macOS Catalina error: “terraform” cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified.

[rouralberto]

Terraform Version

terraform_0.12.10_darwin_amd64

Expected Behavior

It should run.

Actual Behavior

Steps to Reproduce

Run any terraform command.

[rouralberto]

Apparently, the workaround is quite painful:

• In the Finder on your Mac, locate the app you want to open.
• Control-click the app icon, then choose Open from the shortcut menu.
• Click Open.

The app is saved as an exception to your security settings, and you can open it in the future by double-clicking it or from cli, just as you can with any authorised app.

Hi @roura356a! Thanks for reporting this.

Indeed the new version of MacOS is stricter about running software you've downloaded that isn't signed with an Apple developer key. Terraform distributions are signed with a HashiCorp key with signatures distributed out of band on releases.hashicorp.com, but MacOS Catalina is requiring participation in Apple's developer program specifically, and Terraform is currently not built to support that.

Thank you for sharing your workaround. We're looking into the best way to proceed here to see if we can make this work better.

[EmpireJones]

sudo spctl --master-disable to allow apps downloaded from Anywhere

[rajdeepbhatia]

sudo spctl --master-disable to allow apps downloaded from Anywhere

@EmpireJones Is there a way to do it for a specific app only?

[aprofromindia]

Another simpler way is to go to System Preferences -> Security & Privacy -> General and enable any blocked app from Allow apps downloaded from pane at the bottom of the window.