Are you facing issues with your code signing certificate? In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss how to troubleshoot common problems related to code signing certificates. Whether you are experiencing issues with expired certificates, missing issuers, trust settings overrides, clock and Mac settings, or certificate evaluation, we have got you covered.
Key Takeaways:
- Troubleshooting code signing certificates is essential to ensure the secure and reliable functioning of your software.
- Common causes of untrusted certificates include expiration, missing issuers, and trust settings overrides.
- Expired certificates can be renewed by following the necessary steps outlined in our guide.
- Missing issuer errors can be resolved by adding the appropriate intermediate certificates to your keychain.
- Trust settings overrides and clock and Mac settings should be verified to ensure proper code signing.
- Keychain Access and Certificate Assistant can be useful tools for troubleshooting and evaluating code signing certificates.
- Troubleshooting code signing on different machines may require additional steps to ensure consistency across platforms.
Common Causes of Untrusted Certificates
When selecting your code signing identity’s certificate in Keychain Access, seeing a green checkmark with the text “This certificate is valid” should be the norm. However, there are three common causes of an untrusted certificate that you need to be aware of.
Expired Certificates
If your code signing identity’s certificate has expired, Keychain Access will display a red cross with the text “… certificate is expired”. This can result in codesigning failures and errors such as the specified item not being found in the keychain. To confirm if your certificate has expired, select the certificate in Keychain Access and look at the Expires field or the Not Valid Before and Not Valid After fields in the Details section. If your certificate has expired, you will need to renew it. Refer to the Developer Account Help for information on how to renew your code signing certificate.
Missing Issuer
In the X.509 public key infrastructure (PKI), every certificate has an issuer who signed the certificate with their private key. If there is a missing issuer in the chain of trust between your code signing identity’s certificate and a trusted anchor, Keychain Access will display a red cross with the text “… certificate is not trusted”. This can result in codesigning failures with the message “unable to build chain to self-signed root for signer”. To resolve this issue, you can download Apple’s intermediate certificates from the Apple PKI page and add them to your keychain using Keychain Access. Alternatively, you can follow the steps of verifying the chain of trust using Keychain Access and Certificate Assistant to ensure that the correct certificates are in place.
Trust Settings Overrides
macOS allows you to customize trust settings for certificates. If there are trust settings overrides that conflict with the trust of your code signing certificate, it can result in untrusted certificate errors. To troubleshoot this issue, you can check your trust settings using Keychain Access and adjust them accordingly to trust the code signing certificate.
These are the common causes of untrusted certificates that can lead to code signing issues. Understanding these causes will help you troubleshoot and resolve any problems related to code signing certificates.
Troubleshooting Expired Certificates
If your code signing identity’s certificate has expired, it can lead to errors and failures when attempting to sign code. In this section, we will guide you through the process of renewing your certificate.
One common cause of code signing issues is an expired certificate. When a certificate expires, Keychain Access will display a red cross with the text “…certificate is expired”. Attempting to sign code with an expired certificate will result in the error message “The specified item could not be found in the keychain.”
To check if your certificate has expired, select it in Keychain Access and look at the Expires field. You can also double click the certificate and expand the Details section to view the Not Valid Before and Not Valid After fields.
Renewing an Expired Certificate
If your code signing certificate has expired, you will need to renew it. Follow these steps to renew your certificate:
- Open your Developer Account and navigate to the certificate section.
- Find the expired certificate and select the option to renew it.
- Follow the prompts to generate a new certificate signing request (CSR).
- Submit the CSR to your certificate authority (CA) and wait for the new certificate to be issued.
- Once you have received the new certificate, install it in Keychain Access.
- Update your code signing settings in Xcode to use the new certificate.
By renewing your expired certificate, you will be able to code sign your applications without encountering any errors.
Remember to regularly check the expiration dates of your certificates and renew them before they expire to avoid any disruptions in your code signing process.
Troubleshooting Missing Issuer
If there is a missing issuer in the chain of trust between your code signing identity’s certificate and a trusted anchor, it can result in errors and failed code signing processes. In this section, we will show you how to troubleshoot and fix this issue.
One common error message that indicates a missing issuer is “unable to build chain to self-signed root for signer.” This error occurs when the chain of trust between your certificate and a trusted anchor cannot be established.
