PubSub Agent

Question

PubSub Agent

My mac asks me after each startup or login to enter my keychain password for the PubSub Agent to use. This has something to do with RSS feeds (which I don't use, either in Mail nor Safari) or with .Mac syncing.
the problem is described adequately thus:

"Symptoms
With Mac OS X 10.5, if you are syncing Bookmarks using MobileMe, you may see a alert stating that the PubSub Agent needs access to your Keychain.

Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.5, .Mac Sync, MobileMe
Resolution
This alert is expected. It is safe to click "Always Allow" for the PubSub Agent.

The PubSub agent syncs the RSS read/unread status of bookmarked RSS feeds between computers using Mac OS X 10.5 that are syncing bookmarks via MobileMe Sync."

HOWEVER: the dialog window I get does not show "Always Allow"!
I would click it if I could but I can't...

Can I somehow tell my Keychain to always allow this query from the PubSub Agent?

Thanks for any suggestions.

M Niessen

MacBook Black 2GHz Intel Core Duo 1 Gb RAM, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Oct 16, 2008 3:32 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Oct 29, 2008 11:19 PM in response to Michiel Niessen

Hi Michiel,

Welcome to the forum.

I have had the very same problem for many months, and have searched the support pages many time for help. I understand that we both are missing the opportunity to reply "Always Allow" - and nowhere I have found the answer.

Apple just says that one has to enter "Allways Allow" - but where ????
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1770?viewlocale=en_US

Do you use the Apple MobileMe Sync service? That service produces the nagging pop-up here.
One way to avoid the message to pop up is to de-select the Apple MobileMe from doing automatic sync and set it to be done manually (that is by you). Howver, this somehow reduces the usefullness of the MobileMe service, and it would be nice if Apple could help us.

My feeling is that many has somehow just given up on this.

Another suggestion seen in the forums has been to install a fresh system update e.g. from 10.5.1 til 10.5.5 using a downloaded update. Yesterday I downloaded the latest 10.5.5 combo-update from Apple and installed it (600 MB) . But it did not help on removing this nagging "Enter pubsub password".

Finally, as many thinks this might have something to do with RSS news feeds readers, some has suggested to delete the RSS feed that are found in the MAIL application (as a folder along with the other Mail folders). I have just this morning deleted the only RSS feed I had from Apple this and are now waiting to see if this helps getting rid of this "enter PubSub password" thing.

My feeling is that this does not really get it fixed, as I just got this dreaded "Enter PubSub password" screens up while writing this.

I'm sorry to say, the only thing that all this leads to, is that we are both in the same situation.

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Answer 2

orangekay

Level 5

4,085 points

Oct 29, 2008 11:33 PM in response to Michiel Niessen

Delete ~/Library/PubSub, restart and see what happens.

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Answer 3

Nov 1, 2008 2:28 AM in response to orangekay

Hi orangekay

Your suggestion:

Delete ~/Library/PubSub, restart and see what happens.

Did not make the "pubsub" asking for password go away. Thanks for trying anyhow.

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Answer 4

Nov 2, 2008 7:18 AM in response to John Christiansen

Hi,

Tried today to

1) Delete ~/Library/PubSub

but also

2) Went to MobileMe, opened Sync Preferences, selected Advanced and Unregistered all computers. Reset Sync Data. (deleted all).

3) Restarted computer and registered the computer again in Synch Preferences.

So far no problems with nagging "PubSub Agent wants password" message.

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Answer 5

Nov 3, 2008 6:40 AM in response to John Christiansen

Hi John,

Thanks for thinking along;
your solution (delete pubsub, and in MobileMe, de- and reregister my Mac) didn't do it for me, I'm afraid;

The annoying "PubSub Agent wants password" popped up again after restart.

I also tried -in vain- to tell my KeyChain somehow that the PubSubAgent is OK and that it can give my password whenever, but doesn't seem to work. I don't know if that's even officially possible anyway.

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Answer 6

Nov 3, 2008 7:43 AM in response to Michiel Niessen

Hi Michiel,

Actually same here! PubSub still asks for the password!

Wonder how one could get Apple to look into the issue, as I guess we
are not completely alone with this pubsub problem. I have tried in the past to
report it as a bug.

My iMac behaves nicely, the issue is related to the PowerBook pro.

About the keychain I have myself had the very same thoughts, but have not been able to identify any "pubsub" entry in the keychains.

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Answer 7

Nov 3, 2008 12:58 PM in response to John Christiansen

Hi John,

Interestingly, I checked the path again of the PubSubAgent password request (basically checking who it actually is that wants to know), and it led to a folder 'Keychain' in "Computer" > "Users" > "username" > "Documents",
which held one textfile sporting my username..
Figuring as the Documents folder is mine to manage, I trashed the file, and -fingers crossed- the dratted PubSubAgent request for a password has not returned....

It also does not seem to have affected any sync behaviour with .Mac (sorry, MobileMe).

I hope I've stumbled on some sort of solution here.

YMMV but sofar, I'm optimistic. So check if you have some Keychain file in your Documents folder..

This may also explain the fact that your iMac is unaffected and the issue only relates to your PowerBook.

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Answer 8

Nov 3, 2008 6:40 PM in response to Michiel Niessen

That's interesting. I did not find that folder, but the PubSub pointed in this direction:

Computer->Users->Username->Library->KeyChains->login.keychain.

Do you think it stores the info in different places on different computers?

Hope your solution works for you.

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Answer 9

Nov 4, 2008 12:47 AM in response to Michiel Niessen

it is interesting;
I remember that the first time around I tried to solve the problem, now a month or two ago, the path indicated the same you just mentioned:

computer > users > username > library > keychains > login.keychain

and indeed, on my MacBook there is such a path and file.

But after trashing that Keychains folder in my Documents, the problem has not (yet) recurred, about 24 hours now.

I'm guessing that Apple's continuous correcting of MobileMe problems and upgrading of the service perhaps occasionally does weird stuff to part of the MobileMe community whilst keeping other parts untouched.

Keep an eye on that path, and perhaps that folder will appear for you one day too...

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Answer 10

Nov 4, 2008 12:58 AM in response to Michiel Niessen

I actually deleted that "keychain" file and had to log into the .mac/mobile.me as "new" user, but the nagging PubSub has not been her the last 4-5 hours. A whole new feeling.

I'm not sure if it is really a good idea to delete such "keychain" files, but it did the trick here.

Thanks for pointing towards a solution.

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