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Framework symlinks are not created in app on macOS, leading to crash on launch

See original GitHub issue

Version: 20.29.0

electron-updater version: 3.1.5

Target: macOS

When I build my app, whether with electron-builder --dir (pack) or build -p always (publish), my resulting build sometimes instantly crashes. I run the app by opening the resulting .app.

The crash reports are as follows:

Exception Type:        EXC_CRASH (SIGABRT)
Exception Codes:       0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000
Exception Note:        EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY

Termination Reason:    DYLD, [0x1] Library missing

Application Specific Information:
dyld: launch, loading dependent libraries

Dyld Error Message:
  Library not loaded: @rpath/Electron Framework.framework/Electron Framework
  Referenced from: /Applications/myapp.app/Contents/MacOS/myapp
  Reason: image not found

Dyld Error Message:
  Library not loaded: @rpath/Mantle.framework/Mantle
  Referenced from: /Applications/myapp.app/Contents/MacOS/myapp
  Reason: image not found

After looking at this issue further, the frameworks under myapp.app/Contents/Frameworks are sometimes not symlinked correctly. That is, sometimes all symlinks are present, sometimes the symlink for Electron Framework.framework is missing, sometimes the symlink for Mantle.framwork is missing and so on.

Here is an example where Mantle.framework is correctly symlinked, but Electron Framework.framework not.

$ pwd
/Applications/myapp.app/Contents/Frameworks/Mantle.framework
$ ll
total 0
drwxr-xr-x  7 vladh  staff   224B Oct 31 12:19 .
drwxr-xr-x  9 vladh  staff   288B Oct 31 12:17 ..
lrwxr-xr-x  1 vladh  staff    24B Oct 31 12:19 Headers -> Versions/Current/Headers
lrwxr-xr-x  1 vladh  staff    23B Oct 31 12:19 Mantle -> Versions/Current/Mantle
lrwxr-xr-x  1 vladh  staff    24B Oct 31 12:19 Modules -> Versions/Current/Modules
lrwxr-xr-x  1 vladh  staff    26B Oct 31 12:19 Resources -> Versions/Current/Resources
drwxr-xr-x  4 vladh  staff   128B Oct 31 12:19 Versions

$ pwd
/Applications/myapp.app/Contents/Frameworks/Electron Framework.framework
$ ll
total 0
drwxr-xr-x  5 vladh  staff   160B Oct 31 12:19 .
drwxr-xr-x  9 vladh  staff   288B Oct 31 12:17 ..
lrwxr-xr-x  1 vladh  staff    26B Oct 31 12:19 Libraries -> Versions/Current/Libraries
lrwxr-xr-x  1 vladh  staff    26B Oct 31 12:19 Resources -> Versions/Current/Resources
drwxr-xr-x  4 vladh  staff   128B Oct 31 12:19 Versions

Here is my stripped package.json:

{
  "name": "myapp",
  "productName": "My App",
  "version": "1.0.18",
  "main": "src/main/index.js",
  "private": "true",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "electron .",
    "devstart": "electron . --debug",
    "build": "webpack",
    "devbuild": "webpack --watch",
    "test": "mocha && standard",
    "package": "npm-run-all package:*",
    "postinstall": "electron-builder install-app-deps",
    "package:mac": "electron-packager . --overwrite --platform=darwin --arch=x64 --out=out --icon=dist/app-icon/mac/app.icns --osx-sign.identity='Developer ID Application: GitHub' --extend-info=dist/mac/info.plist",
    "package:win": "electron-packager . --overwrite --platform=win32 --arch=ia32 --out=out --icon=dist/app-icon/win/app.ico",
    "package:linux": "electron-packager . --overwrite --platform=linux --arch=x64 --out=out",
    "package:sign-exe": "signcode './out/Electron API Demos-win32-ia32/Electron API Demos.exe' --cert ~/electron-api-demos.p12 --prompt --name 'Electron API Demos' --url 'http://electron.atom.io'",
    "package:installer": "node ./script/installer.js",
    "package:sign-installer": "signcode './out/windows-installer/ElectronAPIDemosSetup.exe' --cert ~/electron-api-demos.p12 --prompt --name 'Electron API Demos' --url 'http://electron.atom.io'",
    "prepack": "check-for-leaks",
    "prepush": "check-for-leaks",
    "publish": "build -p always",
    "pack": "electron-builder --dir",
    "dist": "electron-builder"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@babel/core": "^7.0.0",
    "apply-loader": "^2.0.0",
    "babel-loader": "^8.0.2",
    "check-for-leaks": "^1.2.0",
    "css-loader": "^1.0.0",
    "devtron": "^1.3.0",
    "electron": "^2.0.4",
    "electron-builder": "^20.29.0",
    "electron-packager": "^12.1.0",
    "electron-winstaller": "^2.2.0",
    "html-webpack-plugin": "^3.2.0",
    "husky": "^0.14.3",
    "mocha": "^5.2.0",
    "npm-run-all": "^4.0.2",
    "path": "^0.12.7",
    "pug": "^2.0.3",
    "pug-loader": "^2.4.0",
    "request": "^2.70.0",
    "signcode": "^0.5.0",
    "spectron": "^3.8.0",
    "standard": "^8.2.0",
    "style-loader": "^0.23.0",
    "stylus": "^0.54.5",
    "stylus-loader": "^3.0.2",
    "vue-devtools": "^5.0.0-beta.1",
    "webpack": "^4.17.2",
    "webpack-cli": "^3.1.0",
    "webpack-livereload-plugin": "^2.1.1"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "electron-log": "^2.2.14",
    "electron-pug": "^2.0.0",
    "electron-settings": "^3.0.7",
    "electron-shortcut-normalizer": "^1.0.0",
    "electron-updater": "^3.1.5",
    "glob": "^7.1.0",
    "he": "^1.2.0",
    "highlight.js": "^9.3.0",
    "lodash": "^4.17.11",
    "serialport": "^7.0.2",
    "sqlite3": "https://github.com/mapbox/node-sqlite3/tarball/master",
    "update-electron-app": "^1.1.1",
    "vue": "^2.5.17",
    "vue-router": "^3.0.1",
    "vuex": "^3.0.1"
  },
  "standard": {
    "env": {
      "mocha": true
    }
  },
  "build": {
    "appId": "com.example.myapp",
    "extraResources": [
      "data"
    ],
    "files": [
      "build",
      "config/*.js",
      "src",
      "static"
    ],
    "publish": [
      {
        "provider": "spaces",
        "name": "releases",
        "region": "ams3"
      }
    ]
  },
}

In effect, my app’s builds randomly do not start because of these missing symlinks.

Any help would really be appreciated! Please let me know if any other info is required and I’ll provide it right away.