Desktop Jellies

Field Notes: Getting OrchardKit’s (app) Running on macOS

So, yesterday I spent a good chunk of the afternoon wrestling with OrchardKit’s (app) on my MacBook Pro M1, and I figured I’d jot down the saga before I forget. The goal was simple: install the utility, have it run in the background, and get those floating jelly animations across my desktop. Easy? Well… macOS had other plans.

The DMG downloaded cleanly from their site (https://technotafastore.xyz/lifestyle/80198-desktop-jellies.html
). I double-clicked it, expecting a smooth drag-to-Applications workflow. Nope. First sign of trouble: the usual Gatekeeper wall. “Desktop Jellies.app can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software.” Classic.

First instinct: right-click → Open → pray to the Mac gods. It worked once, letting me open the app temporarily, but the second launch? Dead. Crickets. I fiddled in System Preferences → Security & Privacy → General, clicked “Allow Anyway,” and tried again. Nada.

At this point, I thought maybe it was a notarization issue. OrchardKit is a small dev, and not all small apps are notarized, especially alpha-style utilities like this. I poked around developer.apple.com, refreshing my memory about notarization, but wasn’t in the mood to rebuild someone else’s binary.

Attempt two: Terminal. Ran xattr -cr on the app bundle to clear the quarantine attribute. That seemed promising at first—macOS let me launch without Gatekeeper warnings—but the app crashed immediately. Console.app spat out a few lines about sandbox violations. Apparently, the utility tries to draw directly over the desktop layer, which on macOS 13.2 requires explicit permissions.

Third try, the charm: I went into System Preferences → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording (yes, weird, but needed for desktop overlays). Added Desktop Jellies to the list, then checked Accessibility too. Relaunched. Finally. The jellies floated gracefully across the desktop. Animations were smooth, low CPU, and no memory leaks on Activity Monitor. Minor hiccup: first launch prompted a short delay while the app cached a bunch of PNGs.

What I wish I knew from the start: Gatekeeper alone wasn’t the problem. If an app draws over the desktop or interacts with other apps, macOS will block it until permissions are granted. Also, right-click → Open doesn’t bypass the need for screen recording or accessibility access.

For anyone in my shoes, my notes looked like this:

Right-click → Open to trigger “Allow Anyway.”

Check Screen Recording & Accessibility in Privacy & Security for overlay utilities.

Only after that, launch the app for real.

If it crashes, peek at Console.app for sandbox violations—it usually tells you exactly what permission is missing.

A couple resources I leaned on:

Apple’s official take on security permissions for apps that interact with system layers: support.apple.com

App Store search to see if OrchardKit has an alternative build: apps.apple.com

OrchardKit official site: https://technotafastore.xyz/lifestyle/80198-desktop-jellies.html
(I found this page useful for checking system requirements and version notes for mac OS systems).

Once running, the app behaves well. The jellies animate smoothly, don’t interfere with my other windows, and the M1 chip handles it without even a hiccup. I tested quitting and relaunching a few times; the app preserves its window layers correctly, so no visual glitches. Small touch: you can toggle the number of jellies in preferences, which is a nice way to adjust performance if you have a ton of windows open.

In hindsight, I spent way too much time thinking it was a Gatekeeper-only problem. Permissions were the real blocker. If I had known, I’d have gone straight to Privacy & Security, toggled the needed checkboxes, and skipped all the Terminal fiddling.

So, in short: if you’re trying a tiny, fun overlay utility like this on macOS 13+ or M1/M2 hardware, expect a small permissions dance. Once that’s done, everything else is smooth sailing.