Many users, including myself, have noticed the core functionality of the app breaks when the app is upgraded, be it via homebrew, or via the.pkg installer.

This issue is identified in two ways:

1. The app being unable to load the user's workspaces, i.e. if this message is displayed when the logged in user certainly owns workspaces. Restarting Coder Connect does not fix it, and typically neither does merely restarting the app.

2. Coder Connect cannot be started, with an error citing the app is not open (and that it must be open during first-time setup).

Both of these issues have the same root cause - the System Network Extension process is unable to communicate with the Coder Desktop application overmacOS'XPC.

In the first case, no XPC connection exists to communicate the list of connected workspaces.
In the second case, no XPC connection exists to instruct the app to prompt the user forsudo, in order to mark the.dylib downloaded from the Coder server as safe to execute.

Multiple users on the Apple developer forums have reported this issue in recency:
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/711713
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/667597
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/742992
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/728063

Attempts to fix, based off thread responses:

• Switched to a.pkg installer from a.dmg (fix(build): switch to pkg based installer #92)
• As part of the.pkg preinstall: Stopping Coder Connect, shutting down the app, deleting the app (which deletes the network extension)
• As part of the.pkg postinstall: Forcing macOS to ingest the App bundle's notarization ticket usingspctl --assess. (chore(pkgbuild): delete existing app during preinstall,spctl --assess during postinstall #112)
• EnsuringNSXPCListener.resume() is called afterautoreleasepool { NEProvider.startSystemExtensionMode() }

Apple Feedback Assistant

https://feedbackassistant.apple.com/feedback/17032197

(Private link, I believe)

Apple Developer Forum

https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/779395

Workaround

However, if a user encounters this issue on upgrade, the fix is relatively straightforward. Unfortunately, due to macOS security decisions, it's not possible for the app to automate these steps in totality.

macOS <=14

1. Delete the application from/Applications
2. Restart your device

macOS 15+

1. OpenSystem Settings
2. SelectGeneral
3. SelectLogin Items & Extensions
4. Scroll down, and click the(i) forNetwork Extensions
5. Select the(...) next to Coder Desktop, selectDelete Extension, and follow the prompts.

This issue is a successor to#83.