{"record":{"id":"9f8d5e289b2fdc92","repo":"Homebrew/homebrew-cask","slug":"unable-to-forcibly-close-vcam-app","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"Unable to forcibly close VCam.app","messagePattern":"Unable to forcibly close VCam\\.app","errorType":"console","errorClass":null,"httpStatus":null,"severity":"warning","filePath":"Casks/v/vcam.rb","lineNumber":32,"sourceCode":"\n  depends_on :macos\n\n  pkg \"VCam_#{version}.pkg\"\n\n  postflight_steps do\n    # Description: Ensure console variant of postinstall is non-interactive.\n    # This is because `open /Applications/VCam/VCam.app` is called from the\n    # postinstall script of the package and we don't want any user intervention there.\n    terminate_process(\n      \"/Applications/VCam/VCam.app\",\n      match:           :full,\n      attempts:        3,\n      must_succeed:    false,\n      notices:         [\n        \"The VCam package postinstall script launches the VCam app\",\n        \"Attempting to close VCam.app to avoid unwanted user intervention\",\n      ],\n      failure_message: \"Unable to forcibly close VCam.app\",\n    )\n  end\n\n  uninstall quit:    \"ai.vcam.desktop\",\n            pkgutil: [\n              \"camera-helper\",\n              \"electron-app\",\n              \"vcam.ai-uninstall\",\n            ],\n            delete:  \"/Applications/VCam\"\n\n  zap trash: [\n    \"~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.sharedfilelist/com.apple.LSSharedFileList.ApplicationRecentDocuments/ai.vcam.desktop.sfl*\",\n    \"~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.sharedfilelist/com.apple.LSSharedFileList.ApplicationRecentDocuments/com.splitmedialabs.camerahelper.sfl*\",\n    \"~/Library/Application Support/VCam.ai\",\n    \"~/Library/Preferences/ai.vcam.desktop.plist\",\n    \"~/Library/Saved Application State/ai.vcam.desktop.savedState\",\n  ]","sourceCodeStart":14,"sourceCodeEnd":50,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-cask/blob/8587086220f4568daf43b90d1a0baf391e930c9e/Casks/v/vcam.rb#L14-L50","documentation":"Printed by the terminate_process step in vcam's postflight_steps (Casks/v/vcam.rb:32). VCam's .pkg postinstall runs `open /Applications/VCam/VCam.app`, so Homebrew follows with `/usr/bin/pkill -f /Applications/VCam/VCam.app` up to 3 times, 1 second apart — note the nested path, because this app installs inside a /Applications/VCam folder (matching the `delete: /Applications/VCam` in the uninstall stanza). pkill exits non-zero when no live process's command line contains that exact nested path; after the last failed attempt Homebrew prints this failure_message as a `Warning:`. With `must_succeed: false` the step never fails the install.","triggerScenarios":"`brew install|upgrade|reinstall --cask vcam` where all three pkill attempts miss: the app never launched (headless install; postinstall `open` failed), the launch exceeded the ~3s window, or an older VCam release running from a non-nested path (e.g. /Applications/VCam.app) does not match the cask's nested pattern.","commonSituations":"Upgrades from an older VCam version whose bundle lived directly in /Applications rather than in the VCam folder; SSH/CI installs with no GUI session; slow virtual-camera launch racing the retry window; vendor changing the install layout.","solutions":["If brew completed, ignore the warning (`must_succeed: false`); quit any leftover app with `pkill -f /Applications/VCam/VCam.app`.","Quit VCam before the operation (`osascript -e 'quit app \"VCam\"'`), then re-run `brew reinstall --cask vcam`.","For older copies running from a different path, quit them too: `pkill -f VCam.app` (broader match) before installing.","Verify with `pgrep -fl VCam` which path is actually running; if the vendor moved the bundle, update the cask path (`brew edit --cask vcam`) and open a PR."],"exampleFix":"# before\nbrew upgrade --cask vcam\n# Warning: Unable to forcibly close VCam.app\n\n# after: quit the camera app (any install location), then upgrade\nosascript -e 'quit app \"VCam\"' || pkill -f 'VCam.app'\nbrew upgrade --cask vcam","handlingStrategy":"validation","validationCode":"# Quit VCam wherever it runs from (old releases used a non-nested path):\nosascript -e 'quit app \"VCam\"' 2>/dev/null || pkill -f 'VCam.app' 2>/dev/null || true\nbrew reinstall --cask vcam","typeGuard":null,"tryCatchPattern":"begin\n  Homebrew::SystemCommand.run!(\"/usr/bin/pkill\", args: [\"-f\", \"/Applications/VCam/VCam.app\"])\nrescue ErrorDuringExecution\n  # No command line contained the nested path: app not running or running\n  # from an older non-nested location. Non-fatal by design.\n  warn \"Unable to forcibly close VCam.app\"\nend","preventionTips":["Quit VCam before brew operations on the cask, including older copies at non-nested paths.","Remember the cask targets the nested /Applications/VCam/VCam.app path; old releases at /Applications/VCam.app will not match.","Treat the warning as advisory (must_succeed: false); verify with `brew list --cask vcam`.","Maintainers: re-check the nested path after vendor layout changes and test install with the app both running and closed."],"tags":["homebrew","cask","macos","vcam","pkill","process-termination","postflight","nested-path"],"backgroundTag":"pkill-no-process-matched","analyzedSha":"8587086220f4568daf43b90d1a0baf391e930c9e","analyzedAt":"2026-08-21T15:13:24.144Z","schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-08-21T18:17:14.833Z"}