MuseScore asks for access to contacts and calendar (Mac)

• Dec 18, 2018 - 21:34
Reported version
3.0
Type
Ergonomical (UX)
Frequency
Few
Severity
S4 - Minor
Status
needs info
Regression
No
Workaround
No
Project
MuseScore

Twice now I have had MuseScore ask me for access to my contacts and calendar, seemingly without any reason. This is on the Mac.
I cannot reproduce the issue at will, but both times I was trying to access a file in the autosave folder.
The first time I was recovering from a crash and tried to save one of the open (autosaved) files.
The second time I was in the process of navigating to the autosave folder, in an attempt to recreate the issue. This was in the File/Open dialog. Suddenly, while I was navigating, the questions popped up.

I find it difficult to assign a severity ranking to the issue. No harm was done (hopefully) since I refused access. But the fact that it happened is rather disturbing for me. I do not think MuseScore is programmed to ask for these informations, but how can it then be that it does? It seems to me that something is very wrong here.

I would not raise an issue had it happened only once, but now it has happened a second time.

OS: macOS 10.14, Arch.: x86_64, MuseScore version (64-bit): 3.0.0.19967, revision: e482d05
Schermafdruk 2018-12-07 11.29.44.png
Schermafdruk 2018-12-18 22.13.07.png

Comments

• Dec 18, 2018 - 23:52
Severity S3 - Major ⇒ S4 - Minor
Status active ⇒ needs info
Type Functional ⇒ Ergonomical (UX)

I can only guess that somehow your OS is misinterpreting access to that folder as somehow being a request for contacts or calendar, as I cannot really think of anything MuseScore would be doing to trigger that on its own. Maybe some other app has laid claim over those folders and triggers a warning when anything else tries to horn in?

Anyhow, steps to reproduce the problem would be useful.

Reply

• Dec 19, 2018 - 10:11

I think you are right. I found reference to similar problems with the Atom app on Mojave. See https://github.com/atom/atom/issues/17687.
It may have to do with a new protection scheme in Mojave. Apparently, certain directory-related actions can trigger the behaviour. An excerpt from the source mentioned:

When you open the fuzzy-finder, Atom indexes the currently-open directory so that it can show you the available files. Because you're editing a file at the root of your home directory (~/.profile), the current directory is your home directory (~). Your home directory also contains your files that have new OS-level protections in Mojave:

Calendar files (~./Library/Calendars)
Contacts files (~/Library/Application\ Support/AddressBook
Photos files (~/Pictures/Photos\ Library.photoslibrary)
There may be other categories of files that receive these new OS-level protections as well (Mail?, Reminders?, Time Machine backups?)

Before letting Atom read these files, Mojave is understandably asking whether you want Atom to be able to access this personal data.

The MuseScore autosave files on Mojave are indeed kept in a folder sitting under ~/Library/Application Support.

Maybe it is easy to alter the logic so that no attempt is made to access sensitive files or folders. If not, since the impact is low, I would suggest to lay the issue to rest for now (but make a note in the documentation).

Reply