Make a copy of the entire After Effects installation folder and name it Adobe After Effects-developer. Place the copy next to the default installation folder.
Last updated on
Sep 9, 2026
Fix an issue that stops Xcode from attaching to After Effects 26.5 when you debug C/C++ plugins on macOS.
If you write C/C++ plugins for After Effects and use Xcode to debug your plugin on macOS, you might not be able to attach to a running instance. This article shows you how to fix it.
Issue
When you try to attach Xcode to a running version of After Effects 26.5, Xcode shows a dialog saying it couldn't attach to the process and asks you to grant debugging permission.
After Effects code signing blocks the debugger
After Effects is code-signed, and macOS blocks Xcode from attaching a debugger to a code-signed app by default. To debug your plugin, create a development copy of After Effects and re-sign it with debugging permission enabled.
Open Terminal and make sure your current directory is writable, such as your home folder. Then run:
codesign -d --xml --entitlements entitlements.xml "/Applications/Adobe After Effects-developer/Adobe After Effects 2026.app"
Open the entitlements.xml file that the previous step created.
Remove any characters that appear before <?xml.
Add the following entitlement:
<key>com.apple.security.get-task-allow</key> <true/>
Re-sign the development copy:
codesign -f -s - --entitlements entitlements.xml "/Applications/Adobe After Effects-developer/Adobe After Effects 2026.app"
Launch the re-signed copy and attach your debugger as usual.
Note
You need to repeat this process each time you debug a newer non-Beta build.
Learn more about debugging Beta builds at the After Effects SDK documentation.
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