Electron-Nerv: App Shows Which Programs Cause Problems with macOS Tahoe
Slack, Discord, and many other cross-platform apps use the Electron framework. The problem: a bug makes them incompatible with macOS 26. A testing tool helps.
Electron Detector for macOS 26: This is how you can at least see where problems might arise.
(Image: Craig Hockenberry)
At the latest since the official release of macOS 26, also known as Tahoe, it is clear that some apps created with the popular Electron framework can cause massive problems under the new Mac operating system. The reason is simple: if older versions of the cross-platform system are used and a specific private AppKit API override simultaneously is used, a single such application can slow down the entire system. Why this was not noticed during the months-long beta phase of Tahoe remains unclear. A solution to the issue can only be provided by the developers of such apps themselves by updating the framework internally. To determine if you are affected, there is now a new tool.
Tool reports which apps are still affected
The app comes from Craig Hockenberry, creator of the software provider and design studio Icon Factory. With the Tahoe Electron Detector, you can check whether Electron-based apps have already been equipped with the necessary bugfix or not. The application is based on a script by developer Tomas Kafka, which has been streamlined with some Xcode specialties. The result is an AppleScript applet that, after authorization, scans the system for Electron applications and then reports whether they are affected or not.
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Subsequently, you can check whether the respective app has already received an Electron update or not; if not, you should handle the application with caution and uninstall it if necessary (or at least you know why the Mac is so slow when it's running). Hopefully, the detector will also help to put pressure on the respective developers.
Shaming website for Electron users
Indeed, at least temporarily, various well-known apps that use Electron were affected—from Dropbox and GitHub Desktop to Slack. Furthermore, there is now also a dedicated website on GitHub that is solely dedicated to “shaming” developers who have not yet updated the framework in their app. According to the site, apps from Superhuman, Loom, Logi Options+, or Notion (Mail and Calendar) have not yet been updated.
The affected apps use an override hack of a private AppKit API to generate certain (actually rather pointless) window effects. This, in turn, conflicts with macOS 26 or its implementation of the WindowServer task, which is responsible for macOS window display, according to in the GitHub forum of the Electron project. Result: An Electron app generates load, which leads to, among other things, slowed scrolling. With multiple apps, it gets even worse.
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