Obsidian crashes immediately on macOS Sequoia 15.6.1

Help
1

I’m simply trying to open Obsidian after installing the latest version (1.9.12) on my MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021, Apple Silicon, M1 Pro). The app launches, but after a few seconds it closes automatically without any error message.

Things I have tried -

  • Searched the help docs and forum for “macOS Sequoia crash,” “app keeps closing,” “immediately quits,” but didn’t find a clear solution for macOS Sequoia (15.6.1).
  • Deleted and reinstalled Obsidian (both latest 1.7.x and older 1.5.12).
  • Deleted config/cache files:
    • /Applications/Obsidian.app
    • ~/Library/Application Support/obsidian
    • ~/Library/Preferences/md.obsidian.plist
  • Tried launching with flags:
    • –disable-gpu
    • –disable-updater
    • –no-sandbox
  • The issue persists with all attempts.

[Relevant logs]
error Obsidian cannot open file at line 49455 of [1b37c146ee]
error os_unix.c:49455: (2) open(/private/var/db/DetachedSignatures) - No such file or directory
error tccd Prompting policy for hardened runtime; service: kTCCServiceAppleEvents requires entitlement com.apple.security.automation.apple-events but it is missing

Notes:

  • Vault files are safe and can be opened in other Markdown editors.
  • This problem only started after upgrading to macOS Sequoia.
  • Looks like a compatibility issue between Sequoia’s new security model and Obsidian’s Electron build.
2

If you switch to another user account on the device (preferably an admin account), can you launch, open the Sandbox vault, create a test vault, etc., there?

I have two macs on the latest Sequoia release and haven’t had any Obsidian launching issues.

1 Like
3

Thanks for the suggestion! I created a new admin test account on my Mac and opened Obsidian there. It launched fine.

When I switched back to my main account afterwards, Obsidian (latest version) also started working normally without crashing anymore. Quite strange, but it seems running it in the test account somehow reset or fixed whatever was broken in my main account.

Really appreciate the help!

1 Like