Mac App Store Code Signing Guide

Related macOS docs:

build-and-publish-notes.md -- Build/publish workflow (screenshots, iOS, Windows signing)

update-mac-certificates.md -- Annual certificate renewal

This document explains the Mac App Store (MAS) code signing setup and troubleshooting for Super Productivity. It covers the complete solution to certificate/provisioning profile mismatches.

Overview

The Mac App Store build requires precise matching between:

The code signing certificate used by electron-builder
The certificate embedded in the provisioning profile

Any mismatch will cause Apple's validation to fail with errors like:

Invalid Code Signing. The executable '...' must be signed with the certificate
that is contained in the provisioning profile.

The Root Problem (and Solution)

What Was Happening

We had two distribution certificates in the keychain:

Apple Distribution: Johannes Millan (363FAFK383) - fingerprint 968086... (modern)
3rd Party Mac Developer Application: Johannes Millan (363FAFK383) - fingerprint 3731BEC0... (legacy)

Electron-builder always prefers "Apple Distribution" over "3rd Party Mac Developer Application" when both are present, regardless of environment variables or config settings.

Our provisioning profile contained the legacy "3rd Party Mac Developer Application" certificate, but electron-builder was signing with "Apple Distribution" → mismatch → validation failure.

The Solution

Create a new provisioning profile that uses the modern "Apple Distribution" certificate to match what electron-builder wants to use.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Verify Your Certificates

Check which certificates are in your keychain:

bash

security find-identity -v -p codesigning | grep -E "Apple Distribution|3rd Party"

You should see:

Apple Distribution: Johannes Millan (363FAFK383) - fingerprint 968086...
3rd Party Mac Developer Application: Johannes Millan (363FAFK383) - fingerprint 3731BEC0...

2. Create New Provisioning Profile

Go to Apple Developer Portal - Profiles:

Click ➕ to create a new profile
Select: Distribution → Mac App Store Connect
CRITICAL: When selecting the certificate, choose:
- ✅ "Johannes Millan (Distribution)" - Shows "For use in Xcode 11 or later"
- ❌ NOT "Johannes Millan (Mac App Distribution)"
Why this matters:
- "Johannes Millan (Distribution)" = modern "Apple Distribution" certificate → What electron-builder will use ✅
- "Johannes Millan (Mac App Distribution)" = legacy "3rd Party Mac Developer Application" → Will cause mismatch ❌
Select App ID: com.super-productivity.app
Download as mas.provisionprofile

3. Verify the Provisioning Profile

Check which certificate is in the provisioning profile:

bash

python3 << 'EOF'
import plistlib
import subprocess
import hashlib

result = subprocess.run(['security', 'cms', '-D', '-i', 'tools/mac-profiles/mas.provisionprofile'],
                      capture_output=True)
plist_data = plistlib.loads(result.stdout)

cert_data = plist_data['DeveloperCertificates'][0]
fingerprint = hashlib.sha1(cert_data).hexdigest().upper()

with open('/tmp/cert.der', 'wb') as f:
    f.write(cert_data)

result = subprocess.run(['openssl', 'x509', '-in', '/tmp/cert.der', '-inform', 'DER',
                        '-noout', '-subject'],
                       capture_output=True, text=True)

print("Certificate in provisioning profile:")
print(result.stdout)
print(f"Fingerprint: {fingerprint}")
print(f"\nExpected: 968086560EC4643B4192E7755CBF7D6E009334F4 (Apple Distribution)")
EOF

Expected output:

Certificate in provisioning profile:
subject=UID=363FAFK383, CN=Apple Distribution: Johannes Millan (363FAFK383), ...
Fingerprint: 968086560EC4643B4192E7755CBF7D6E009334F4

4. Update Local Files

bash

# Copy provisioning profile to the correct location
cp ~/Downloads/mas.provisionprofile tools/mac-profiles/mas.provisionprofile

5. Update GitHub Actions Secret

bash

# Base64 encode the provisioning profile
base64 -i tools/mac-profiles/mas.provisionprofile -o /tmp/mas-profile.b64

# Copy to clipboard
cat /tmp/mas-profile.b64 | pbcopy

Then update the GitHub Actions secret:

Go to: https://github.com/super-productivity/super-productivity/settings/secrets/actions
Find mas_provision_profile
Click Update
Paste the base64-encoded content
Click Save

6. Test Locally

bash

# Copy provisioning profile to root
cp tools/mac-profiles/mas.provisionprofile embedded.provisionprofile

# Build
npm run dist:mac:mas:buildOnly 2>&1 | grep -E "signing.*platform=mas"

Expected output:

• signing file=.tmp/app-builds/mas-universal/Super Productivity.app
  platform=mas type=distribution
  identityName=Apple Distribution: Johannes Millan (363FAFK383)
  identityHash=968086560EC4643B4192E7755CBF7D6E009334F4
  provisioningProfile=embedded.provisionprofile

✅ identityHash should be 968086... (Apple Distribution)

7. Verify the Built Package

bash

# Check package signature
pkgutil --check-signature .tmp/app-builds/mas-universal/superProductivity-universal.pkg

Should show: Status: signed by a developer certificate issued by Apple

Configuration Files

build/electron-builder.mas.yaml

yaml

mas:
  type: distribution # Important: explicitly set type
  appId: com.super-productivity.app
  category: public.app-category.productivity
  icon: build/icon-mac.icns
  gatekeeperAssess: false
  darkModeSupport: true
  hardenedRuntime: false
  entitlements: build/entitlements.mas.plist
  entitlementsInherit: build/entitlements.mas.inherit.plist
  provisioningProfile: embedded.provisionprofile

Do NOT add:

❌ identity: '...' - Causes errors and doesn't work
❌ notarize: true - Only for Developer ID builds, not MAS

GitHub Actions Workflow

yaml

- name: Build Electron app
  run: npm run dist:mac:mas:buildOnly

Do NOT add:

❌ CSC_NAME environment variable - Causes errors with modern certificates
❌ CSC_FINGERPRINT environment variable - Ignored by electron-builder

Troubleshooting

Error: "Please remove prefix '3rd Party Mac Developer Application:' from the specified name"

Cause: You set CSC_NAME or identity with the full certificate type prefix.

