Hey,
So yesterday I spent most of the afternoon wrestling with Bedrock (app) from OrchardKit on my Intel MacBook Pro running macOS 13.4, and I figured I’d jot down what happened because it got a little messy but ended well.
I wanted to finally organize some large project files using the app’s batch tagging and folder-sync features. First attempt: download, drag to Applications, double-click… and macOS slapped me with the classic “can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software” error. Right, Gatekeeper strike one. I tried the usual trick: right-click → Open → “Open Anyway.” That got the app to launch, but it immediately crashed when I tried importing a 5GB folder. Not exactly the smooth start I was hoping for.
Second attempt: I thought maybe it was a permission issue with the Documents folder. I went into Finder, manually set read/write for my user, and tried again. Nope—still crashed. Then I realized macOS sandboxing can block even apparently “writable” folders if the app isn’t notarized correctly. That’s when I checked Apple’s notarization and Gatekeeper docs (developer.apple.com ) to make sure I wasn’t missing anything obvious.
What actually helped was opening System Settings → Privacy & Security → Files and Folders and explicitly allowing Bedrock access to Documents and Desktop. Suddenly, the imports worked. The app didn’t crash, batch tagging ran smoothly, and folder sync finally behaved as expected. I also found this page useful—it has notes on macOS quirks and file permissions that I hadn’t fully grasped before.
Some micro-tweaks I picked up along the way:
If you’re on an M1/M2 Mac, running the app via Rosetta can prevent crashes with some older plugins.
Checking console logs (Applications → Utilities → Console) during crashes gives surprisingly clear hints about permissions or sandboxing problems.
For future installs, my quick checklist:
Verify Gatekeeper warning; use “Open Anyway” if needed.
Set explicit folder access in Privacy & Security.
Run via Rosetta if using an M1/M2 Mac and experiencing plugin issues.
Monitor Console logs for any hidden sandbox problems.
Lesson learned: a couple of false starts are expected with unnotarized apps, but once you know the permissions and Gatekeeper quirks, it’s smooth sailing. Bedrock is now handling my 50GB project folder without hiccups, and honestly, dealing with macOS security gave me a better understanding of how these protections actually work—annoying but educational.
If you plan on trying Bedrock on Mac, following the steps above will save a lot of headache. It’s a good reminder that sometimes the OS isn’t being annoying on purpose—it’s just protecting you (and your data) while you fumble a bit.