I have installed Xcode 12.2 from the App Store. (I am using Big Sur 11.0.1).
I would like to use the XVim2 plugin for Xcode. In order to use the the XVim2 plugin, the Xcode app must be re-signed with a self-signed certificate. Since, re-signing the app will replace the original signature, I would like to keep 2 copies of the Xcode app- the original one signed by Apple and a copy which has been re-signed by me.
I tried to copy the Xcode app by performing the following steps-
- Open Finder and go to /Applications
- Copy Xcode.app
- Go to ~/Desktop and paste the app
- Rename the Xcode.app file in Desktop to XcodeVim.app
- Move the XcodeVim.app file to /Applications
After these steps, if I try to open the Xcode.app or the XcodeVim.app, the apps do not respond. The activity monitor shows that a process called XProtectService uses a lot of CPU when I try to open the apps.
Is there any way to copy the Xcode app which is installed from the App Store?
P.S.-
I do not face this issue if I use the .xip file downloaded from https://developer.apple.com . I can make copies of the Xcode app and use them concurrently. However, I cannot use the .xip file from Apple Developer website as it does not support delta updates while App Store supports delta updates.
Best Answer
It's possible that modifying Xcode in this way is triggering macOS's built-in security features.
However, there are two easy ways to make a copy of the original app.
Compress the Xcode.app into a zip file.
A copy of the original Xcode will be saved as part of your backup, which you are already maintaining for reasons that include restoring modified apps.