Forsy - Homebrew cask --adopt vs macOS App Management
Homebrew cask --adopt vs macOS App Management
Operations & AdminSoftware EngineeringReleased 7 Oct 2026
Update a macOS app that was installed by hand (drag from a DMG) by adopting it
into a Homebrew cask, and get past the three ways that silently fails. Use when:
(1) `brew install --cask <app> --adopt` fails with
`/usr/bin/sudo -E -- chgrp -hR admin /Applications/<App>.app exited with 1`
and every line says `Operation not permitted` - even after sudo accepted the
password; (2) `sudo brew ...` is refused with "Running Homebrew as root is
extremely dangerous and no longer supported"; (3) a retry fails with
`hdiutil: attach failed - Resource busy` / "Download failed for <cask>";
(4) an agent's shell fails with `sudo: a terminal is required to read the
password`; (5) brew outpu…