How to make a copy of Xcode.app which is installed from App Store?

Question

I have installed Xcode 12.2 from the App Store. (I am using Big Sur 11.0.1).

I would like to use the XVim2 plugin for Xcode. In order to use the the XVim2 plugin, the Xcode app must be re-signed with a self-signed certificate. Since, re-signing the app will replace the original signature, I would like to keep 2 copies of the Xcode app- the original one signed by Apple and a copy which has been re-signed by me.

I tried to copy the Xcode app by performing the following steps-

• Open Finder and go to /Applications
• Copy Xcode.app
• Go to ~/Desktop and paste the app
• Rename the Xcode.app file in Desktop to XcodeVim.app
• Move the XcodeVim.app file to /Applications

After these steps, if I try to open the Xcode.app or the XcodeVim.app, the apps do not respond. The activity monitor shows that a process called XProtectService uses a lot of CPU when I try to open the apps.

Is there any way to copy the Xcode app which is installed from the App Store?

P.S.- I do not face this issue if I use the .xip file downloaded from https://developer.apple.com . I can make copies of the Xcode app and use them concurrently. However, I cannot use the .xip file from Apple Developer website as it does not support delta updates while App Store supports delta updates.

Answer 1

It's possible that modifying Xcode in this way is triggering macOS's built-in security features.

However, there are two easy ways to make a copy of the original app.

1. Compress the Xcode.app into a zip file.

2. A copy of the original Xcode will be saved as part of your backup, which you are already maintaining for reasons that include restoring modified apps.