Thanks again for your guidance. I’m following up with concrete implementation details and current repro logs because we still cannot read SSID via CoreWLAN from our agent process.
Environment:
macOS 26.3 (build 25D125)
Xcode 26.2 (17C52)
Wi-Fi interface: en0
Agent bundle ID: com.acme.SSIDInspector.Agent
App bundle ID: com.acme.SSIDInspector
How we launch the agent:
We use SMAppService.agent(plistName:) from the main app.
Embedded LaunchAgent plist path in app bundle: com.acme.SSIDInspector.Agent.plist
Plist details:
Label = com.acme.SSIDInspector.Agent
BundleProgram = Contents/Resources/SSIDInspectorAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/SSIDInspectorAgent
MachServices includes com.acme.SSIDInspector.Agent
RunAtLoad = true, KeepAlive = true
We call register()/unregister() on SMAppService, and use XPC (NSXPCConnection to mach service) to verify the agent is running/reachable.
Privacy/authorization setup:
Agent Info.plist usage strings are present:
NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription
NSLocationUsageDescription
NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription
Agent entitlement includes:
com.apple.security.personal-information.location = true
Agent requests location authorization via CLLocationManager.requestAlwaysAuthorization().
On startup we consistently see:
notDetermined -> authorizedAlways
one warmup location update received and stopped.
Observed CoreWLAN behavior:
In the agent process, CWWiFiClient.shared().interface()?.ssid() remains nil.
At the same time, CoreWLAN interface data indicates association (BSSID/channel present), so our diagnostic path marks this as redacted/unavailable SSID.
Representative log sequence (2026-02-26 13:16:02 local):
location authorization changed: authorizedAlways
location authorization granted; CoreWLAN SSID reads should be eligible
corewlan summary currentInterface=en0 currentSSID=nil interfaces=en0:ssid=nil
probe source corewlan returned redacted SSID marker
observed SSID becomes <SSID Redacted> (not actual SSID)
Important note:
The remaining issue is specifically CoreWLAN SSID visibility in this LaunchAgent context.
Question:
Given this setup, is there any additional requirement/restriction for SSID visibility when the process is a background LaunchAgent registered via SMAppService (as opposed to a foreground app process)?
If helpful, I can provide a minimal reproducible sample project with this exact architecture.
Thank you.
“Also, in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, we consistently see duplicate SSIDInspector entries (one with a warning icon) plus SSIDInspectorAgent. This suggests stale or conflicting TCC identity records. We are resetting TCC and re-registering via SMAppService, but wanted to confirm whether duplicate/stale TCC rows can affect CoreWLAN SSID visibility for a LaunchAgent process.”
