I am using Automator to create an app. When I save the automation as an app and then try and open it, I get the message, "You can't open the application because it may be damaged or incomplete".
Is there another step I need to take that will allow Automator to create valid apps?
MacBook Pro Apple Silicon
You tried saving as an app. Have you tried starting from File>New and selecting Application as the type?
You tried saving as an app. Have you tried starting from File>New and selecting Application as the type?
You win. It started me with workflows by default, and I chose to save it as an application. I followed your advice and tried starting with type application from the file>new, and it works fine.
Maybe try to create a simple app that just asks for text and then speaks it. I just tried that and it worked fine. I do have Xcode installed and I have a developer account. However, Automator didn't ask anything about either Xcode or my developer account.
I do have XCode installed as well, but I am pretty sure that Automator does NOT require having XCode installed. I have used Automator on other macs, where XCode was not present. Besides,
As etresoft suggested, try making a simple application as a test, and let us know how that goes.
Where are you saving the app?
And if you have any antivirus or cleaners installed... they may be the reason why your app does not run.
I have tried saving the app on local storage, icloud storage, and local network locations with the same result. There is no 3rd party security installed, and no prompts showing in the security and privacy control panel.
Thank you for your replies.
There could be something specific to your setup that is preventing these apps from working.
We need to know more.
Please run Etrecheck and post its full report here. Use the "additional text" button and paste the report into the text box.
I'm not 100% positive but you may need to install Apple's free Xcode application which is the full app developer suite from Apple.
I tried installing full Xcode, but the issue persists.
I created a simple app that asks for text and then speaks it. It works fine in automaton, but saving it as an app results in the same error.
For me what solved the issue was saving the file as an app and adding the .app extension manually!
Automator Creates Broken Apps
