mcp-sign-pipeline

star 0

Apply Developer ID signing + notarization pipeline to a Swift MCP / CLI project. Required for macOS 26 — ad-hoc signed binaries can no longer trigger TCC permission dialogs. Use when creating new MCP/CLI (mcp-new-app / cli-new-app integration) OR upgrading an existing project that needs to ship signed releases. Templates are extracted from che-ical-mcp PR

PsychQuant By PsychQuant schedule Updated 5/4/2026
play_arrow Run Skill in Manus View GitHub

name: mcp-sign-pipeline description: Apply Developer ID signing + notarization pipeline to a Swift MCP / CLI project. Required for macOS 26 — ad-hoc signed binaries can no longer trigger TCC permission dialogs. Use when creating new MCP/CLI (mcp-new-app / cli-new-app integration) OR upgrading an existing project that needs to ship signed releases. Templates are extracted from che-ical-mcp PR #44 (production-verified on macOS 26.4.1) and parameterized for any Swift binary project.

mcp-sign-pipeline — Apply signing + notarization pipeline

When this skill triggers

User says any of:

  • "簽章 / sign / notarize / Developer ID / macOS 26 TCC"
  • "我的 MCP/CLI 在 macOS 26 上不工作了"
  • "TCC dialog 不出現"
  • "Gatekeeper 拒絕我的 binary"
  • Building a new Swift MCP/CLI that touches TCC-protected APIs (EventKit, AppleEvents, Photos, Mic, Camera, Full Disk Access)

This skill installs the full signing + notarization pipeline into the target project. It's the productionized version of che-ical-mcp PR #44.

Scope

Installs:

  • Sources/<TargetName>/Entitlements.plist (empty <dict/> — minimal entitlements)
  • scripts/sign-and-notarize.sh (with pre-flight cert + notarytool checks, mktemp + trap, fail-soft submission ID extraction)
  • Modifies scripts/build-mcpb.sh (or equivalent build script) — adds [3.5/N] sign step gated by SKIP_CODESIGN / REQUIRE_CODESIGN
  • Modifies Makefile — new release-signed target with fail-fast on missing env vars; install: target gets rm -f prefix (#62 inode-cache trap fix)
  • Updates README.md — adds "Signing & Notarization" subsection under "Release Process"
  • Updates CHANGELOG.md — adds "Distribution" entry under current version

Does NOT do:

  • Apply for Developer ID Application cert (manual, via developer.apple.com)
  • Set up notarytool keychain profile (manual, requires app-specific password)
  • Verify on macOS 26 hardware (manual end-to-end test)
  • GitHub Actions CI integration (out of MVP scope; defer to follow-up issue)

Prerequisites (the user must have these — skill does not create them)

  1. Apple Developer Program enrollment ($99/yr)
  2. Developer ID Application certificate in login keychain
    • Verify: security find-identity -p codesigning -v shows Developer ID Application: ...
  3. notarytool keychain profile (any name; this skill uses $NOTARY_PROFILE env var)
    • Create with: xcrun notarytool store-credentials <profile-name> --apple-id <id> --team-id <team-id> (interactive — NOT --password)
  4. App-specific password generated at https://account.apple.com → Sign-In and Security → App-Specific Passwords

The skill emits friendly error messages from the install scripts pointing users to these prereqs if any are missing.

Execution

Step 0: Bootstrap Stage Task List (mandatory)

TaskCreate(name="resolve_target_project", description="Determine target project: --target flag OR current dir's Package.swift OR ask")
TaskCreate(name="probe_project_shape", description="Detect: Swift Package? Target name? Existing scripts/? Existing Makefile? README format? CHANGELOG format?")
TaskCreate(name="check_prereqs_env", description="Optional: probe DEVELOPER_ID + cert + notarytool profile and warn early if missing")
TaskCreate(name="apply_entitlements_plist", description="Write Sources/<Target>/Entitlements.plist (empty <dict/>)")
TaskCreate(name="apply_sign_script", description="Write scripts/sign-and-notarize.sh (chmod +x)")
TaskCreate(name="apply_build_script_changes", description="Modify scripts/build-mcpb.sh (or build-cli.sh) — add [3.5/N] step, REQUIRE_CODESIGN gating")
TaskCreate(name="apply_makefile_changes", description="Modify Makefile — add release-signed target with fail-fast; rm -f in install: target")
TaskCreate(name="apply_readme_section", description="Inject Signing & Notarization subsection into README.md Release Process")
TaskCreate(name="apply_changelog_entry", description="Inject Distribution subsection into CHANGELOG.md current version")
TaskCreate(name="present_diff_summary", description="Show diff stats; AskUserQuestion to confirm before commit")
TaskCreate(name="commit_and_recommend_next", description="git commit (conventional fix:) + recommend manual macOS 26 verification + tag")

Step 1: Resolve target project

Args:

  • --target /path/to/repo (preferred — explicit)
  • --target-name <Name> (Sources//Entitlements.plist needs this)
  • No flag → use $PWD; ask --target-name via AskUserQuestion

