Solved: macOS ‘application does not have permission to open’ error after update

After macOS 15.1 update, I found I couldn't run some application—OmegaT for my case—with the following error message:

The application "Dock" does not have permission to open "(null.)"

Allowing macOS to run any application on its Privacy & Security setting didn't help.

However, I found the solution. Try the following on Terminal:

1. Remove Extra Metadata and Resource Forks

Use the following command to clear all extended attributes and resource forks from the app bundle:

sudo xattr -cr /Applications/OmegaT.app (or your app)

This command recursively removes any extra attributes that might be causing macOS to reject the app signature.

Now that the extended attributes are cleared, try re-signing OmegaT with:

sudo codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/OmegaT.app

After re-signing, attempt to launch OmegaT from Spotlight or the Dock.

To ensure the app is properly signed, you can verify it again:

codesign --verify --deep --verbose=2 /Applications/OmegaT.app

If verification passes, the app should now launch from both Spotlight and the Dock without issues.