If the Addigy agent on a macOS device has stopped communicating or has never been able to communicate, this article walks through the most common causes and how to resolve them. Before continuing, we recommend familiarizing yourself with what the Addigy agent is responsible for.
Before You Begin
The Addigy agent and MDM are two separate processes. If a device has an active MDM connection, it may appear online in Addigy even when the agent is unresponsive — and MDM commands will continue to work normally. Intermittent online status is also common in this scenario, as it typically reflects MDM audits reporting successfully rather than the agent communicating.
To confirm whether the agent is actually unresponsive before troubleshooting, run a test command via GoLive:
- Navigate to Devices and open GoLive for the affected device.
- Go to Scripts and run a simple command such as
ls. - Click Send, then go to History to check the result.
- Green: The command executed successfully — the agent is working.
- Yellow: The command is queued and unable to execute — the agent is unresponsive.
- Red: The command failed. Expand the entry in the script history window to view the error output.
If the command is queued (yellow), continue with the troubleshooting steps below.
Step 1: Reinstall the Agent
A corrupted installation or missing binaries are among the most common causes of agent communication failures. Reinstalling the agent is the recommended first step.
Option A: Reinstall via Addigy (Requires Active MDM)
- Navigate to Devices and expand the actions for the affected device.
- Click Re-install Agent.
This command is sent through MDM, so the device must have an active MDM connection for this option to work.
Option B: Reinstall Locally via Terminal (No MDM Required)
- Navigate to Add Devices and copy the cURL command to install the agent.
- Run the command locally in Terminal on the affected device.
Important: Make sure to select the correct Location Policy for the device — not a Flex Policy. Selecting the wrong policy can cause additional issues. You can confirm the device's Location Policy via GoLive.
The terminal output will show the progress of the installation. If the device is encountering issues, the output may contain error details that help pinpoint the cause. If you need to contact support, include a screenshot of this output in your request.
Below are screenshots of what a regular agent installation via terminal looks like depending on your processor type.
Silicon:
Intel:
Step 2: Rule Out Network or Security Software Interference
VPNs, firewalls, antivirus software, and antimalware tools can all interfere with agent communication. If any of these are running on the affected device, temporarily disable them and check whether the agent comes back online.
Additionally, placing the device on a hotspot or a known neutral network can help rule out interference at the network level.
If disabling these resolves the issue, configure the appropriate exclusions using the resources below before re-enabling them:
Step 3: Verify the Agent LaunchDaemon Is Running
The Addigy agent relies on a LaunchDaemon — com.addigy.agent.plist — to start and maintain communication at device startup. If this daemon is not running, the agent will not communicate regardless of other factors.
To check whether it's running, execute the following command in Terminal (admin credentials required):
sudo -s launchctl list | grep "com.addigy.agent"
-
If the daemon is running: You'll see output containing
com.addigy.agent. - If the output is blank: The daemon is not running. Start it with the command below.
sudo -s launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.addigy.agent.plist
After running this command, check GoLive again to confirm the agent is communicating.
Still Not Resolved? Collect Logs for Support
If none of the steps above have resolved the issue, gather device logs using the attached script and share them with the Addigy Support team.
- Download the attached script: Local Addigy Device Logs with SysDiagnose.sh
- Run the script locally on the affected device using the command below, replacing the directory with the actual path to the script:
sudo sh "/directory/to/script/Local Addigy Device Logs with SysDiagnose.sh"
Logs will be generated in the /Library/Logs directory.
When contacting support, please include:
- The generated device logs
- Affected device serial numbers
- A screenshot of the terminal output from the agent reinstall command