James Washington
writing about archive utils free game ideas replays
Technique

Run the tmux server in the GUI session so ssh panes can read Keychain

Lets remote terminal sessions use stored passwords and browser tools as if you were at the desk.

The server in the closet

how it works

ssh shells get 'User interaction is not allowed' from Keychain; start tmux via launchd in the Aqua session and always attach; grant FDA to tmux since TCC now attributes to it.

Technique: A pattern or hard-won lesson, written down so it isn't learned twice.

The code for this one lives in a private repo. This page explains the idea so you can build your own.

keychainmacostcctechniquetmux

related

  • Interactive prompts go in a tmux split, not the chat Technique When a command needs your password, the AI opens a side pane for you to type it.
  • Headless shells need 0600 token files Technique Remote terminal sessions can't open the Mac's password vault, so they need separate locked-down token files.
  • seed-headless-tokens Command-line tool Sets up the login tokens that remote terminal sessions need, entered hidden at the console.
  • tmux-to-cast Command-line tool Turns a terminal's scrollback into a replayable recording.
  • launchd daemons need their own TCC grants Technique Mac background services need their own privacy permissions; testing from a terminal lies.
← everything I've built
© 2026 James Washington
github twitter rss