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Getting Started

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npond edited this page Aug 26, 2026 · 1 revision

Getting Started

Install

Build a Release copy and put it in /Applications:

DEVELOPER_DIR=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer \
  xcodebuild -project MXRouteManager.xcodeproj -scheme MXRouteManager \
  -configuration Release -derivedDataPath /tmp/mxrm-release build
cp -R /tmp/mxrm-release/Build/Products/Release/MXRouteManager.app /Applications/
open /Applications/MXRouteManager.app

The app is LSUIElement: no Dock icon, no Cmd-Tab entry. Look for the envelope icon in the menu bar. (In Finder, the app bundle shows the blue/indigo envelope-and-arrow icon.)

First run

An unconfigured launch shows a welcome panel with the three setup steps:

  1. Create an API key at panel.mxroute.com/api-keys.php. The same page shows your server hostname (e.g. something.mxrouting.net) and DirectAdmin username.
  2. Press Open Settings….
  3. Enter server hostname and username, paste the API key into the secure field, and press Save to Keychain. The field clears immediately — the key is never displayed again.

Press Test Connection to confirm: it reports the number of domains on your account, or the decoded MXRoute error if something's wrong.

Creating a forwarder

Click the menu bar icon → pick a Domain → type the Alias (just the part before @; a live preview shows the full address, with inline validation) → pick Forward to (a mailbox on that domain) → Create Forwarder (or press Return). A confirmation shows the full route, e.g. sales@example.com → me@example.com. Create Another clears the alias and keeps your domain/destination for rapid entry.

The app remembers your last-used domain across launches, and caches domain/mailbox lists while it runs — repeat creates are near-instant.

Keychain behavior (worth knowing)

  • The key is stored as a generic password: service MXRouteManager, account api-key, in your login keychain (visible in Keychain Access.app).
  • The app checks whether a key exists using an attributes-only query — launching the app never reads the secret, so launch never prompts.
  • The secret is read only when a request actually needs it. The first API call from any newly built/signed binary triggers one macOS Keychain prompt — click Always Allow ("Allow" would re-prompt every time). Rebuilding the app or copying it to a new path counts as a new binary.
  • Remove in Settings deletes the key from the Keychain; the Test Connection and Create buttons disable until a key is saved again.

MXRouteManager

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