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Unattended capture: Smart App Control blocks the unsigned native host exe #8
Description
Activity
Parked by owner decision (2026-09-27). The owner does not currently use unattended CLI capture. Buttons on X, the extension popup, and browser-based testing are unaffected.
If this is resumed, the proposed fix is to register a two-line
.cmdhost that runs the already-signednode.exe(OpenJS Foundation, signature valid) and to drop the unsignedlauncher.csexe. That still needs a live test, because AGENTS.md claims Chromium is unreliable with.cmdhosts and that claim was never verified.Fixed in be46044 (PR #43, merged as e5fdac5). The installer now registers a
.cmdthat runs the signednode.exe.Live-verified 2026-10-05, Smart App Control on:
node scripts/sourcecapsule-capture.mjs --pinganswered by extension v1.6.5, and Code Integrity logged no 3033/3077 blocks after the switch. Before it, there was a block every 30 s.Reopened because one path is not verified. Every block in the log was for
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc\LocalCache\Local\SourceCapsule\.... Agent shells run inside the Claude desktop app's MSIX container, so every agent-run install landed in that app's private copy. The real disk has noSourceCapsule\native-hostfolder and no HKCU registration, so a Brave started from the desktop shortcut has no host at all. The installer now detects this and exits nonzero.Next action (owner): in a PowerShell window opened from the Start menu, run
npm.cmd run install:native-hostin the repo. Then start Brave from the Brave with SourceCapsule shortcut and runnode scripts\sourcecapsule-capture.mjs --ping. Pass condition:"ok": true. Close this issue once that passes.Live-verified from an owner-started browser on 2026-10-05:
- The owner ran
npm.cmd run install:native-hostfrom a Start-menu PowerShell. The container check did not fire. - Brave started from the "Brave with SourceCapsule" shortcut at 17:58:24 (parent
explorer.exe). At 17:58:25 it launchedcmd.exe /c "...\SourceCapsule\native-host\sourcecapsule-host.cmd", which ran the signednode.exe. node scripts\sourcecapsule-capture.mjs --pingreturned"ok": true, extensionVersion 1.6.5.- No Code Integrity events since 17:46:35, which was before the switch to the .cmd host.
- The owner ran
Impact: unattended capture (
scripts/sourcecapsule-capture.mjs) cannot reach the extension. Every call fails withCannot reach the SourceCapsule native host (ENOENT), and-Restart -Verifytimes out after 90s even though-Statusreports the browser has the flag.Evidence (2026-09-27, owner workstation):
Microsoft-Windows-CodeIntegrity/Operationallogs events 3033/3077 every 30s:cmd.exe(Chromium's native-host launcher) attempted to loadsourcecapsule-host.exethat "did not meet the Enterprise signing level". The 30s cadence matches the extension'ssourcecapsule:native-reconnectalarm.An Application Control policy has blocked this file.location: 8, no disable reasons).Cause:
scripts/install-native-host.ps1compilesnative-host/launcher.csinto an unsigned exe. Smart App Control rejects unsigned, non-reputable binaries, and it has no per-file allowlist.Next action (owner decision): either sign the launcher, or register a host that is already trusted (e.g. find a way to launch the signed
node.exedirectly). Turning Smart App Control off is possible but irreversible without a Windows reset. Do not do that silently.