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"ProTools is not running" even though it is

By David Fähndrich @David_Fahndrich
    2026-04-16 08:46:51.363Z

    "ProTools is not running" even though it is

    System Information

    SoundFlow 6.1.1

    OS: darwin 25.2.0

    ProductName: macOS
    ProductVersion: 26.2
    BuildVersion: 25C56

    Steps to Reproduce

    1. Open native soundflow app
    2. open ProTools 2025.12.1
    3. trigger ProTools Commands
    4. get error message "ProTools is not running"

    Expected Result

    I would expect soundflow to run the commands in ProTools

    Actual Result

    It's giving back an error:

    16.04.2026 10:42:41.24 [Backend]: !! Command Error: Toggle: Video
    Pro Tools is not running
    (Window Menu line 3)

    Workaround

    No :(

    Other Notes

    I've already rebooted the whole system, logged out of all existing soundflow sessions and logged back in, started up in order: SoundFlow, ProTools - still didn't work...


    Links

    User UID: hcPzDtvg31QsynUkLY5qYzGKRf93

    Feedback Key: sffeedback:hcPzDtvg31QsynUkLY5qYzGKRf93:-OqKTAn157a5tQ3m_0GH

    Feedback ZIP: Iu56wdnh+ma9avexpK8uIUGYQAjXX+bcO1/s0WpfkDDB7OuVncrEUmQD9fMNLF8I/bspYT4SZ+bJ5e94OmiLc+RQJDohjv/0DgPxRBWZb/E8MVHb1/1dK+XxMiq+LKmZaNDQ/kCy7apyuAa7BIASBw1pQ70VDsLs137YjoHEDa69SJLK5NSyoSdEfiO+HFUIgpMngq1rg/95FRJ+2U15fWL79XbkHehqjJrIUtTKgMxC8OkziTBLRHqTGs8+DOQOdB6eYM7lIFVUxdpuAtpYP3KtewsLYBcZV+9tryoSwstyOZ38nLMh/Hrp3auss0dXKIPtQiUF/YjAFWyovHq8YA==

    • 4 replies
    1. In reply toDavid_Fahndrich:
      Chad Wahlbrink @Chad2026-04-16 20:18:36.422Z

      Hi, @David_Fahndrich,

      There seems to be an issue installing SFX into the correct location on your computer, which is causing this underlying issue. A few things to try:

      • Download & Install the latest version of SoundFlow here: https://soundflow.org/account/install

      • If the issue persists, please copy/paste each of these lines one by one into the Terminal application, and enter your password when asked:

      # create the soundflow directory
      sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/share/soundflow
      
      # Set the user ownership
      sudo chown -R "$USER" /usr/local/share/soundflow
      
      # Set the user Permissions
      sudo chmod -R 755 /usr/local/share/soundflow
      

      After entering these in Terminal, please download & install the latest version of SoundFlow once more: https://soundflow.org/account/install

      Let me know if this helps! If not, I'd be happy to set up a Zoom call to look at this together.

      Best,
      Chad

      1. DDavid Fähndrich @David_Fahndrich
          2026-04-17 12:51:23.302Z

          Thanks a lot for your detailed instructions @Chad !

          I've tried those but it didn't change anything for my situation. In the end I thought let's toggle this weird little button in the security preferences called App Mangement:

          This solved the problem once I restarted Soundflow and ProTools! I use this toggle as well to reconnect Soundflow to DADman (as seen here), which I need to do almost everytime I come in the studio. Welp, I guess my fault, since I just blindly updated to the latest OS recently haha! And working on a MacBook Pro instead of a stationare/always on Mac Studio doesn't help as well I guess lol

          Thanks anyway Chad and maybe my workaround helps other people as well who are affected!

          Cheers,
          David

          1. Chad Wahlbrink @Chad2026-04-17 21:47:53.684Z

            Ah, yes, @David_Fahndrich,

            We typically encourage users to enable permissions for App Management and Local Network access for SoundFlow on macOS Sequoia and above:

            https://soundflow.org/docs/getting-started/install-soundflow/known-issues#macOS-Sequoia

            Thanks for sharing that information! I'm glad you are up and running again.

        • Progress
          with handling this problem
        • S
          SoundFlow Bot @soundflowbot
            2026-04-16 15:56:40.068Z
            SoundFlow support ticket: SFSUP-290