Full Disk Access, the App Store, and your data
Legal Message Export asks for Full Disk Access because macOS keeps your Messages database in a protected folder, and that permission is the only way for any app to read it. The same requirement keeps it out of the Mac App Store, whose sandbox doesn't allow it. Your messages are read, indexed, and exported entirely on your Mac. Here's exactly what the app touches and connects to.
Why Full Disk Access
Messages stores your history in ~/Library/Messages/chat.db. macOS
protects that folder, rightly, so an app can only read it once you've added the
app under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access. The app
walks you through this on first launch.
You don't have to grant it. You can copy chat.db and
the Attachments folder from ~/Library/Messages somewhere
else yourself, using Finder or Terminal (which needs its own access), and import
that copy. A copied file needs no special permission. You can also turn Full Disk
Access off again after importing. The app works from its own snapshot, not from
your live Messages folder.
Why it's not in the Mac App Store
Every App Store app runs in Apple's sandbox, which blocks access to other apps' data, including Messages. An app that reads your Messages database can't be sold there. Instead, Legal Message Export is distributed directly: signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, which means Apple has scanned it for malware and macOS verifies it when you open it. It's the same model many professional Mac apps use outside the store.
What the app reads and writes
- Reads: your Messages database and the attachment files it refers to. Nothing else in your home folder.
- Never modifies your original Messages data. It makes a copy, and only ever opens that copy read-only.
- Writes its snapshot, search index, and the names you've assigned to contacts under
~/Library/Application Support/LegalMessageExport/, plus the PDFs wherever you save them.
What it connects to
Your messages never leave your Mac. The app makes exactly two kinds of network requests:
| Request | What's sent |
|---|---|
| License check to Lemon Squeezy, the payment provider | Only if you've entered a license: the license key, on launch and weekly. No message data. It works offline for 30 days. |
| Update check to appcamp.com | Periodically fetches a small file listing the latest version. Like any web request, it reveals your IP address and app version to the web server. No message data. |
No analytics, crash reporting, or tracking is built into the app. The AppCamp privacy policy covers the details of license purchases.
Removing everything
- Quit the app and move it to the Trash.
- Delete
~/Library/Application Support/LegalMessageExport/. That removes every imported snapshot and index. (In Finder, press ⌘⇧G and paste the path.) - Remove it from System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access.
Before deleting snapshots, keep any you might need to back up an export you've already given to a lawyer. The hash on that PDF's cover points to a specific snapshot. Why that matters.
Questions about privacy?
Email support@appcamp.com. I'm one person, and I'll answer you directly.