macgo

A Go library for building macOS applications with proper permissions, entitlements, and bundle structure.

Overview

macgo simplifies the process of creating macOS applications in Go by automatically handling:

• App bundle creation and management
• Permission requests (camera, microphone, files, etc.)
• Code signing (ad-hoc and Developer ID)
• Entitlements and sandboxing
• TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) integration

Installation

go get github.com/tmc/macgo

Quick Start

package main

import (
    "log"
    "github.com/tmc/macgo"
)

func main() {
    // Request camera permission with automatic app bundle creation
    err := macgo.Request(macgo.Camera)
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }

    // Your application code here
}

Core Features

Simple Permission Requests

Request macOS permissions with a single function call:

// Request single permission
macgo.Request(macgo.Camera)

// Request multiple permissions
macgo.Request(macgo.Camera, macgo.Microphone, macgo.Files)

Automatic Bundle Creation

macgo automatically creates a proper .app bundle structure with:

• Info.plist with required metadata
• Entitlements for requested permissions
• Proper executable location
• App icons (if provided)

Code Signing Support

Built-in support for code signing:

// Ad-hoc signing (development)
cfg := macgo.NewConfig().
    WithAppName("MyApp").
    WithAdHocSign()

// Developer ID signing (distribution)
cfg := macgo.NewConfig().
    WithAppName("MyApp").
    WithAutoSign() // Auto-detects Developer ID

Environment Configuration

Configure via environment variables:

MACGO_APP_NAME=MyApp          # Application name
MACGO_BUNDLE_ID=com.example   # Bundle identifier
MACGO_AD_HOC_SIGN=1          # Enable ad-hoc signing
MACGO_AUTO_SIGN=1             # Auto-detect signing identity
MACGO_DEBUG=1                 # Debug output

Available Permissions

• Camera (macgo.Camera) - Camera access
• Microphone (macgo.Microphone) - Microphone access
• Location (macgo.Location) - Location services
• Files (macgo.Files) - File system access
• Network (macgo.Network) - Network connections
• Sandbox (macgo.Sandbox) - App sandboxing

Advanced Usage

Custom Configuration

cfg := macgo.NewConfig().
    WithAppName("MyApp").
    WithBundleID("com.example.myapp").
    WithPermissions(macgo.Camera, macgo.Microphone).
    WithAppGroups("group.com.example.shared").
    WithDebug()

err := macgo.Start(cfg)

Auto Packages

Import auto packages for automatic configuration:

import (
    _ "github.com/tmc/macgo/auto/media"   // Camera + Microphone
    _ "github.com/tmc/macgo/auto/adhoc"   // Ad-hoc signing
    "github.com/tmc/macgo"
)

func main() {
    // Permissions and signing are pre-configured
    macgo.Request()
}

Package Structure

• macgo - Core library and main API
• bundle/ - App bundle creation and management
• codesign/ - Code signing utilities
• permissions/ - Permission definitions and validation
• teamid/ - Team ID detection for signing
• auto/ - Auto-configuration packages
• examples/ - Example applications
• internal/ - Internal implementation packages

Examples

See the examples/ directory for complete examples:

• getting-started - Basic usage
• camera-mic - Media permissions
• desktop-list - File access
• code-signing - Signing examples
• sandboxed-file-exec - Sandboxed file access

Requirements

• Go 1.21 or later
• macOS 11.0 or later
• Xcode Command Line Tools (for code signing)

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Acknowledgments

This library leverages macOS native frameworks and tools to provide seamless integration with the operating system's security model.