Are apps that use LSUIElement in their plist causing google account problems

applicationsplistpreferences

I've noticed a pattern with some apps not logging into my Google account when they are hidden. After some digging, I think I have identified a common thread – the LSUIElement which is basically a flag telling Mac OS X to not show an "agent" app in the dock.

Many things that I always keep open (RSS, Mail, etc) I will hide from the dock by using the LSUIElement key in the app's Info.plist. But, for some reason, I noticed this causes login problems.

My two problem apps in heavy use, Sparrow for email, Reeder for RSS work fine when not hidden. When I hide them, they fail to log in to my Google account.

  1. What might be causing this?
  2. Can I prevent it?
  3. If #2 is no, is there an alternative to LSUIElement?

Best Answer

Modifying the Info.plist of an app usually invalidates its code signature, so it's not allowed to access the keychain automatically.

You can see if the code signature is valid with for example codesign -vv /Applications/Sparrow.app. An invalid signature can be replaced with sudo codesign -f -s - /Applications/Sparrow.app.