Probe:

TARGET="${TARGET:-$PWD}"
[[ ! -f "$TARGET/Package.swift" ]] && abort "Not a Swift Package: no Package.swift found"

# Auto-detect target name from Package.swift if not given
if [[ -z "$TARGET_NAME" ]]; then
    TARGET_NAME=$(grep -oE '\.executable\(name:\s*"[^"]+"' "$TARGET/Package.swift" | head -1 | sed 's/.*"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/')
    [[ -z "$TARGET_NAME" ]] && AskUserQuestion "What's the target name? (will be used in Sources/<Name>/Entitlements.plist)"
fi

Step 2: Probe project shape

Detect existing artifacts to know what to edit vs create:

HAS_BUILD_SCRIPT=$([ -f "$TARGET/scripts/build-mcpb.sh" ] || [ -f "$TARGET/scripts/build-cli.sh" ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
BUILD_SCRIPT_PATH=$([ -f "$TARGET/scripts/build-mcpb.sh" ] && echo "scripts/build-mcpb.sh" || echo "scripts/build-cli.sh")
HAS_MAKEFILE=$([ -f "$TARGET/Makefile" ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
HAS_README=$([ -f "$TARGET/README.md" ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
HAS_CHANGELOG=$([ -f "$TARGET/CHANGELOG.md" ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
HAS_ENTITLEMENTS=$([ -f "$TARGET/Sources/$TARGET_NAME/Entitlements.plist" ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
HAS_SIGN_SCRIPT=$([ -f "$TARGET/scripts/sign-and-notarize.sh" ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")

Report what exists vs what will be added.

Step 3: Apply files (one bash call per concern)

Use the templates in templates/ directory (see Templates section below).

Step 3.1: Entitlements.plist

mkdir -p "$TARGET/Sources/$TARGET_NAME"
cp "$SKILL_DIR/templates/Entitlements.plist" "$TARGET/Sources/$TARGET_NAME/Entitlements.plist"

Step 3.2: sign-and-notarize.sh

Template needs no parameterization — it's already env-var driven (DEVELOPER_ID, NOTARY_PROFILE, ENTITLEMENTS).

mkdir -p "$TARGET/scripts"
cp "$SKILL_DIR/templates/sign-and-notarize.sh" "$TARGET/scripts/sign-and-notarize.sh"
chmod +x "$TARGET/scripts/sign-and-notarize.sh"

Step 3.3: Modify build script (build-mcpb.sh / build-cli.sh)

Insert [3.5/N] sign step after the universal binary creation, before mcpb pack (or equivalent final step).

Three insertion points to find:

  1. Variable UNIVERSAL_BINARY (or equivalent — the path to the built binary)
  2. After lipo -create ... -output "$UNIVERSAL_BINARY"
  3. Before any packaging step

Template snippet at templates/build-script-step-3.5.sh. Inject between the lipo step and the next major step.

For build-mcpb.sh ad-hoc trap fix: also add rm -f "$UNIVERSAL_BINARY" BEFORE lipo -create (#62 fix).

If user already has Step 3.5 installed (e.g. they're upgrading mid-cycle), detect via grep "REQUIRE_CODESIGN" "$BUILD_SCRIPT_PATH" and abort with "already installed".

Step 3.4: Makefile changes

Two changes:

  1. Add release-signed target:
.PHONY: build release release-signed install clean test
# ... existing ...
release-signed:
    @echo "⚠ macOS 26 TCC behavior on the resulting binary remains unverified."
    @echo "  Manual test required before tagging — install on macOS 26 and run --setup."
    @echo ""
    @: $${DEVELOPER_ID:?DEVELOPER_ID not set. See README 'Signing & Notarization' for setup.}
    @: $${NOTARY_PROFILE:?NOTARY_PROFILE not set. See README 'Signing & Notarization' for setup.}
    REQUIRE_CODESIGN=1 ./scripts/build-mcpb.sh
  1. Modify install: target to add rm -f prefix (#62 fix):
install: release
    rm -f ~/bin/$(BINARY_NAME)
    cp .build/release/$(BINARY_NAME) ~/bin/$(BINARY_NAME)
    chmod +x ~/bin/$(BINARY_NAME)
    codesign --force --sign - ~/bin/$(BINARY_NAME)
    @echo "Installed: ~/bin/$(BINARY_NAME) (ad-hoc signed — dev only)"

If install: target doesn't exist, create it. If exists, only add rm -f line at the start of recipe.

Step 3.5: README "Signing & Notarization" subsection

Append to README.md, ideally under "Release Process (for maintainers)" section. If no Release Process section, append at end.

Template at templates/README-signing-section.md. Substitutions:

  • {{TARGET_NAME}} → e.g. CheICalMCP
  • {{NOTARY_PROFILE_DEFAULT}} → e.g. che-ical-mcp (suggested name based on target lowercase)

Step 3.6: CHANGELOG entry

Find current version's section in CHANGELOG.md (e.g. ## [1.7.1]). Inject ### Distribution subsection at the top of the section's body.

