Field Notes: Wrestling with PureWeb FTP Admin (app) on macOS

Hey,

So yesterday I spent a solid chunk of time fiddling with PureWeb FTP Admin (app) from OrchardKit, and, well… turns out macOS has its own idea of “fun.” I wanted to set it up for some routine file transfers on my M1 MacBook running macOS 13.3, figured it’d be a quick install. Spoiler: not so quick.

First attempt was the usual double-click from the Downloads folder. Immediate “can’t be opened” dialog. My gut said Gatekeeper was flexing. I tried the right-click → Open trick, thinking it’d let me bypass the unknown developer block. Nope. Still stubborn. Checked Apple’s official guide on Gatekeeper
just to make sure I wasn’t missing a trick.

Next, I tried dragging the app into Applications and launching from there—classic advice—but got the same cryptic “damaged or can’t be opened” error. That’s when I realized: the app isn’t notarized for macOS 13’s stricter security. My first mistake was assuming a recent download from OrchardKit would be automatically signed for M1 Macs.

I also tinkered with Terminal commands (xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine), which sometimes works wonders. That cleared the immediate Gatekeeper quarantine flag, but still, the app tried launching and then crashed instantly. Crash logs pointed to a permissions issue accessing /usr/local folders where it caches configs. I didn’t notice that at first, which cost me another 20 minutes.

What helped most: I manually set folder permissions for the app’s cache and support directories, then re-ran it. Finally, it started cleanly. No more instant crash. Additionally, I had to grant Full Disk Access under System Settings → Privacy & Security for seamless FTP operations. Once that was done, the app connected, transferred, and behaved perfectly.

Along the way, I kept the Mac App Store handy for reference—searching apps.apple.com for FTP clients
—and bookmarked this page / the resource I used / my notes here for future troubleshooting on macOS permission quirks. Also peeked at OrchardKit’s documentation to confirm the right default directories for logs and configs.

Key takeaways:

Gatekeeper blocks unsigned apps; right-click → Open isn’t always enough.

Quarantine flags can linger; xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine is your friend.

Permissions for cache/support directories can silently block the app.

Full Disk Access may be required for network/FTP tools on newer macOS versions.

If I were doing this fresh, here’s my short checklist:

Move the app to Applications.

Clear quarantine via Terminal.

Verify folder permissions (especially caches/logs).

Grant Full Disk Access.

Launch and test connections.

After that, PureWeb FTP Admin (app) ran smoothly, and I could finally get back to my workflow without crashes or permission nags. Lesson learned: Apple’s layered security isn’t just a nuisance—it’s a safety net. But also, always check directories and permissions before assuming the app is broken.

Anyway, thought I’d pass along these notes in case you ever run into the same M1/macOS gatekeeper hurdles. At least now I know how to wrestle OrchardKit’s FTP tool into submission.

—

References I leaned on:

Apple Developer: Notarization and Gatekeeper

Apple Support: Allow apps from identified developers

OrchardKit official docs (for paths/configs)

Mac App Store FTP client search: apps.apple.com