Firefox extension and 1Password app not linking correctly (might be my odd setup)

colep

I recall there being a better integration between the firefox extension and the desktop app, particularly around typing my password. I have to type in my password every time in the extension (I can't use biometrics), and any attempt to edit an entry from the browser extension opens up a web page over the beta app.

I am on the latest beta Firefox extension and 8.6.0 on my mac (I also can see and use SSH key beta on both surfaces, just to confirm I am indeed on beta outside of the confirmation of versions).

I have a bit of an odd installation: I manage my macOS software almost exclusively using nix-darwin, including my Firefox setup (I install extensions using home-manager, and have a little overlay to download and install the 1Password beta analogue to the new desktop client). I don't know how 1Password apps and extensions communicate, but the browser extension is on a separate APFS partition at /nix and is soft linked into my firefox profile.

Ben

Hi @colep

Does this setup result in either the 1Password or Firefox app not living in the /Application folder? If so, that would preclude the use of Shared Lock State (which is how we're able to offer biometric unlock). One of the ways 1Password protects you is that it won't speak to any arbitrary process. The connecting app has to pass code signing and has to be on the whitelist. If either 1Password or Firefox are not in /Applications, then this check would fail.

Please let me know if that is what you're up against.

Ben

colep

Hi Ben! Thank you for the quick response. I figured something like that was at play. Firefox lives in /nix partition and is soft linked into ~/Applications . I don't know the details of the security model, but it would be great for 1P to play with nix (I very much know this is in the niche-niche-niche category, but nix increases my capacity to keep my system secure).

Do you know if I could workaround this by just moving the Firefox.app into /Applications? (keeping the 1Password Firefox extension still symlinked into /nix/... from my Firefox profile)? Or alternatively, would it work if I were to pull the 1Password app binary into /nix? (or is the /Applications requirement a hard requirement)

Ben

You're very welcome. As far as I'm aware the location of the extension/Firefox profile is not important, but both the 1Password app and Firefox app have to live in /Applications, otherwise codesigning will fail. I don't believe it would be within our power to have a different outcome on that, other than by dropping the code signature checking altogether, which is a non-starter. 🙂

Ben