Template at templates/changelog-distribution.md.

If user is currently on [Unreleased] only, ask whether to inject there or pin to a specific version.

Step 4: Present diff summary

=== mcp-sign-pipeline applied to {target} ===
NEW:
  Sources/{TargetName}/Entitlements.plist            (5 lines)
  scripts/sign-and-notarize.sh                       (~150 lines)
MODIFIED:
  scripts/build-mcpb.sh                              (+~30 lines: REQUIRE_CODESIGN gate)
  Makefile                                           (+~12 lines: release-signed target)
  README.md                                          (+~70 lines: Signing & Notarization)
  CHANGELOG.md                                       (+~10 lines: Distribution entry)

NEXT STEPS for user:
  1. Verify cert: security find-identity -p codesigning -v
  2. Set up notarytool profile: xcrun notarytool store-credentials <name>
  3. export DEVELOPER_ID='Developer ID Application: <Your Name> (<TeamID>)'
  4. export NOTARY_PROFILE='<your-profile-name>'
  5. make release-signed (will fail-fast if any prereq missing)
  6. Test on macOS 26 hardware: install + ~/bin/<TargetName> --setup

Step 5: Commit & recommend next

git add Sources/$TARGET_NAME/Entitlements.plist scripts/sign-and-notarize.sh scripts/build-mcpb.sh Makefile README.md CHANGELOG.md
git commit -m "feat: add Developer ID signing + notarization pipeline (macOS 26 TCC)

Applied via mcp-sign-pipeline skill. Required on macOS 26 — ad-hoc
signed binaries can no longer trigger Calendar/Reminders/AppleEvents
TCC permission dialogs.

Components:
- Sources/<Target>/Entitlements.plist (empty <dict/>; hardened runtime
  is the macOS 26 TCC trigger; no entitlement keys needed)
- scripts/sign-and-notarize.sh (codesign + verify + notarize +
  pre-flight checks + friendly error messages)
- scripts/build-mcpb.sh: new [3.5/N] sign step; REQUIRE_CODESIGN=1
  gates canonical release path; auto-skip with warning otherwise
- Makefile: new release-signed target; install: gets rm -f to prevent
  inode-cache SIGKILL trap on upgrades
- README/CHANGELOG: Signing & Notarization docs + entry

Manual macOS 26 verification gates first signed release."

Step 6: Auto-update integration (optional)

If invoked from mcp-new-app or cli-new-app, return control to the parent skill. If invoked standalone, recommend:

/idd-issue [bug] add manual macOS 26 verification test (TCC dialog appears, permissions persist)

so the human verification step has a tracking issue.

Templates (in templates/)

  • Entitlements.plist — empty <dict/> plist
  • sign-and-notarize.sh — full script (verbatim from che-ical-mcp PR #44 c2d0db5; env-var driven, no hardcoded identity)
  • build-script-step-3.5.sh — bash snippet to insert into build-mcpb.sh / build-cli.sh
  • Makefile-release-signed.snippet — Make target snippet
  • README-signing-section.md — README subsection with {{TARGET_NAME}} placeholders
  • changelog-distribution.md — CHANGELOG entry snippet

Iron rules

  • Never hardcode DEVELOPER_ID default. Always require it via env var. The c-ical-mcp Round 1 vs Round 2 verify caught this exact regression.
  • Always inject REQUIRE_CODESIGN=1 in make release-signed so canonical release path fails fast if env unset (Codex P1 finding from che-ical-mcp Round 2).
  • Always install rm -f in install: target (#62 inode-cache trap fix; affects 100% of upgrade users).
  • Always recommend manual macOS 26 test as a follow-up. spctl + codesign passing does NOT mean TCC dialog actually appears — that's a separate Apple gate.
  • Skill never installs cert / notarytool profile. Those are user-side prereqs. Install scripts emit friendly errors if missing.

Provenance

Templates extracted from che-ical-mcp PR #52 (2026-05-04, squash f04fdf8):

  • 4 commits via 3 rounds of cross-model verify (5 Claude reviewers + Codex gpt-5.5)
  • Round 2 caught silent-degrade antipattern (Codex P1 + Devil's Advocate P2 cross-confirmed)
  • End-to-end verified on macOS 26.4.1: spctl -t install returns accepted, --setup grants Calendar + Reminders, real EventKit calls succeed

This is the productionized template, not a draft.

Next step suggestions

After applying:

  • /idd-issue — file follow-up for manual macOS 26 verification gate
  • /idd-issue — file follow-up for GitHub Actions CI signing (deferred from MVP)
  • Manual: make release-signed && install + verify on macOS 26 hardware
Install via CLI
npx skills add https://github.com/PsychQuant/psychquant-claude-plugins --skill mcp-sign-pipeline
Repository Details
star Stars 0
call_split Forks 0
navigation Branch main
article Path SKILL.md
More from Creator
PsychQuant
PsychQuant Explore all skills →