INCIDENT REPORT: User-Specific Safari Extension Registration Failure - Mac OS Tahoe on new Minimac Pro

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INCIDENT REPORT: User-Specific Safari Extension Registration Failure - Mac OS Tahoe on new Minimac Pro

INCIDENT REPORT: User-Specific Safari Extension Registration Failure

This report builds on my earlier report presented in

MyndSurfers. (2026, August 24). Safari extensions fail to install on just ONE user account on my MiniMac Pro M4 Tahoe since purchase. Apple Community. Safari extensions fail to install on just… - Apple Community

At my last interaction with Apple Support, I was asked to eliminate Little Snitch from my Minimac. The report below summarizes what has happened.

In short, I successfully eliminated Little Snitch and Micro Snitch. On my main user account, I still cannot add new extensions, or recover extensions that live on my other Minimac accounts. When I install a Safari extension on my new account, (eg Wayback Machine) it fails to register in Safari. BUT it is available and presented for registration on the SAME computer in my troubleshooting admin account. Screenshots to follow.

Dr Google reports as follows.....

User Forum Pseudonym: MyndSurfers

OS / Hardware: macOS Tahoe 26.6.2, Mac mini Pro 4

Core Issue: Safari app-bundled extensions (e.g., Zotero, Wayback Machine) and App Store extensions download successfully to /Applications, but fail to register or populate inside Safari Settings > Extensions on the primary Admin account.

1. Isolation & Diagnostics Established

Cross-User Test: Extensions successfully install, populate, and execute normally on a secondary troubleshooting Admin user account on the same machine.

Scope of Fault: The issue is strictly isolated to the primary user profile directory and does not stem from corrupted core macOS binaries or global Safari frameworks.

2. Remedial Actions Taken (Per Apple Request)

Apple Support previously hypothesized third-party kernel/network extensions were triggering macOS "click-jacking" security layers, silently dropping the extension registrations. The following have been entirely stripped out: [1]

Hardware Isolation: Luna Display dongles and Thunderbolt infrastructure completely disconnected.

Software Removal: Fully deactivated and uninstalled Little Snitch and Micro Snitch.

Process Verification: Confirmed via Activity Monitor that all background network extensions, endpoints, daemons, and low-level system user (_www) intercept filtering processes have been permanently terminated.

Conflict Suppression: Suppressed screen/mouse capture utilities (Screenflow) from running. [I'm not sure about if I did this to Screenflow.

3. User-Level Reset Sequences Attempted (Without Success)

Safe Mode Interventions: Booted into Safe Mode to run purges to isolate background elements.

Directory Purges (via Terminal with Full Disk Access): Hard deleted ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/and sandboxed app containers at ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Caches/.

LaunchServices Rebuild: Executed lsregister -delete paths across system, local, and user domains to break path tracking deadlocks.

App Container Desync: Performed application package compression, deletion, and fresh extractions to trigger new Gatekeeper code signature evaluations. [2] (Using app Zotero downloaded from Zotero.org

4. Current Status & Technical Block

Despite a completely sterile environment with no third-party filter blockages remaining:

Newly installed host applications (installed on faulty user) appear natively in /Applications. The Safari extensions appear for registration in the secondary Troubleshooting account eg Wayback Machine.

Clicking "Activate Now" inside host applications prompts Safari to open, but the extension panel remains entirely blank (new Wayback Machine application, from Mac App Store Safari Extensions

Conclusion

The system is suffering from a localized PlugInKit Database Desync. The user-level pluginkit framework is refusing to discover, index, or append newly added .appex application extensions to Safari’s active layout configuration.

Mac mini, macOS 26.6

Posted on Sep 1, 2026 3:52 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

MyndSurfers Author

Level 1

46 points

Sep 8, 2026 3:13 PM in response to VikingOSX

I understand.

I created this incident report here so that when I speak with Apple Support I just tell them to find this Incident Report, rather than my giving detail over the phone. They appreciate the detail, screenshots. When I get Apple Support they are able to 1. View my screen 2. Have me send files through a special file upload app

I've spent several weeks with Apple Support, five different support people. Eventually, one support person has persisted with me over a good week. She has conducted troubleshooting steps with me following a precise schedule of tests and instructions received from Apple Engineers.

Collectively, we acknowledge we have exhausted all known avenues of investigation. We've all put a huge amount of time into the investigation. Any further investigation would be trial-and-error. So, potentially a black hole into which everyone's effort is poured.

In short, we all agreed the productive way forward is

Abandon the troublesome account
Create a brand new user on the same MiniMac
Incrementally commission the new user account by adding apps, Safari Extensions, additional cabling and so forth
Observe, Test and report progress.

I will report the onboarding progress in a new Discussion if the fault recurs.

Our working hypothesis is the following

My inability to successful view and enable Safari extensions on just ONE MiniMac user account MIGHT be due to

A User profile fault, perhaps inherited from either
1. Files including settings copied from my earlier Mac 2017 possibly when I used Target mode to transfer
2. Unusual general systems settings I’ve used to setup my profile to enable certain apps, like Luna Display, Zoom, Screenflow, Little Snitch, Vuescan

My plan

Decision and Actions

Establish a brand new user profile
Incrementally commission apps, data, settings and cabling in the new user
Decommission the troublesome user once all data and tests satisfactory
Observe, Test, Report throughout
Hope the fault does not reappear, but if it does, we have the immediate precursor steps.

