[Bug]: T3 Code repeatedly asks for data access on macOS

[praveenperera]

What happened

On macOS, both stable and Nightly T3 Code builds repeatedly say that T3 Code needs access to data from other apps. Selecting Allow does not stop later prompts. A prompt can also appear after T3 Code is fully quit with Cmd+Q, which interrupts other work.

Before submitting

• I searched existing issues and did not find a duplicate for this regression.
• I included enough detail to reproduce or investigate the problem.

Area

apps/desktop

Steps to reproduce

1. Install and start a stable or Nightly T3 Code build on macOS with the macOS Tailscale app installed.
2. Let T3 Code read its connection and server configuration.
3. Select Allow when macOS says that T3 Code needs access to data from other apps.
4. Continue to use T3 Code, or quit T3 Code with Cmd+Q.
5. Observe that the prompt appears again.

Expected behavior

Passive connection discovery must not cause repeated macOS data-access prompts. After T3 Code quits, it must not cause another prompt.

Actual behavior

The data-access prompt appears more than once, even after the user selects Allow. It can appear again after T3 Code is fully quit with Cmd+Q.

Impact

Major degradation or frequent failure

Version or commit

Stable and Nightly T3 Code builds

Environment

macOS with the macOS Tailscale app installed

Cause

Passive configuration and endpoint reads run tailscale status --json. On macOS, this starts a binary inside the Tailscale application bundle. macOS attributes that data access to T3 Code, so each later read can cause another prompt. A newer remote-open target path does not use the earlier desktop cache.

This is related to #2737, where users reported the problem in both stable and Nightly builds. This report covers the current regression and its newer passive discovery path.

Proposed fix

PR #11920 replaces passive Tailscale command calls with operating-system network interface and resolver discovery. Explicit pairing and dev-share operations continue to use Tailscale commands.

Logs or stack traces

None available.

Workaround

These actions can reduce or stop the prompts until the fix is available:

• Use the repository directory as the project root. Do not create a project rooted at ~, ~/Documents, or another broad parent directory.
• If remote access is not required, open Settings → Connections and disable Network access. T3 Code restarts in local-only mode.