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Verification and troubleshooting

Verification​

Check a few high-signal defaults:

defaults read -g KeyRepeat
defaults read com.apple.screencapture location
defaults read net.freemacsoft.AppCleaner SUAutomaticallyUpdate

Check the corrected policy without changing it:

defaults read -g AppleICUForce24HourTime
defaults read -g NSQuitAlwaysKeepsWindows
defaults read com.apple.finder ShowHardDrivesOnDesktop
defaults read com.apple.WindowManager EnableTilingByEdgeDrag
defaults read com.apple.WindowManager EnableTopTilingByEdgeDrag
defaults read com.apple.WindowManager EnableTilingOptionAccelerator
defaults read com.apple.WindowManager EnableTiledWindowMargins
nvram StartupMute
/usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --getglobalstate

Expect 1 for 24-hour time, 0 for window restoration, drive visibility and tiling, %01 for startup mute, and an enabled firewall. LSQuarantine in com.apple.LaunchServices, the global NSAppSleepDisabled and NSDisableAutomaticTermination, and Finder's old ShowSidebarHardDrivesOnDesktop override should be absent. System Settings should inherit the global window-restoration preference, without its old NSQuitAlwaysKeepsWindows override.

Run the isolated Finder regression suite with:

python3 scripts/test_runner.py tests/test_macos_preferences.py

On macOS, these tests use the real defaults binary with absolute domains under temporary directories, never your Finder domain. They cover missing dictionaries, preserving unrelated preferences, reapplying after user changes, and malformed data without partial writes. Other platforms skip these native-consumer tests. Stored values are not proof of an undocumented setting's UI effect; check the affected app after relaunch when verifying that behavior.

Check icon command wiring:

command -v ,apply-app-icons

Troubleshooting​

  • defaults changes did not apply:
    • restart affected apps (Finder, Dock, SystemUIServer) or reboot.
  • ,apply-app-icons fails:
  • Hook runs but nothing changed:
    • confirm the script hash-trigger input actually changed.