Fixing macOS Permission Errors

If Pulse refuses to start recording, or capture fails repeatedly during a session, a macOS permission is usually the cause. This guide walks through fixes in order of likelihood.

Symptom

When you press Record, Pulse refuses to start and shows one of:

  • "Accessibility permission is required."

  • "Input Monitoring permission is required."

  • "Screen Recording permission is required." (Full mode only — not shown in Metrics-only mode)

Or during a session you see repeated capture failures ending with "Recording stopped — capture failed 5 times in a row."

These mean macOS is blocking Pulse from a system API. Pulse does not fall back to partial recording; it stops the session so your evidence is never silently incomplete.

Fix 1: Verify the toggle is ON

The most common cause is a toggle that reverted after a macOS update or login change.

  1. Quit Pulse completely (⌘Q from the Pulse menu, or right-click the tray icon → Quit).

  2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, and pick the relevant pane (Accessibility, Input Monitoring, or Screen Recording).

  3. If Pulse is listed, confirm the toggle is ON (blue). If macOS prompts for your password, enter it.

  4. Re-open Pulse and press Record again.

Fix 2: Remove and re-add Pulse

If Fix 1 doesn't help, the TCC entry for Pulse may be stale (common after upgrading Pulse over an old install).

  1. System Settings → Privacy & Security → (the failing permission pane).

  2. Select Pulse in the list.

  3. Click the − (minus) button to remove it.

  4. Quit Pulse completely.

  5. Re-open Pulse.

  6. Press Record — macOS prompts for the permission again. Approve it.

Repeat for the other permissions if they show the same issue.

Fix 3: Reset the TCC database (advanced)

If neither Fix 1 nor Fix 2 helps, the macOS privacy database may be corrupted. This is rare but possible after major macOS upgrades.

⚠️ This resets the permission for every app on your Mac, not just Pulse. You'll need to re-grant permissions to every app that uses these APIs.

Run only the line for the permission that's broken:

# Screen Recording — clears all apps' screen capture grants
tccutil reset ScreenCapture

# Accessibility — clears all apps' accessibility grants
tccutil reset Accessibility

# Input Monitoring — clears all apps' input monitoring grants
tccutil reset ListenEvent
# Screen Recording — clears all apps' screen capture grants
tccutil reset ScreenCapture

# Accessibility — clears all apps' accessibility grants
tccutil reset Accessibility

# Input Monitoring — clears all apps' input monitoring grants
tccutil reset ListenEvent
# Screen Recording — clears all apps' screen capture grants
tccutil reset ScreenCapture

# Accessibility — clears all apps' accessibility grants
tccutil reset Accessibility

# Input Monitoring — clears all apps' input monitoring grants
tccutil reset ListenEvent

After running, re-open Pulse and approve each prompt as it appears.

Fix 4: Check for an MDM profile

On a work-managed Mac (MDM-enrolled), your IT admin may block third-party apps from receiving these permissions globally. System Settings → Privacy & Security shows an MDM lock icon if your Mac is managed. In that case contact your IT admin — Pulse cannot bypass MDM policy.

Fix 5: Reinstall Pulse

If none of the above works, replace the app binary:

  1. Quit Pulse.

  2. Drag /Applications/Pulse.app to Trash, empty Trash.

  3. Re-download the latest build from https://github.com/LazVerry/pulse-releases/releases/latest/download/Pulse-arm64.dmg.

  4. Re-install from the new .dmg.

  5. Open Pulse, press Record, and re-approve any prompts.

Common Errors and Their Causes

Symptom

Likely cause

Fix

The permission prompt loops every time you press Record

TCC entry exists but is disabled

Fix 2

Recording starts but screenshots are blank or missing

Screen Recording permission revoked silently

Fix 1, then restart Pulse

Mouse distance stays at 0 in the log

Accessibility OFF

Fix 1

Keystroke count stays at 0 in the log

Input Monitoring OFF

Fix 1

Permission toggle is greyed out

MDM-managed device

Fix 4

Pulse stopped after 5 capture failures

Permission silently revoked mid-session, or storage full

Fix 1 + check disk space

If You're on Pulse v0.0.x and Your License Stopped Working

If your Pro or Add-on license was activated before v0.0.5 (mid-May 2026), Pulse moved to a more secure macOS Keychain back end starting with v0.0.5. The old license isn't visible to the new version. Fix:

  1. Open Settings → License.

  2. Click Deactivate if a stale entry is shown.

  3. Paste your license key from your Lemon Squeezy receipt email.

  4. Click Activate.

If you've lost the email, see Activating Your License for how to recover your key from Lemon Squeezy.

Still Not Working?

Send a bug report through Pulse's feedback form at https://tsukulogic.com/pulse/forms and include:

  • macOS version (System Settings → General → About)

  • Pulse version (Settings → System → About)

  • A screenshot of System Settings → Privacy & Security → (relevant pane) with Pulse visible

  • The last 5 entries from Console.app filtered by Pulse

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