How to force the “Allow Local Network Access?” prompt to appear again

Apple’s macOS now requires every app that talks to other devices on your LAN to be granted explicit permission. If an app never shows the prompt you can launch it from Terminal – macOS will then display the dialog.

1. Open a Terminal window

2. Navigate to the app’s executable

1. Go to the Applications folder

   cd /Applications

1. Find the exact name of the app (case‑sensitive).

You can list the folder contents to be sure:

   ls

1. Enter the app bundle

Replace YourApp.app with the real name.

   cd "YourApp.app"

1. Drill down to the actual binary

   cd Contents/MacOS

1. Confirm you’re in the right place – you should see the executable file:

   ls

The output will usually be a single file with the same name as the app (e.g. YourApp).

3. Run the app from the command line

./YourApp

• macOS will launch the program exactly as if you double‑clicked it in Finder.
• Because the launch occurs outside the normal GUI path, macOS is forced to display the “Allow ‘YourApp’ to access devices on your local network?” dialog.
• Click Allow (or Deny if you prefer) and the permission will be stored for that app.

Tip: Keep the Terminal window open while the app runs; you can stop it with <kbd>Ctrl + C** if you need to.

Resetting all Local‑Network permissions (use with caution)

If you want to wipe the entire list of apps that have been granted (or denied) local‑network access, macOS provides a built‑in command:

tccutil reset LocalNetwork

What this does

• Removes every entry for the LocalNetwork service from the TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) database.
• The next time any app tries to use the local network, macOS will ask again.

⚠️ WARNING

• This will affect every application on the Mac – not just the one you’re troubleshooting.
• You will see the permission prompt for all network‑aware apps the next time they start, which can be disruptive.
• Only run the command if you truly need a clean slate (e.g. after a major re‑install or when many apps are mis‑behaving).

Remember: Updates wipe permissions

Whenever macOS or an individual application is updated, the system treats the binary as “new” and clears its Local‑Network authorisation. Consequences:

• The app will stop communicating on the LAN until you grant permission again.
• The prompt may not appear automatically (hence the need for the Terminal method above).

Best practice after an update

1. Launch the app (double‑click or via Terminal as described).
2. Watch for the Local‑Network prompt and click Allow.
3. If the prompt does not appear, repeat the Terminal launch steps.

Quick checklist

• [ ] Open Terminal.
• [ ] cd /Applications/"YourApp.app"/Contents/MacOS
• [ ] ./YourApp – grant permission when the dialog appears.
• [ ] (Optional) tccutil reset LocalNetwork – only if you need to clear all entries.
• [ ] After any macOS or app update, repeat the launch to re‑grant access.

By following these steps you can reliably trigger the Local‑Network permission dialog and restore connectivity for any mis‑behaving Mac application.