To troubleshoot and resolve this issue, follow these steps:
Step 1: Check Your Certificate
Open Keychain Access and find your code signing identity’s certificate. Double-click on it to view the details.
Make sure that the certificate is valid and has not expired. Check the “Expires” field to verify the expiration date.
Step 2: Download the Missing Intermediate Certificate
If you have identified a missing intermediate certificate in the chain of trust, you can download it from the Apple PKI page.
Go to the Apple PKI page and locate the intermediate certificate that corresponds to the issuer of your code signing identity’s certificate.
Download the intermediate certificate and add it to your keychain using Keychain Access.
If you are unsure which intermediate certificate to download, you can preview each one using Quick Look in the Finder. Look for a certificate whose Common Name and Organizational Unit fields match the values from the Issuer Name section of your code signing identity’s certificate.
Step 3: Verify the Chain of Trust
To confirm that the chain of trust has been built correctly, select your code signing identity’s certificate in Keychain Access and choose Certificate Assistant > Evaluate.
In the Certificate Assistant window, ensure that “Generic (certificate chain validation only)” is selected and click Continue.
The resulting UI will display a list of certificates that form the chain of trust. The first item should be your code signing identity’s certificate, followed by the intermediate certificate, and finally the Apple root certificate.
Select each certificate in the list and verify that the UI shows a green checkmark with the text “This certificate is valid.” If you see any other message, there may be additional issues with your chain of trust.
Note: It is important to select “Generic (certificate chain validation only)” in the Certificate Assistant window. Selecting “Code Signing” may temporarily download a missing intermediate certificate, which could prevent you from identifying any problems with the chain of trust.
By following these troubleshooting steps, you can identify and resolve missing issuer errors in the chain of trust for your code signing identity’s certificate.
Troubleshooting Trust Settings Overrides
Trust settings overrides can be a potential cause of code signing issues, even if your certificate and chain of trust are correct. In this section, we will guide you through the process of troubleshooting and resolving trust settings overrides.
Identifying Trust Settings Overrides
When you encounter trust settings override errors, you may see messages like “The bundle is not signed using an Apple submission certificate” or “Missing or Invalid Signature.” These errors indicate that there is a problem with the trust settings for your code signing identity.
One possible cause of trust settings overrides is when you have manually modified the trust settings for a particular certificate or signer. This can happen if you have enabled custom trust settings for specific purposes, such as verifying signed emails or connecting to TLS servers.
To identify trust settings overrides, follow these steps:
- Open Keychain Access and locate your code signing identity’s certificate.
- Double click on the certificate to view its details.
- Navigate to the Trust section.
- Check if any custom trust settings are enabled or if the “Always Trust” option is selected.
If you find that custom trust settings are enabled or the “Always Trust” option is selected, there may be a trust settings override causing your code signing issues.
Resolving Trust Settings Overrides
To resolve trust settings overrides, follow these steps:
- Disable any custom trust settings or deselect the “Always Trust” option for your code signing identity’s certificate.
- Verify that the trust settings for the certificate’s issuer and any intermediate certificates are also set to their default values.
- Restart your Mac to ensure that the changes take effect.
By resetting the trust settings to their default values, you can eliminate any overrides that might be causing code signing issues.
It’s important to note that trust settings overrides can be specific to individual machines. If you are experiencing code signing issues on multiple machines, make sure to repeat the troubleshooting and resolution steps on each machine.
By following these steps, you can effectively troubleshoot and resolve trust settings overrides that may be impacting your code signing process.
Trust settings overrides can be a potential cause of code signing issues, even if your certificate and chain of trust are correct. In this section, we will guide you through the process of troubleshooting and resolving trust settings overrides.
Troubleshooting Clock and Mac Settings
Sometimes, code signing issues can be attributed to incorrect clock settings on your Mac. In this section, we will explain why clock and Mac settings matter and how to ensure they are accurate.
When your Mac’s clock is set incorrectly, it can affect the validity of code signing certificates. This is because code signing relies on the accurate timing of digital signatures. If your clock is running ahead or behind, it can lead to timestamp mismatches and cause code signing to fail.
To verify and adjust your Mac’s clock settings, follow these steps:
- Click on the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen and select “System Preferences”.
- In the System Preferences window, click on “Date & Time”.
