MacOS: R2017a keeps asking "Allow incoming connections"

Running MacOS 10.12.3 On each invocation of Matlab R2017a, MacOS asks "Allow incoming connections, Allow / Deny". The answer doesn't get remembered for the next time I open Matlab. I have Matlab 2016a and 2017a installed side-by-side. The issue doesn't occur on MATLAB_R2016a, only on MATLAB_R2017a. I have worked around this by adding manually the file "/Applications/MATLAB_R2017a.app/Contents/MacOS/MATLAB" to the Firewall allowed list. I had to do this manually, as it wouldn't remember the setting from the prompt.

[prjctdth]

I encounter the same issue. As i know from other software this occurs, if its code isn't signed properly while build from source code. Unfortunately you need a developer account from apple with a valid certificate, which i don't have and you probably don't have as well. In my opinion it is mathwork's fault and i hope they will fix it soon.

[Walter Roberson]

I did not observe this with the R2017a prerelease running on a Sierra virtual machine.

[Jorge Balat]

I'm also seeing this problem on Sierra. It gets really annoying.

[Miles Stanhope]

I tried the suggested workaround of adding the file manually to the Firewall allowed list, but the problem still persists. I'm running Sierra 10.12.4. It's really frustrating.

[Brian Wandell]

Same behavior for me on this 10.12.4 system. A Mathworks fix is important.

[Walter Roberson]

I did not observe this with the R2017a official running on a Sierra virtual machine.

[Ian]

Problem persists for R2017a in MacOS Sierra 10.12.6, when opening via clicking on app icon or icon in dock. Adding Matlab (either the main /Applications entry or the actual executable mentioned by Kanovsky) did not solve the problem.

Matlab also does not remember previous screen position, and opens all windows, including figures on the wrong (for me) screen. It appears to always open on the screen where the dock is positioned (which for me is on the side of my smaller screen), regardless of where the window was positioned previously. Moving dock back to my main window fixes the problem, but I keep the dock on the side of the secondary window so I have more screen real estate for working.

Workaround in J Robin's link (see below) of opening matlab from the shell script (/Applications/Matlab.../bin/matlab) via command line seems to fix both problems for me.

Answer 1

[Jyotish Robin]

Hi Noah!

Take a look at the below MATLAB answers post:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/332760-why-do-i-see-a-prompt-to-allow-incoming-connections-each-time-i-open-matlab-r2017a

I hope this will help you solve the issue.

Regards,

Jyotish

Answer 2

[Noah Kanovsky]

Updated with working solution: Take /Applications/MATLAB_R2016a.app/Contents/MacOS/StartMATLAB and copy it to /Applications/MATLAB_R2017a.app/Contents/MacOS/MATLAB.

Old answer (doesn't work): Add "/Applications/MATLAB_R2017a.app/Contents/MacOS/MATLAB" to the Firewall allowed list.

[Noah Kanovsky]

Posted correct answer above, this was in response to my first answer... Take /Applications/MATLAB_R2016a.app/Contents/MacOS/StartMATLAB and copy it to /Applications/MATLAB_R2017a.app/Contents/MacOS/MATLAB.

This works for a few people here.

[Irl Smith]

If this works, it implies that the startup code was changed (and the bug introduced) between 2016 and 2017. FWIW, there is no StartMATLAB in R2017a at the location listed, so that code seems to have been moved somewhere else. Mathworks, please fix! (I can't test it because I didn't retain my R2016 when I updated to R2017a.)

[Noah Kanovsky]

That's true, it's now called MATLAB not StartMATLAB.