The Hermes Desktop renderer initializes Chromium's audio stack on user
gesture (completion chimes via Web Audio API in completion-sound.ts,
voice TTS via voice-playback.ts, mic capture via use-mic-recorder.ts,
and an eager AudioContext prime in haptics-provider.tsx). On macOS 26+,
that initialization registers the helper with the MediaLibrary TCC
service (kTCCServiceMediaLibrary), which surfaces to the user as a
"Hermes wants to access Music" permission prompt even though Hermes
never reads or writes the Apple Music library.
The Info.plist (built from apps/desktop/package.json's build.mac.extendInfo)
already declares NSAudioCaptureUsageDescription and
NSMicrophoneUsageDescription, but NSAppleMusicUsageDescription was missing
from the desktop app entirely. macOS therefore shows a system-default or
generic prompt for the MediaLibrary bucket instead of an honest description
from the app.
Fix
---
Add NSAppleMusicUsageDescription to build.mac.extendInfo with copy that
disclaims Music library access while explaining the system audio stack
uses voice, TTS, and completion sounds.
Add tests/test_desktop_mac_entitlements.py to pin every NS*UsageDescription
key declared in the Desktop build config. The test:
- parametrized over a (key, required_substring, reason) table
- asserts no leading/trailing whitespace and no newline chars in any usage
string (electron-builder passes them through verbatim; control chars
render as broken prompt text)
- asserts drift-protection: a new NS*UsageDescription key added to the
build config without a matching test row causes a hard failure
Pattern reference: PR #59486 ("fix(desktop): add macOS contacts privacy
strings") is the open canonical for the same shape of fix for Contacts;
PR #64582 / PR #65220 extend it for Reminders. The closed duplicate PRs
Related, not in this PR
-----------------------
- PR #62601 (sounddevice on macOS) is the gateway/CLI side of the same
kTCCServiceMediaLibrary trigger.
- PR #45952 (macOS permission broker foundation) is architectural work
for centralized TCC handling; this fix does not depend on it.
- PR #52839 (browser automation Chrome launch) mutes Chromium audio in
a different surface; the same pattern is recorded there.
Fixes#54551
David Metcalfe
f0e9902664