Mac Media Key Forwarder 4.0.0
This is a major update that revives the app for current macOS. It is rewritten in Swift, fixes the freeze on macOS Tahoe, and is now signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple.
Highlights
- Fixed the macOS Tahoe freeze. The menu and the app no longer become unresponsive. The app could previously show as "Not Responding" and in some cases interfere with keyboard and mouse input. Thanks to @tom-un for the diagnosis.
- Signed and notarized. The app launches without Gatekeeper warnings.
- Rewritten in Swift. The whole code base was migrated from Objective-C.
- Modern launch at login using SMAppService.
- Warning-free build with no deprecated APIs.
Important notes before you update
- Minimum macOS is now Tahoe (26). If you are on an older system, stay on 3.1.2.
- New bundle identifier (
com.quentinlesceller.macmediakeyforwarder). Because macOS ties permissions to the identity of the app, after updating you may need to grant Accessibility and Automation permissions once more. See the README for the steps.
Permissions
The app needs two permissions:
- Accessibility, to read the media keys on your keyboard.
- Automation, to tell Apple Music and Spotify to play, pause, or skip. This is why macOS shows an automation prompt the first time you press a media key. The app only sends standard playback commands and nothing else.
Issues addressed
- Freeze and unresponsiveness on macOS Tahoe (#26, #29, #30)
- App will not launch / Gatekeeper blocks it / no menu bar icon (#23, #31)
- Explanation of the Automation (osascript) prompt (#21)
Install
- Download
MacMediaKeyForwarder.dmgbelow, open it, and drag the app to the Applications folder. - Launch it. When prompted, grant Accessibility in System Settings > Privacy & Security, then allow Automation for Music and Spotify the first time you press a media key.
Verify the download
shasum -a 256 MacMediaKeyForwarder.dmg
# 2646853c124f2c46f294334144569fff628fad829346f4f1a39ad1b5d3189f23
Contributors
tom-un