Tessel

macOS Permissions

Fix permission issues on your Mac.

The Main Thing: Accessibility Permission

Tessel needs "Accessibility" permission to use keyboard shortcuts. Without it, shortcuts won't work.

How to Enable It

  1. Open System Settings (click the Apple menu → System Settings)
  2. Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar
  3. Click Accessibility
  4. Find Tessel in the list
  5. Turn the switch ON
  6. Restart Tessel (important!)

Can't Find Tessel in the List?

  1. Click the + button at the bottom
  2. Go to Applications
  3. Select Tessel
  4. Click Open
  5. Turn it ON
  6. Restart Tessel

"Tessel can't be opened"

When you first open Tessel, macOS might block it.

How to Fix It

  1. Go to your Applications folder
  2. Right-click (or Control-click) on Tessel
  3. Click Open
  4. Click Open again in the popup

You only need to do this once.

Alternative Method

  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
  2. Scroll down - you'll see a message about Tessel being blocked
  3. Click Open Anyway

Shortcuts Still Not Working?

Try Removing and Re-adding

  1. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
  2. Find Tessel
  3. Click the - button to remove it
  4. Click the + button
  5. Add Tessel again from Applications
  6. Turn it ON
  7. Restart Tessel

Nuclear Option (Terminal)

If nothing works, reset the permission completely:

  1. Open Terminal (find it in Applications → Utilities)
  2. Paste this and press Enter: 
    sudo tccutil reset Accessibility com.tessel.app
  3. Enter your password
  4. Go back to System Settings and add Tessel again

"Tessel is damaged"

This happens if macOS quarantine flags get stuck.

Fix It

  1. Open Terminal
  2. Paste this and press Enter: 
    xattr -cr /Applications/Tessel.app
  3. Try opening Tessel again

Notifications (Optional)

Want to see popups when transforms finish?

  1. Open System Settings
  2. Click Notifications
  3. Find Tessel
  4. Turn ON "Allow Notifications"

Still Having Issues?

  1. Try restarting your Mac
  2. Reinstall Tessel
  3. Email support@gettessel.com
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