Xcode project

Briefcase supports creating a full Xcode project for a macOS app. This project can then be used to build an actual app bundle, with the briefcase build command or directly from Xcode.

By default, apps will be both signed and notarized when they are packaged.

The Xcode project will produce a .app bundle is a distributable artefact. Alternatively, this .app bundle can be packaged as a .dmg that contains the .app bundle. The default packaging format is .dmg.

Icon format

macOS Xcode projects use .png format icons. An application must provide icons of the following sizes:

• 16px

• 32px

• 64px

• 128px

• 256px

• 512px

• 1024px

Splash Image format

macOS Xcode projects do not support splash screens.

Additional options

The following options can be provided at the command line when packaging macOS apps.

--no-notarize

Do not submit the application for notarization. By default, apps will be submitted for notarization unless they have been signed with an ad-hoc signing identity.

Platform quirks

Packaging with --adhoc-sign

Using the --adhoc-sign option on macOS produces an app that will be able to run on your own machine, but won’t run on any other computer. In order to distribute your app to other users, you will need to sign the app with a full signing identity.