Installing Nivora

Paid builds (business use, ₹299 incl. GST). After payment you receive an email with a GST invoice and a download link (valid 7 days, 5 downloads). Verify the download against the .sha256 shown on the payment page or sent on request.

Signed and notarized build (Nivora-X.Y.Z.dmg): open the DMG and drag Nivora to Applications. macOS opens it without a warning. It does not include the content filter or the capture helper.
Developer build (Nivora-X.Y.Z-developer.dmg): unsigned, so the sections below apply. It includes the content-filter and capture-helper code; to activate them you must sign the app yourself with your own Developer ID and a provisioning profile that carries the NetworkExtension entitlement. Those parts are compile-verified only.

The rest of this page covers the free builds (personal, non-business use), which are not signed or notarised.

Nivora release builds are not signed with an Apple Developer ID and are not notarised. macOS Gatekeeper will refuse to open a downloaded copy the first time and show a message such as:

"Nivora" cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified.
"Nivora" can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software.
"Nivora" is damaged and can't be opened. You should move it to the Trash. (a quarantined, unsigned download)

This is expected, not a sign of corruption. It happens because signing and notarisation need an Apple Developer ID and, for the content filter, an Apple-approved NetworkExtension entitlement. See Maturity for what is and is not verified.

Option 1: build it yourself (recommended)#

An app you build on your own Mac is never quarantined, so Gatekeeper does not interrupt it.

brew install xcodegen                 # once; Xcode must also be installed
./scripts/build-native.sh
ditto native/build/Build/Products/Release/Nivora.app /Applications/Nivora.app
open /Applications/Nivora.app

Optional: give your local copy an ad-hoc signature so macOS treats the bundle as intact: codesign --force --deep -s - /Applications/Nivora.app.

Option 2: install the downloaded DMG#

Download Nivora-X.Y.Z.dmg and SHA256SUMS.txt from Releases.
Verify the download: shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS.txt (run it in the folder with both files).
Open the DMG and drag Nivora to Applications.
Open Nivora once. If macOS blocks it, use one of the following:

macOS 15 (Sequoia) and later

Try to open Nivora, then dismiss the warning.
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
Scroll to Security, find "Nivora" was blocked to protect your Mac and click Open Anyway.
Authenticate, then click Open in the confirmation. macOS remembers the choice.

macOS 14 (Sonoma)

Control-click (right-click) Nivora in Applications → Open → Open. macOS remembers the choice.

Any version, from Terminal (removes the quarantine flag from your copy):

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Nivora.app
open /Applications/Nivora.app

Only do this for a copy whose checksum you verified against the release's SHA256SUMS.txt.

Option 3: no app at all#

The collector and dashboard need only Python 3 and nothing from Apple's signing chain:

python3 agent/nivora.py            # dashboard + API on 127.0.0.1:9857
python3 agent/nivora.py --demo     # simulated data

What an unsigned install can and cannot do#

Works	Needs a signed, provisioned build
Per-app flows and byte counters via `nettop`/`lsof`	Content-filter system extension (per-flow app attribution from the system)
Interfaces, DNS, routes, VPNs, neighbours, listeners	Capture helper (root `tcpdump`, approved in System Settings)
Time Machine history, health, exports, filters, menu-bar	Blocking rules taking effect

Nivora runs in observe-first mode on an unsigned install. Closing its window keeps it in the menu bar; Quit is in the menu-bar menu. The welcome sheet appears once on first launch.

Uninstall#

pkill -x Nivora
rm -rf /Applications/Nivora.app
rm -rf ~/.local/share/nivora          # history; optional
./scripts/uninstall-macos.sh          # only if you installed the launchd agent

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