We encountered an issue where the Deadline Worker fails to execute Blender rendering jobs on macOS with the error: Operation not permitted. Notably, the same rendering command works fine when executed manually through the CLI, under the same user context (deadline.service).
System Setup:
• Hardware: Apple M2 Ultra
• OS: macOS Ventura 13.5.1
• Deadline Version: 10.4.0.8 with Remote Connection Server
• Blender Version: 4.2.3
Symptoms:
- Deadline Worker logs show the following error when attempting to read the Blender project file:
Error: Cannot read file “/path/to/project.blend”: Operation not permitted
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Blender renders successfully when executed directly via the terminal, using the same user (deadline.service).
-
Other platforms (Linux, Windows) run the same job without issues.
Possible Cause:
The issue appears related to macOS System Policy Control, which restricts certain filesystem operations by daemons or background processes, even when run under the same user account. The mounted network path used by Deadline Worker is also a potential factor due to limited access rights.
Relevant Information:
• Deadline Worker runs as a service with the com.thinkboxsoftware.deadlinelauncher10 daemon.
• The shared network storage is mounted using a custom LaunchDaemon (com.xpost.deadline.mount) with limited access (deadline.service user only).
Troubleshooting Steps Tried:
-
Verified that the mounted path and file permissions are correct.
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Tested the same command via terminal, confirming it works manually.
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Reviewed system logs (/var/log/system.log) for additional information.
Proposed Hypothesis:
macOS may block Deadline Worker (running as a daemonized service) from accessing the mounted network storage or the Blender .blend file due to a lack of Full Disk Access permissions or constraints imposed by System Policy Control.
Workaround Attempt:
Manually granting Full Disk Access to the deadlineslave binary located at:
/Applications/Thinkbox/Deadline10/Resources/deadlineslave
This was attempted via the macOS GUI (Privacy & Security settings), but still not working.
LaunchDaemons Configurations:
- Deadline Launcher Daemon:
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.thinkboxsoftware.deadlinelauncher10.plist
- Network Mount Daemon:
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.outpost.deadline.mount.plist
Current Status:
We believe this issue might require addressing by Thinkbox or Apple due to its root cause being deeply tied to macOS’s System Policy behavior. Any insights or updates on similar issues would be appreciated.