Moving Developer Certificates Between Macs: A Common Issue and Solution
When you’re working with Apple developer certificates, especially when switching between different Macs, you may encounter some unexpected issues during the certificate import process. Recently, I faced a frustrating error when trying to move my Developer ID Application Certificates from one Mac to another. After importing the .p12 file, I kept getting the following error message:
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Warning: unable to build chain to self-signed root for signer "Developer ID Application: xxxxx (yyyy)"
my.app: errSecInternalComponent
This error, while cryptic, is related to the system missing a required certificate from Apple itself. In this blog post, I will walk you through the problem, the reason behind it, and how to resolve it.
🧐 The Problem
I wanted to transfer my Developer ID Application Certificates from one Mac to another via Xcode, using the “Export” and “Import” options found in Xcode > Preferences > Accounts > Manage Certificates. After completing the export and import steps, everything seemed to go fine—until I tried signing my app. That’s when the error appeared.
The issue arose because, while I imported the certificate (the .p12 file), I hadn’t logged into my developer account inside Xcode on the second Mac. As a result, the system couldn’t verify the certificate chain, leading to the error message above.
🔍 The Root Cause
When you import a .p12 file containing a Developer ID Application Certificate, Xcode does not automatically pull down the necessary intermediate certificates that validate the certificate’s chain. Normally, when you’re logged in to Xcode with your Apple Developer account, Xcode can fetch the required certificates automatically. However, when you only import the certificate without logging into your developer account, that crucial intermediate certificate—the Developer ID - G2 certificate—is missing.
💡 The Solution
The fix is straightforward: you just need to manually install the missing certificate. Here’s how you can do it:
- Go to Apple’s Certificate Authority page.
- Download the Developer ID - G2 (Expiring 09/17/2031 00:00:00 UTC) certificate.
- Install the downloaded certificate on your Mac.
Once you’ve installed the certificate, you should no longer encounter the error, and your app signing should work as expected.
🧠 Final Thoughts
It’s easy to overlook the importance of this intermediate certificate, especially when switching Macs or moving certificates between systems. However, by simply installing the missing certificate from Apple, you can avoid the dreaded “unable to build chain” error and continue your development work without any further interruptions.
I hope this post helps you resolve the issue quickly if you ever find yourself in a similar situation. If you have any other solutions or additional insights, feel free to share them in the comments below!
Happy coding!