Solution: Remove the CSC_NAME environment variable or identity config field entirely. Let electron-builder auto-discover the certificate.

Error: "Invalid Code Signing. The executable '...' must be signed with the certificate that is contained in the provisioning profile"

Cause: Certificate mismatch between what electron-builder is using and what's in the provisioning profile.

Diagnosis:

bash

# 1. Check which certificate electron-builder is using
npm run dist:mac:mas:buildOnly 2>&1 | grep "signing.*platform=mas"

# 2. Check which certificate is in the provisioning profile
python3 << 'EOF'
import plistlib, subprocess, hashlib
result = subprocess.run(['security', 'cms', '-D', '-i', 'tools/mac-profiles/mas.provisionprofile'], capture_output=True)
plist_data = plistlib.loads(result.stdout)
cert_data = plist_data['DeveloperCertificates'][0]
print(f"Profile certificate fingerprint: {hashlib.sha1(cert_data).hexdigest().upper()}")
EOF

# 3. Compare the fingerprints - they must match!

Solution: Create a new provisioning profile with the certificate that electron-builder is using (usually Apple Distribution).

Build Uploads Successfully But Can't Select in App Store Connect

Common causes:

Still processing - Apple takes 5-30 minutes to process builds
- Wait and refresh the page periodically
Missing export compliance - Required for apps with encryption
- Go to App Store Connect → Your App → TestFlight
- Click on the build, answer the export compliance questions
Version/build number already used
- Check package.json version matches the built app
- Increment version if needed: npm version patch
Platform mismatch - Build doesn't match the selected platform
- Ensure you're selecting from the correct platform tab (macOS)

Certificate Types Reference

Apple Portal Name	Portal Description	Internal Name	Electron-builder Preference	Use Case
"Johannes Millan (Distribution)"	"For use in Xcode 11 or later"	Apple Distribution	✅ Preferred	MAS builds (modern)
"Johannes Millan (Mac App Distribution)"	No special description	3rd Party Mac Developer Application	❌ Legacy	MAS builds (old)
"Developer ID Application"	N/A	Developer ID Application	N/A	Direct download DMG

Key Insight: In the Apple Developer Portal, look for the certificate that says "For use in Xcode 11 or later" - this is the modern "Apple Distribution" certificate that electron-builder will use. The one without this description is the legacy certificate.

Annual Certificate Renewal

When your certificates expire (annually), follow these steps:

Create new certificates in Apple Developer Portal
- Apple Distribution (for MAS)
- Mac Installer Distribution (for PKG signing)
Create new provisioning profile with the new certificates
- Type: Mac App Store Connect
- Certificate: "Johannes Millan (Distribution)" ← Use the new one

Export all certificates to PKCS#12

bash

# Export from Keychain Access or use security command
security export -k ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain-db \
  -t identities -f pkcs12 -P "$PASSWORD" \
  -o all-certs.p12

Update GitHub Actions secrets

bash

base64 -i all-certs.p12 -o all-certs.b64
# Update MAC_CERTS secret with contents of all-certs.b64

base64 -i tools/mac-profiles/mas.provisionprofile -o mas-profile.b64
# Update mas_provision_profile secret with contents of mas-profile.b64

Test locally before pushing

Quick Diagnostic Commands

bash

# Check available certificates
security find-identity -v -p codesigning

# Check what electron-builder will use
npm run dist:mac:mas:buildOnly 2>&1 | grep "signing.*platform=mas"

# Check provisioning profile certificate
security cms -D -i tools/mac-profiles/mas.provisionprofile | \
  plutil -p - | grep -A 5 "DeveloperCertificates"

# Verify built package
pkgutil --check-signature .tmp/app-builds/mas-universal/*.pkg

# Check app version/build
plutil -p ".tmp/app-builds/mas-universal/Super Productivity.app/Contents/Info.plist" | \
  grep -E "CFBundleVersion|CFBundleShortVersionString"

Apple Developer Portal
Electron Builder MAS Config
Apple Code Signing Guide
Internal: docs/update-mac-certificates.md - Detailed certificate management guide

Summary

✅ The key to success: Ensure your provisioning profile uses the "Apple Distribution" certificate (modern "Distribution" type), not the legacy "3rd Party Mac Developer Application" certificate, because electron-builder always prefers Apple Distribution when both are available.

❌ What doesn't work: Trying to force electron-builder to use the legacy certificate through environment variables or config options - it will ignore them and use Apple Distribution anyway.

Mac App Store Code Signing Guide

Mac App Store Code Signing Guide

Overview

The Root Problem (and Solution)

What Was Happening

The Solution

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Verify Your Certificates

2. Create New Provisioning Profile

3. Verify the Provisioning Profile

4. Update Local Files

5. Update GitHub Actions Secret

6. Test Locally

7. Verify the Built Package

Configuration Files

build/electron-builder.mas.yaml

GitHub Actions Workflow

Troubleshooting

Error: "Please remove prefix '3rd Party Mac Developer Application:' from the specified name"

Error: "Invalid Code Signing. The executable '...' must be signed with the certificate that is contained in the provisioning profile"

Build Uploads Successfully But Can't Select in App Store Connect

Certificate Types Reference

Annual Certificate Renewal

Quick Diagnostic Commands

Related Documentation

Summary