- Make sure the “Set date and time automatically” option is checked. This will ensure that your Mac’s clock is synchronized with an accurate time server.
- If the option is already checked but your clock is still not accurate, try unchecking and rechecking it to force a synchronization.
- If you prefer to set the date and time manually, uncheck the “Set date and time automatically” option and use the calendar and clock controls to adjust the settings.
It’s important to regularly check your Mac’s clock settings to ensure they remain accurate. Incorrect clock settings can lead to recurring code signing issues, so it’s best to address any discrepancies as soon as possible.
By following these steps and ensuring that your clock and Mac settings are accurate, you can troubleshoot and prevent code signing issues related to incorrect timing.
Summary
In this section, we discussed the importance of accurate clock and Mac settings in troubleshooting code signing issues. We explained why incorrect timing can lead to code signing failures and provided steps to verify and adjust your Mac’s clock settings. By ensuring that your clock is synchronized and accurate, you can prevent recurring code signing issues and ensure the smooth operation of your code signing certificates.
Troubleshooting with Keychain Access and Certificate Assistant
Keychain Access and Certificate Assistant can be invaluable tools for troubleshooting and evaluating code signing certificates. In this section, we will show you how to use these tools effectively.
Using Keychain Access
Keychain Access is a macOS application that allows you to manage your keys, certificates, and passwords. It can be used to diagnose and resolve issues related to code signing certificates. Here’s how you can use Keychain Access:
- Open Keychain Access on your Mac.
- Switch to the Certificates category.
- Locate and select your iOS Developer or iOS Distribution certificate.
- Expand the entry to verify that the private key is locally installed.
- If you have multiple certificates, ensure that you are looking at the correct certificate that matches the bundle identifier of your app.
Additionally, it is important to ensure that all expired WWDR (Worldwide Developer Relations) certificates have been deleted from both your login and system keychains. Removing expired certificates can help resolve certificate-related issues.
Using Certificate Assistant
Certificate Assistant is a tool available in Keychain Access that allows you to evaluate and validate code signing certificates. Follow these steps to use Certificate Assistant effectively:
- Select your code signing identity’s certificate in Keychain Access.
- Go to Keychain Access > Certificate Assistant > Evaluate.
- In the Certificate Assistant window, select Generic (certificate chain validation only).
- Click Continue.
- The resulting UI will display a list of certificates that form the chain of trust. The first item is your code signing identity’s certificate, and the last is an Apple root certificate.
- Select each certificate in the list and verify that the UI shows a green checkmark with the text “This certificate is valid”. If you see any other message, it indicates a problem with the chain of trust.
By using Keychain Access and Certificate Assistant, you can diagnose and resolve issues related to code signing certificates, ensuring the integrity and security of your signed code.
Keychain Access and Certificate Assistant provide valuable insights and tools for troubleshooting and evaluating code signing certificates. By utilizing these tools effectively, you can identify and resolve any issues that may arise during the code signing process.
Troubleshooting on Different Machines
If you are experiencing code signing issues on your machine but not on others, there may be specific factors contributing to the problem. In this section, we will discuss how to troubleshoot and fix code signing issues on different machines.
When troubleshooting code signing issues on different machines, it is important to ensure that all necessary certificates, private keys, and provisioning profiles are properly installed and up to date. Here are some steps you can take to investigate and resolve the problem:
- Verify Code Signing Identities: Run the command
security find-identity -v -p codesigningto check if your code signing identities are installed and accessible on the machine. Make sure that the relevant certificates and private keys are present. - Check Provisioning Profiles: Open the Developer Portal and verify that the provisioning profiles you are using are still valid and not expired. If necessary, regenerate the provisioning profiles and download them again.
- Review Keychain Access: Open the Keychain Access app and make sure that the iOS Developer or iOS Distribution certificates are installed and have the correct private key associated with them. Also, ensure that all expired WWDR (Worldwide Developer Relations) certificates are deleted from both the login and system keychains.
- Restart Your Mac: Sometimes, simply restarting your Mac can resolve code signing issues. Restart your machine and try code signing again.
- Run Fastlane in Verbose Mode: If you are using Fastlane, run it in verbose mode (
fastlane [lane] --verbose) to get more detailed debug information. This can help you identify any specific errors or issues occurring during the code signing process.
