Screen Recording stopped working after I updated Leafy
This can happen the first time you open Leafy after a recent update. It's a one-time hiccup, not a bug: just say "yes" to the permission one more time and it's fixed for good.
Why this happens
Some updates change Leafy enough that macOS treats it like a new app and forgets you'd already granted Screen Recording.
Leafy may still show as "on" in System Settings, but scanning will fail or show a black screen. The permission is just stale, not actually broken.
How to fix it
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Quit Leafy completely: click the Leafy icon in your menu bar (top-right of your screen), then choose Quit Leafy. Just closing the window isn't enough.
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Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording.
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If Leafy is listed there, remove it from the list: select Leafy and click the − (minus) button below the list. Turning the switch off isn't enough. The stale entry has to be removed so macOS asks fresh.
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Open Leafy again, then press ⌥A (the scan shortcut). With the old entry removed, macOS asks for permission again, and Leafy will show you a window like this.
- Go back to Screen Recording settings and turn the switch on for Leafy, or drag Leafy straight from that window into the System Settings list.
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macOS will ask to quit and reopen Leafy: click Quit & Reopen. The permission won't take effect until Leafy restarts.
This is a one-time thing
Future updates won't ask you to do this again.
Still stuck? Email us at binjto@gmail.com and we'll help you sort it out, or chat with us on Discord.