fix: macOS binary download — preserve .app symlinks, remove quarantine xattrs

macOS downloads were broken: symlinks in Chromium.app Framework layout were
skipped and flatten logic removed the .app bundle structure. Now allows safe
symlinks, skips flattening .app dirs, and runs xattr -cr post-extraction to
prevent Gatekeeper prompts. Also adds Turnstile GIF to README proof section.

README.md

@@ -106,6 +106,11 @@ All tests verified against live detection services. Last tested: Feb 2026 (Chrom
 
 ### Proof
 
+<p align="center">
+<img src="https://i.imgur.com/IvB0It7.gif" width="600" alt="Cloudflare Turnstile — 3 Tests Passing (Headed Mode)">
+<br><em>Cloudflare Turnstile — 3 live tests passing in headed mode (macOS)</em>
+</p>
+
 <p align="center">
 <img src="https://i.imgur.com/hvIQyMv.png" width="600" alt="reCAPTCHA v3 — Score 0.9">
 <br><em>reCAPTCHA v3 score 0.9 — server-side verified (human-level)</em>

cloakbrowser/download.py

@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import logging
 import os
+import platform
 import stat
+import subprocess
 import tarfile
 import tempfile
 import threading
@@ -168,27 +170,39 @@ def _extract_archive(
     dest_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
 
     with tarfile.open(archive_path, "r:gz") as tar:
-        # Security: prevent path traversal and symlink attacks
+        # Security: prevent path traversal
         safe_members = []
         for member in tar.getmembers():
+            # Allow symlinks — macOS .app bundles require them (Framework layout)
             if member.issym() or member.islnk():
-                logger.warning("Skipping symlink in archive: %s", member.name)
+                link_target = member.linkname
-                continue
+                # Reject symlinks that escape the dest dir
-            member_path = (dest_dir / member.name).resolve()
+                if os.path.isabs(link_target) or ".." in link_target.split("/"):
-            if not str(member_path).startswith(str(dest_dir.resolve())):
+                    logger.warning("Skipping suspicious symlink: %s -> %s", member.name, link_target)
-                raise RuntimeError(f"Archive contains path traversal: {member.name}")
+                    continue
+            else:
+                member_path = (dest_dir / member.name).resolve()
+                if not str(member_path).startswith(str(dest_dir.resolve())):
+                    raise RuntimeError(f"Archive contains path traversal: {member.name}")
             safe_members.append(member)
 
         tar.extractall(dest_dir, members=safe_members)
 
     # If tar extracted into a single subdirectory, flatten it
     # (e.g. fingerprint-chromium-142-custom-v2/chrome → chrome)
+    # But never flatten .app bundles — macOS needs the bundle structure intact
     _flatten_single_subdir(dest_dir)
 
     # Make binary executable
     bp = binary_path or get_binary_path()
     if bp.exists():
         _make_executable(bp)
+
+    # macOS: remove quarantine/provenance xattrs to prevent Gatekeeper prompts
+    if platform.system() == "Darwin":
+        _remove_quarantine(dest_dir)
+
+    if bp.exists():
         logger.info("Binary ready: %s", bp)
 
 
@@ -203,6 +217,10 @@ def _flatten_single_subdir(dest_dir: Path) -> None:
     entries = list(dest_dir.iterdir())
     if len(entries) == 1 and entries[0].is_dir():
         subdir = entries[0]
+        # Never flatten .app bundles — macOS needs the bundle structure
+        if subdir.name.endswith(".app"):
+            logger.debug("Keeping .app bundle intact: %s", subdir.name)
+            return
         logger.debug("Flattening single subdirectory: %s", subdir.name)
         for item in subdir.iterdir():
             shutil.move(str(item), str(dest_dir / item.name))
@@ -220,6 +238,19 @@ def _make_executable(path: Path) -> None:
     path.chmod(current | stat.S_IXUSR | stat.S_IXGRP | stat.S_IXOTH)
 
 
+def _remove_quarantine(path: Path) -> None:
+    """Remove macOS quarantine/provenance xattrs so Gatekeeper doesn't block the binary."""
+    try:
+        subprocess.run(
+            ["xattr", "-cr", str(path)],
+            capture_output=True,
+            timeout=30,
+        )
+        logger.debug("Removed quarantine attributes from %s", path)
+    except Exception:
+        logger.debug("Failed to remove quarantine attributes", exc_info=True)
+
+
 def clear_cache() -> None:
     """Remove all cached binaries. Forces re-download on next launch."""
     from .config import get_cache_dir

js/src/download.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
  * Mirrors Python cloakbrowser/download.py.
  */
 
+import { execFileSync } from "node:child_process";
 import fs from "node:fs";
 import path from "node:path";
 import { pipeline } from "node:stream/promises";
@@ -266,6 +267,14 @@ async function extractArchive(
   const bp = binaryPath || getBinaryPath();
   if (fs.existsSync(bp)) {
     fs.chmodSync(bp, 0o755);
+  }
+
+  // macOS: remove quarantine/provenance xattrs to prevent Gatekeeper prompts
+  if (process.platform === "darwin") {
+    removeQuarantine(destDir);
+  }
+
+  if (fs.existsSync(bp)) {
     console.log(`[cloakbrowser] Binary ready: ${bp}`);
   }
 }
@@ -278,6 +287,8 @@ function flattenSingleSubdir(destDir: string): void {
   const entries = fs.readdirSync(destDir);
   if (entries.length === 1) {
     const subdir = path.join(destDir, entries[0]!);
+    // Never flatten .app bundles — macOS needs the bundle structure
+    if (entries[0]!.endsWith(".app")) return;
     if (fs.statSync(subdir).isDirectory()) {
       const children = fs.readdirSync(subdir);
       for (const child of children) {
@@ -291,6 +302,15 @@ function flattenSingleSubdir(destDir: string): void {
   }
 }
 
+/** Remove macOS quarantine/provenance xattrs so Gatekeeper doesn't block the binary. */
+function removeQuarantine(dirPath: string): void {
+  try {
+    execFileSync("xattr", ["-cr", dirPath], { timeout: 30_000 });
+  } catch {
+    // Non-fatal — user can manually run: xattr -cr ~/.cloakbrowser/
+  }
+}
+
 function isExecutable(filePath: string): boolean {
   try {
     fs.accessSync(filePath, fs.constants.X_OK);