Permissions causing hundreds of re-launches of AltTab

[jbbehar]

When the dumb MacOS re-prompts for permissions occur, if for some reason you don't get to both permissions in the same launch of the preferences panes, you get caught in a very high cpu, multiple launch situation where AltTab keeps re-launching and opening many instances of itself filling the top taskbar.

I would have taken a screenshot or a video, but the entire system became completely unresponsive and had to be force shut down.

Your environment

• AltTab version: 7.14.1
• macOS version: Sequoia 15.0
• Other relevant info: MacMini M2

[lwouis]

Hi,

Thank you for sharing this issue. It sounds terrible! I'm sorry this happened to you!

I'm afraid I don't know how to reproduce this issue. Could you please clarify what you mean by "MacOS re-prompts for permissions"?

MacOS introduced a new system with macOS 15.2: #3973. I notice that you're on 15.0, so I'm wondering what experience you're having.

Thank you 🙇

[jbbehar]

The typical MacOS permission request for the ability to record the screen and some other accessibility prompt. Those appear sort of stacked back-to-back when you get re-prompted once per month which is annoying to begin with. If for whatever reason these either lose focus or they don’t both get approved almost immediately after one another, that’s when this chronic re-launch of Alt-Tab apparently occurs. From: lwouis ***@***.***> Date: Monday, December 30, 2024 at 12:47 PM To: lwouis/alt-tab-macos ***@***.***> Cc: Jim-Barry Behar ***@***.***>, Author ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [lwouis/alt-tab-macos] Permissions causing hundreds of re-launches of AltTab (Issue #4039) Hi, Thank you for sharing this issue. It sounds terrible! I'm sorry this happened to you! I'm afraid I don't know how to reproduce this issue. Could you please clarify what you mean by "MacOS re-prompts for permissions"? MacOS introduced a new system with macOS 15.2: #3973<#3973>. I notice that you're on 15.0, so I'm wondering what experience you're having. Thank you 🙇 — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#4039 (comment)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AH42BME4XGVORWEJMIFCZET2IGBL5AVCNFSM6AAAAABUMJULDGVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDKNRVG42TSNZUGQ>. You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[jbbehar]

Maybe the easiest way to fix this is to prevent multiple instances of AltTab to begin with? If the process already exists, don’t allow the launch of another instance? Is that something feasible to do? From: Jim-Barry Behar ***@***.***> Date: Monday, December 30, 2024 at 12:49 PM To: lwouis/alt-tab-macos ***@***.***>, lwouis/alt-tab-macos ***@***.***> Cc: Author ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [lwouis/alt-tab-macos] Permissions causing hundreds of re-launches of AltTab (Issue #4039) The typical MacOS permission request for the ability to record the screen and some other accessibility prompt. Those appear sort of stacked back-to-back when you get re-prompted once per month which is annoying to begin with. If for whatever reason these either lose focus or they don’t both get approved almost immediately after one another, that’s when this chronic re-launch of Alt-Tab apparently occurs. From: lwouis ***@***.***> Date: Monday, December 30, 2024 at 12:47 PM To: lwouis/alt-tab-macos ***@***.***> Cc: Jim-Barry Behar ***@***.***>, Author ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [lwouis/alt-tab-macos] Permissions causing hundreds of re-launches of AltTab (Issue #4039) Hi, Thank you for sharing this issue. It sounds terrible! I'm sorry this happened to you! I'm afraid I don't know how to reproduce this issue. Could you please clarify what you mean by "MacOS re-prompts for permissions"? MacOS introduced a new system with macOS 15.2: #3973<#3973>. I notice that you're on 15.0, so I'm wondering what experience you're having. Thank you 🙇 — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#4039 (comment)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AH42BME4XGVORWEJMIFCZET2IGBL5AVCNFSM6AAAAABUMJULDGVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDKNRVG42TSNZUGQ>. You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[lwouis]

Thank you for your message

The typical MacOS permission request for the ability to record the screen and some other accessibility prompt

Are you talking about this dialog?

If not, could you please screenshot what you're seeing?

We could perhaps block multiple respawn. This was discussed in #1840. The context was a bit different, because it was about launch-at-login.

AltTab already has a mechanism to avoid launching multiple instances though. If you open it manually multiple times, from the /Applications folder or the Dock, it will show the preferences panel. It will not launch again.

So there is something about the macOS permission dialog that's uniquely a problem.

I wonder if the issue is that AltTab is trying to restart, so it creates a new instance, then tries to quit, but macOS is preventing the quit since there is a permission prompt? I've never been able to see the new prompt myself. The one that you mentions comes in every month. I wonder if there is a way to force it.

Thank you

[jbbehar]

If I remove the permission it will force the prompts to re-appear. From: lwouis ***@***.***> Date: Monday, December 30, 2024 at 1:02 PM To: lwouis/alt-tab-macos ***@***.***> Cc: Jim-Barry Behar ***@***.***>, Author ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [lwouis/alt-tab-macos] Permissions causing hundreds of re-launches of AltTab (Issue #4039) Thank you for your message The typical MacOS permission request for the ability to record the screen and some other accessibility prompt Are you talking about this dialog? https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/8194525/358745942-fe072c14-15c1-4dea-88ee-4574812c745b.jpg?jwt=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.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.IKsfqcBd6AtlhHv3a2gbPH_ZorQhDJNjJ6cffqqR97o If not, could you please screenshot what you're seeing? We could perhaps block multiple respawn. This was discussed in #1840<#1840>. The context was a bit different, because it was about launch-at-login. AltTab already has a mechanism to avoid launching multiple instances though. If you open it manually multiple times, from the /Applications folder or the Dock, it will show the preferences panel. It will not launch again. So there is something about the macOS permission dialog that's uniquely a problem. I wonder if the issue is that AltTab is trying to restart, so it creates a new instance, then tries to quit, but macOS is preventing the quit since there is a permission prompt? I've never been able to see the new prompt myself. The one that you mentions comes in every month. I wonder if there is a way to force it. Thank you — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#4039 (comment)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AH42BMDGVQQ7J4WI6PHYAFT2IGDA3AVCNFSM6AAAAABUMJULDGVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDKNRVG43TCMRZG4>. You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>