (not Mac App Store)
  3. Hardened Runtime enabled in your build configuration
  4. Required entitlements set (see below)
  5. Authentication credentials (Apple ID + app-specific password, or API key)

Enabling Notarization​

mac:
  notarize: true
  hardenedRuntime: true
  entitlements: build/entitlements.mac.plist
  entitlementsInherit: build/entitlements.mac.inherit.plist

Authentication — Option A: Apple ID​

Create an app-specific password at appleid.apple.com (do not use your Apple ID password directly).

Set these environment variables:

APPLE_ID=you@example.com
APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD=xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx
APPLE_TEAM_ID=ABCDE12345

Authentication — Option B: App Store Connect API Key (Recommended for CI)​

API keys don't expire and don't require two-factor authentication, making them ideal for CI.

  1. Go to App Store Connect → Users and Access → Keys
  2. Create a new key with "Developer" role
  3. Download the .p8 file (only downloadable once)
  4. Note the Key ID and Issuer ID

Then set the following environment variables:

# base64-encode the .p8 file for use as a CI secret
APPLE_API_KEY=<base64-encoded-p8-content>
APPLE_API_KEY_ID=KEYID
APPLE_API_ISSUER=your-issuer-id
APPLE_TEAM_ID=ABCDE12345

Authentication — Option C: Keychain Profile​

If credentials are stored in a named keychain profile on the build machine:

APPLE_KEYCHAIN=login.keychain
APPLE_KEYCHAIN_PROFILE=my-notarization-profile
APPLE_TEAM_ID=ABCDE12345

This method is mainly useful for local development. Option B (API Key) is recommended for CI — it doesn't expire and avoids two-factor authentication prompts.

Hardened Runtime Requirements​

Notarization requires Hardened Runtime (hardenedRuntime: true). This restricts what your app process can do unless you explicitly declare entitlements.

Electron requires at minimum:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
  <key>com.apple.security.cs.allow-jit</key>
  <true/>
  <key>com.apple.security.cs.allow-unsigned-executable-memory</key>
  <true/>
</dict>
</plist>

Save this as build/entitlements.mac.plist.

For the inherit entitlements file (build/entitlements.mac.inherit.plist), use the same content — it applies to child processes (helper processes, renderer, etc.).

Common Entitlements​

EntitlementWhen Needed
com.apple.security.cs.allow-jitRequired by Electron (V8 JIT)
com.apple.security.cs.allow-unsigned-executable-memoryRequired by some Electron versions
com.apple.security.cs.disable-library-validationWhen loading third-party frameworks or plugins
com.apple.security.network.clientOutbound network access
com.apple.security.network.serverIncoming connections
com.apple.security.files.user-selected.read-writeRead/write files the user selects
com.apple.security.files.downloads.read-writeRead/write the Downloads folder
com.apple.security.device.cameraCamera access
com.apple.security.device.microphoneMicrophone access
com.apple.security.personal-information.locationLocation services

Notarization in GitHub Actions​

jobs:
  build-mac:
    runs-on: macos-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Build, sign, and notarize
        run: npx electron-builder --mac
        env:
          CSC_LINK: ${{ secrets.MAC_CSC_LINK }}
          CSC_KEY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MAC_CSC_KEY_PASSWORD }}
          APPLE_ID: ${{ secrets.APPLE_ID }}
          APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD }}
          APPLE_TEAM_ID: ${{ secrets.APPLE_TEAM_ID }}
          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Required GitHub Secrets​

SecretValue
MAC_CSC_LINKBase64-encoded .p12 certificate
MAC_CSC_KEY_PASSWORDCertificate password
APPLE_IDYour Apple ID email
APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORDApp-specific password from appleid.apple.com
APPLE_TEAM_IDYour 10-character team ID (e.g., ABCDE12345)

How Stapling Works​

After notarization, Apple returns a "ticket" that confirms your app was approved. electron-builder automatically staples this ticket to the app bundle — meaning the notarization check can succeed even without an internet connection.

Stapling is performed automatically when notarize: true. You don't need to configure anything extra.

Testing Notarization​

After building, verify the notarization status:

# Check Gatekeeper assessment (simulates what macOS does on first launch)
spctl --assess --verbose --type exec dist/mac/MyApp.app

# Should output:
# dist/mac/MyApp.app: accepted
# source=Notarized Developer ID

# Check that the stapling ticket is attached
xcrun stapler validate dist/mac/MyApp.app
# Should output: The validate action worked!

# Check code signature
codesign --verify --deep --strict --verbose=2 dist/mac/MyApp.app

Troubleshooting​

"The software certificate used to sign this application is not trusted on this machine" : Your Developer ID certificate is not in the system keychain or hasn't been trusted. On CI, ensure the keychain setup step completed correctly and that you ran security set-key-partition-list.

Notarization hangs indefinitely : Apple's notarization service may be slow. electron-builder polls for completion. If it consistently times out, check your network connection and Apple's developer system status.

"Package Invalid: the binary is not signed with a valid Developer ID certificate" : You used a Mac App Store certificate for direct distribution, or vice versa. Direct distribution requires a "Developer ID Application" certificate, not "Apple Distribution."

"App can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software" : Notarization succeeded but the app wasn't stapled, or the user opened the app before stapling completed. Run xcrun stapler validate to check. Rebuild with electron-builder to get a properly stapled app.

"com.apple.security.cs.allow-jit entitlement required" : Add the JIT entitlement to your entitlements.mac.plist. See the entitlements section above.

Notarization rejected: "The executable does not have the Hardened Runtime enabled" : Set hardenedRuntime: true in your mac configuration.

"Invalid Info.plist (plist or signature have wrong format)" : All binaries inside the app bundle must be signed. This often happens with third-party native modules or bundled binaries. Ensure asarUnpack is set for any .node files and that all binaries are signed before creating the final distributable. Use a custom afterSign hook if you need to sign additional binaries.