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Docs / Install · Community Alpha

Installing the macOS Community Alpha

The TaktSignal Community Alpha for Mac is currently an unsigned test build: it has not yet been signed with an Apple Developer ID or notarized by Apple. macOS therefore blocks it the first time you open it, with a message like:

“TaktSignal” Not Opened — Apple could not verify “TaktSignal” is free of malware that may harm your Mac or compromise your privacy.

This is expected for an app that has not been notarized yet. It does not mean Apple found malware — and it also does not prove the app is safe. It means Apple has not checked this build. You decide whether to trust it. This guide shows the safe way to approve only this app, without lowering your Mac's protection for anything else.

If you would rather not run unsigned software, that is a reasonable choice: see Wait for a signed release.

Before you start

  • A Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) and macOS 12 or later. Intel Macs are not supported in this release.
  • 4 GB of memory and 2 GB of free disk space.

Steps

  1. Download only from the official page: taktsignal.cloud/download → macOS — Apple Silicon.
  2. Confirm what you downloaded. The file is named TaktSignal-<version>-macos-arm64.zip, and the version matches the one on the download page. Optional but recommended: verify the SHA-256.
  3. Move TaktSignal to Applications. Double-click the .zip in Downloads to unpack it, then drag TaktSignal into your Applications folder.
  4. Open TaktSignal from Applications (double-click).
  5. macOS blocks it with the “Not Opened” message above. Click Done (do not choose Move to Bin if you want to continue).
  6. Open System Settings (Apple menu → System Settings).
  7. Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar.
  8. Scroll down to the Security section. You will see a notice that “TaktSignal” was blocked to protect your Mac.
  9. Click Open Anyway next to that notice. (It appears for about an hour after the blocked attempt; if it is missing, open TaktSignal again and come back.)
  10. Authenticate with Touch ID or your Mac password if asked.
  11. Confirm: macOS asks once more whether to open TaktSignal — click Open Anyway (or Open).

TaktSignal starts and opens its Control Center in your browser. Continue with Getting started, step 4.

The approval applies to this copy of TaktSignal only. If you delete it and download it again, macOS asks again.

What not to do

  • Never disable Gatekeeper globally (for example with sudo spctl --master-disable, or by choosing “Anywhere” in older macOS versions). TaktSignal does not need it, and it would remove protection for every other app.
  • Do not run commands from forums or chats that remove quarantine flags or change security settings.
  • Do not approve a TaktSignal app you did not download from taktsignal.cloud/download yourself.

Why am I seeing this?

Apple shows this message for any app that is not notarized. The Community Alpha builds published so far have not been signed with TaktSignal's Apple Developer ID or notarized yet; the download page says so for each build, based on its release information, and the warning disappears there once a signed and notarized build is published. Inside the app, the bundled components keep their own publishers' signatures (the Node.js runtime and the EnterpriseDB PostgreSQL programs); TaktSignal's own launcher is unsigned.

What protects you until then:

  • the download page shows the SHA-256 checksum of every file, taken from signed release metadata;
  • downloads come over HTTPS from the TaktSignal release host only;
  • updates inside the app are checked against that signed metadata before they are installed.

Verify the download

See Verify your download. On a Mac: open Terminal and run shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/TaktSignal-<version>-macos-arm64.zip, then compare the result with the SHA-256 on the download page. They must be identical.

Wait for a signed release

Signing and notarization are planned before TaktSignal leaves Community Alpha. If you prefer to wait, you lose nothing by doing so — the website will say when a notarized build is available. You can still read the documentation and follow the project in the meantime.

Removing TaktSignal

See Uninstall. Your data is kept unless you choose to remove it.