Strategy

Unwind test environment settings on OLD user, eg Terminal/Disk Access
Stocktake the OLD User account:
1. Final Timemachine backup,
2. declutter email
3. Snapshot of minimac disk usage (copy screenshot to Zotero)
Setup a brand NEW Admin User Profile
Immediately setup the most crucial app and extension: iCloud, Safari and Zotero
Incrementally
1. Enable the priority apps and data I require
2. Test that Safari extensions function correctly after each change
3. Document
Test, Observe and Report progress to Apple

Migration and Implementation Schedule

Rename existing defective account to OLD
Create new Admin user, NEW
Setup Apple and iCloud accounts
Login to Safari Profiles x2
Install Zotero app and extension
Confirm other extensions install OK (They should appear automatically)
Setup Email accounts (icloud, catalynk, ceo, google)
Test critical apps
1. Zoom
2. Screenflow
3. Google Drive
4. iCloud Drive
Setup Backup systems
1. Setup Timemachine
2. Crashplan
Enable Snitch security system
1. Download and install
Enable Luna Display
1. Connect dongle and thunderbolt cable
2. Reinstall apps
Printing and Scanning
1. Preview
2. Vuescan
Setup Lightroom and Adobe Creative Cloud
1. Will require transfer of catalogue from OLD
Plan transfer of other files
Confirm all files transferred
Wait, test, observe
Decommission OLD account.
1. Check list of files on new user aligns with old user
2. Delete old files. WARNING: Take care not to delete iCloud files
3. Delete Account

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Answer 2

MyndSurfers Author

Level 1

46 points

Sep 22, 2026 4:29 PM in response to MyndSurfers

UPDATE INCIDENT REPORT: Zotero Connector for Safari disappeared AGAIN. Suspected response to update to Zotero 10.0.3 from 10.0.2. Mac OS Tahoe. Workaround successful

I know Zotero is aware of the situation I report below. Zotero asserts in their version release the fault is a MacOS Bug.

My bug report to Zotero, is in this thread. See my comments for 2026-09-23 NZST

Extension Zotero 9 and 10 Beta fail to install in Safari 26 on Tahoe. (2026, August 18). Zotero Forums. https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/133251/extension-zotero-9-and-10-beta-fail-to-install-in-safari-26-on-tahoe

1. To my horror, my Safari Zotero Connector failed AGAIN! This failure I noticed today 2026-09-23 NZST. This fail resulted after I had spent considerable effort succesfully establishing a new Mac OS user. I nstalled Zotero 10.0.2 about a week ago on that new user account.

System: Mac OS Tahoe 26.6.2, Mini mac M4 Pro, Safari 26.6.2 (21624.5.1.11.3)

In summary, the good news. I now have Zotero 10.0.3 (version upgrade) installed with the Safari connector working correctly after a complete reinstall of Zotero app in Mac OS Safe Mode.

I confirmed that I could successfully install additional extensions from the App Store (Safari) to the account ie Keyword Search

I tried the trick mentioned elsewhere: compress Zotero.app, delete app, unzip the compress. No success.

In a state of full precaution, I proceeded successfully as follows in Safe Mode

Deleted Zotero.app, Zotero.zip file,
Shutdown my Mac.
Restarted in Safe Mode
Downloaded Zotero for Mac from Zotero as dmg
Quit Safari
I Confirmed Zotero.app and Zotero.zip deleted and trash empty.
Installed Zotero from dmg 10.0.3, noticing an additional earlier 10.0.2 dmg in my downloads list.
Opened Zotero.app
Opened Safari. Success! Zotero Connection Extension available for check.
I explored Zotero app's 'What's new in 10.03' .... I Noticed the 10.0.3 new version clue about the cause of my Zotero Connector failure. Namely 'Changes in 10.0.3 (September 17, 2026) .... '[Mac] Try to automatically restore Zotero Connector for Safari if broken after app update due to macOS bug'

A potential clue: Observe the screen shot headed 'Interesting note from Apple OS.' as the Zotero.app was installed.

"Zotero.app" is an app created by the app (null). Are you sure you want to open it? An unknown application created this file today at 09:16. Apple checked it for malicious software and none was detected."

I don't know if it was necessary to install the new version of Zotero.app in safe mode. That's something that Apple Support had me try sometime ago. I took that path under extreme precaution.

Screenshots present from my first discovery that the Zotero extension was missing, then my reinstallation and success screenshots.

Zotero was here! It SHOULD be here!

New Safari extension, Keyword search added.

Exisiting Zotero.app confirmed deleted.

Install new version of Zotero.

Zotero 10.0.3 ready to launch....

Interesting note from Apple OS.

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Answer 3

VikingOSX

Level 10

130,326 points

Sep 2, 2026 3:55 AM in response to MyndSurfers

These are exclusively fellow user-supported, public communities. Your posting here is not being read or acted upon by Apple product teams. Your fellow users cannot fix Safari, nor any potential collateral interference by your other Safari extensions.

You can send non-image, direct feedback to the Safari Product team. They have no responsibility for third-party Safari extensions and their expected compatibility.

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