By following these steps, you should be able to troubleshoot and fix code signing issues on different machines. Remember to check all relevant certificates, provisioning profiles, and code signing identities to ensure they are properly installed and up to date.
Example:
If you are experiencing code signing issues on your machine but not on others, there may be specific factors contributing to the problem. In this section, we will discuss how to troubleshoot and fix code signing issues on different machines.
Troubleshooting Code Signing Certificate Issues
Troubleshooting code signing certificate issues can be a complex process, but by following the steps and strategies outlined in this guide, you will be able to resolve common problems and ensure a smooth code signing experience.
Common Causes of Untrusted Certificates
One of the common causes of untrusted certificates is when the certificate has expired. In Keychain Access, an expired certificate is shown with a red cross and the text “…certificate is expired”. To fix this issue, you will need to renew the expired certificate.
Troubleshooting Expired Certificates
If your code signing identity’s certificate has expired, you can encounter errors when trying to sign code. To renew the expired certificate, follow the steps outlined in the Developer Account Help guide.
Troubleshooting Missing Issuer
If there is a missing issuer in the chain of trust between your code signing identity’s certificate and a trusted anchor, Keychain Access will show a red cross with the text “…certificate is not trusted”. To resolve this issue, you can download the corresponding intermediate certificate from the Apple PKI page and add it to your keychain.
Troubleshooting Trust Settings Overrides
MacOS allows you to customize trust settings, which can sometimes lead to code signing issues. If you encounter trust settings override errors, you can check and adjust your trust settings to ensure they are correctly configured for code signing.
Verifying Clock and Mac Settings
It is important to verify the clock and Mac settings when troubleshooting code signing issues. If the clock is not set correctly, it can cause certificate errors. Make sure your Mac’s clock is accurate to resolve this issue.
Keychain Access and Certificate Evaluation
To troubleshoot and evaluate code signing certificates, you can use Keychain Access and Certificate Assistant. These tools can help you identify any issues with your certificates and verify the chain of trust.
Troubleshooting on Different Machines
If code signing works on a different machine but not on yours, it may indicate that you do not have the latest private key, certificate, or provisioning profile. Make sure to check your keychain and ensure that all necessary components are installed correctly.
Conclusion
In conclusion, troubleshooting code signing certificate issues requires careful examination of the certificates, trust settings, and other related factors. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you will be able to identify and resolve common problems, ensuring a successful code signing process.
FAQ
Q: How can I troubleshoot issues related to code signing certificates?
A: To troubleshoot code signing certificate issues, you can follow these steps:
Q: What are the common causes of untrusted certificates?
A: The common causes of untrusted certificates are expired certificates, missing issuers, and trust settings overrides.
Q: How do I troubleshoot expired certificates?
A: To troubleshoot expired certificates, you need to renew them. You can check the expiration date of your certificate in Keychain Access and follow the steps to renew it.
Q: How do I troubleshoot missing issuer errors?
A: To troubleshoot missing issuer errors, you can download the corresponding intermediate certificate from the Apple PKI and add it to your keychain. You can also use Keychain Access to verify the chain of trust between your certificate and the trusted anchor.
Q: How do I troubleshoot trust settings overrides?
A: To troubleshoot trust settings overrides, you need to check your Mac’s clock and ensure it is set correctly. You can also customize trust settings in macOS, so make sure the settings are configured correctly for code signing.
Q: Why is verifying clock and Mac settings important when troubleshooting code signing issues?
A: Verifying clock and Mac settings is important because an incorrect clock or system settings can cause issues with code signing, such as errors related to certificate validity or trust.
Q: How can I use Keychain Access and Certificate Assistant to troubleshoot code signing certificates?
A: You can use Keychain Access to view and manage your code signing identities and certificates. Certificate Assistant can be used to evaluate the chain of trust and verify the validity of certificates.
Q: What tips can you provide for troubleshooting code signing issues on different machines?
A: If you’re experiencing code signing issues on one machine but not on another, you may need to ensure that you have the latest private key, certificate, and provisioning profile on your machine. You should also check your keychain and verify that all necessary certificates are installed correctly.
Q: What should I take away from this article?
A: This article provides troubleshooting steps for resolving common code signing certificate issues. By following these steps, you can diagnose and fix problems related to expired certificates, missing issuers, trust settings overrides, and other common issues.