Launching AutoPilot on macOS

Complete guide for first-run AutoPilot on macOS — Gatekeeper quarantine removal, chmod, warp.dev, troubleshooting

🍎 Launching AutoPilot on macOS

Complete instructions for the first run of AutoPilot on a Mac (Apple Silicon / Intel).

💡 Short version is available in FAQ → Launching on macOS. This page is the full guide with all troubleshooting cases.

📥 Where to Download the macOS Build

Current builds are published in AutoPilot Chat (Telegram) in separate topics per exchange:

Open the relevant topic → download the latest build tagged macOS → extract the archive to a convenient folder (e.g., ~/Downloads/AutoPilot/) → proceed to the steps below.

💡 Apple Silicon vs Intel: both builds are typically published in the chat — darwin-arm64 for M1/M2/M3/M4 and darwin-x64 for Intel. See the troubleshooting section below for how to identify your chip.📖 About in-app auto-update — see FAQ → Updates.

Why It's Harder Than on Windows

By default, macOS blocks the execution of unsigned binary files downloaded from the internet:

• The AutoPilot file in Finder looks like a "document", not a program
• The system places it in Gatekeeper quarantine — double-click doesn't work
• You may see: cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified
• You may see: killed: 9 when trying to launch

This is fixed with two terminal commands. Once — and subsequent launches are easy.

Recommended Terminal

Best choice: warp.dev — a modern terminal with convenient copy-paste and command suggestions. Installs as a regular app via .dmg, suitable even for those opening a terminal on Mac for the first time.

The built-in Terminal.app also works (Spotlight ⌘ + Space → Terminal).

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 — Open Terminal

Launch warp.dev (or Terminal.app via Spotlight ⌘ + Space).

Step 2 — Navigate to AutoPilot Folder

bashcd ~/Downloads/AutoPilot

Tip: type cd (with a trailing space), then drag the pilot folder from Finder directly into the terminal window — the path will be pasted automatically. Then press Enter.

Verify you're in the right folder:

bashls

The output should contain the AutoPilot file, along with AutoPilot.config, data/, and other pilot files.

Step 3 — Remove Quarantine (Most Important!)

This is the key step. Without it, Mac sees the file as a "document" and won't launch it:

bashsudo xattr -r -c ./AutoPilot

• Enter your Mac password (characters will not appear while typing — this is normal, it's how the system works).
• xattr -c clears extended attributes, including com.apple.quarantine.
• -r applies recursively (in case AutoPilot is inside a folder with other files).

If sudo doesn't work — try without it: xattr -c ./AutoPilot

Step 4 — Make the File Executable

bashchmod +x ./AutoPilot

Step 5 — Launch

bash./AutoPilot

If everything was done correctly — AutoPilot will launch in the terminal window, read AutoPilot.config, and start working.

If Something Goes Wrong

❌ zsh: killed or Killed: 9 on launch

Quarantine wasn't cleared. Remove it from the entire folder recursively:

bashsudo xattr -rc .

The dot at the end means "current folder with everything inside".

❌ Operation not permitted on chmod

Run with sudo:

bashsudo chmod +x ./AutoPilot

❌ cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
2. Scroll down to the Security section
3. Find the message about AutoPilot → click "Open Anyway"
4. Return to terminal and try again: ./AutoPilot

❌ No such file or directory

You're in the wrong folder. Check:

bashpwd     # shows current path
ls      # shows file list

Make sure ls shows the AutoPilot file.

❌ bad CPU type or Exec format error

You downloaded the wrong architecture. Check your Mac: ⌘ + Space → System Information → Hardware section → Chip:

Download the correct version from your supplier.

❌ Mac shows the file as a "document" in Finder

This is normal — launch only from the terminal with ./AutoPilot. Double-clicking an unsigned binary in Finder fundamentally doesn't work on macOS. The Finder icon won't change even after chmod +x.

Quick Cheat Sheet

Copy and run in order (remember to substitute your path):

bashcd ~/Downloads/AutoPilot            # ← substitute your folder path
sudo xattr -r -c ./AutoPilot        # remove macOS quarantine
chmod +x ./AutoPilot                # make executable
./AutoPilot                         # launch

After First Launch

Steps 3 and 4 are no longer needed — for subsequent launches, just:

bashcd ~/Downloads/AutoPilot
./AutoPilot

Quarantine attributes and execute permissions persist until the file is re-downloaded or moved to another folder.

After Updates

When AutoPilot downloads a new version (see FAQ → Updates) and you unpack the archive replacing the old file:

• Execute permissions are reset — run chmod +x ./AutoPilot again
• Quarantine is back (file was re-downloaded) — run sudo xattr -r -c ./AutoPilot again

So after each update, repeat steps 3 and 4 from the instructions above.

FAQ

Q: Do I need to do this every time? A: No. Only on the first launch or after an AutoPilot update (when a new binary replaces the old one).

Q: Is sudo xattr -r -c safe? A: Yes. The command doesn't modify the file's contents — it only removes the "downloaded from the internet" flag that macOS applies automatically to all downloaded files.

Q: Can I launch it with a double-click like a regular program? A: No. AutoPilot is a console application, not a .app bundle. It launches only from the terminal via ./AutoPilot.

Q: What if I close the terminal but AutoPilot is still running? A: The process will continue running in the background. To see logs, open the logs/ folder in the pilot directory. To stop it — find the process in Activity Monitor or run killall AutoPilot in a new terminal.

Q: Do I need warp.dev, or is the built-in Terminal.app enough? A: Terminal.app is fine. warp.dev is more convenient (copy-paste, suggestions, history), but it's not required.

Q: Mac asks for a password on sudo — which one? A: Your Mac user account password (the one you use to log in). Characters won't appear while typing — this is normal, just type the password and press Enter.

Q: Gatekeeper still blocks even after xattr -c? A: Reboot your Mac and try the steps again. If it still doesn't work — use the workaround via System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway (see above).

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