This is a set of libraries that will assist in writing privileged helper tools for macOS applications. It is intended to be a little more up to date and easier to use than Apple's aging EvenBetterAuthorizationSample. Pacifist has been using it for some time.

CSAuthSample began as a port of Nathan de Vries’ SMJobBlessXPC, although it has been rewritten so many times that I doubt any of the original code remains. At some point it was rewritten around Apple’s BetterAuthorizationSample. More recently it has been rewritten around Apple's EvenBetterAuthorizationSample. This latest rewrite uses NSXPCConnection, and thus requires the helper to be written in either Objective-C or Swift. For users that require the helper to be in straight C, the older code using libxpc is available in the 'c-helper' branch.

The current code assumes the front-end application will be written in Swift. Either Objective-C or Swift can be used to write the helper tool. If you wish to use Swift for the full stack, a Swift package is available. For your convenience, there is an example app project included that will show you how to write a Swift-based helper app and corresponding client app.

For those who like to be on the cutting edge, a Swift-only rewrite which uses Swift Concurrency is available under the swift-concurrency branch.

CSAuthSample is free to use under the terms of the MIT license.

Enjoy!