Articles on: Troubleshooting

Data Not Populating: Mac Silent App (XMS)

What to check, step by step, when Flowace isn’t tracking or no data is showing.


Item

Details

App

Mac Silent App (XMS)

Platform

macOS

Visible to the user

No. The Silent App runs silently and is deployed by IT.

Linked by

The device is mapped to an employee in the Flowace dashboard.

Where to find it

Terminal, System Settings › Privacy & Security


Use this guide when the Silent App on a Mac isn’t tracking, or no data is showing. Work top to bottom: check that the app is installed, then running, then mapped to a user. Most issues are fixed by Level 3.


Start here: three questions


Ask these three questions, in this order.


Question

Go to

Is it installed?

Level 1

Is it running?

Level 2

Is the device mapped to a user?

Level 3


If all three are yes but there is still no data, go to Level 4 (permissions and sync) and then Advanced.


Names to look for


The app shows under different names in Activity Monitor, Login Items and process lists. Look for any of these.


Where you look

What to look for

App name

Plugin, PluginHelper, system-plugin

Activity Monitor / process list

Plugin, PluginHelper, plugin-guardian

Login Items / “Allow in the Background”

PluginHelper, and the publisher Flowace Technologies Pvt Ltd

Developer / publisher signature

Flowace Technologies Pvt Ltd



Level 1: Verify it’s installed


Goal: confirm the app files are on the computer.

  • Easy way: open Activity Monitor (press ⌘+Space, type “Activity Monitor”), then search Plugin.
  • Commands: Open the Terminal app, paste the command, then press Enter.
ls -l /Applications/Plugin.app
ls -l /Applications/PluginHelper.app
ls -l "/Library/Application Support/Plugin/clientInfo.json"


If all three exist, it’s installed and linked to a customer.


If app is not installed: Install it first (see the Installation Guide). Don’t go further until the files are present.



Level 2: Verify it’s running


Installed isn’t the same as running. Confirm the app is active right now.

  • Easy way: Activity Monitor › search Plugin. You should see Plugin and PluginHelper.
  • Commands (Terminal):
pgrep -lf Plugin

Should list Plugin and PluginHelper.

sudo launchctl list | grep -i plugin

Confirms the background keep-alive. It asks for an admin password.

  • PluginHelper restarts the app within about 60 seconds if it stops. If it keeps showing as not running, go to Advanced.


If it’s installed but won’t stay running: The quickest first fix is to restart the computer once. The app is set to start automatically on boot.



Level 3: Verify the device is mapped to a user


This is the most common reason for “no data” when the app is installed and running. The Silent App never asks for a login. Instead, the device must be mapped (linked) to an employee in the Flowace dashboard. No mapping means the app runs fine but no data appears.


Step

What to do

1

First confirm the device points at the right customer. Check the company-link file (command below). Confirm the customer address inside, for example acme.flowace.in, is correct. A wrong address sends data to the wrong place or nowhere.

2

Open your Flowace dashboard and check the device is mapped to a user. If it’s unmapped, complete the mapping there, or write to support@flowace.ai.

3

The app keeps retrying on its own about every 60 seconds. Once the mapping is done, data starts flowing. No reinstall is needed.


cat "/Library/Application Support/Plugin/clientInfo.json"


Rule for the Silent App: Installed + running + correct clientInfo.json + mapped on web portal = data will come. Miss any one and you get nothing.



Level 4: Permissions and data sync


Reach here only if it’s installed, running, and logged in, but data is still thin or missing.


Mac permissions
If permissions are off, Flowace records empty “No Permission” entries instead of real activity.

  • Go to System Settings › Privacy & Security and confirm these are ON for the app (Flowace):
  • Screen Recording (if listed)
  • Accessibility
  • Input Monitoring (if listed)
  • You can re-trigger the prompt. In the Grant Required Permissions box, click Quit & Reopen Flowace after turning the switches on.


Confirm data is syncing

  • Leave the computer on and in use for about 5 minutes.
  • Open your Flowace dashboard and find the user.
  • You should see fresh activity and screenshots arriving.
  • Still nothing after 5 minutes? Re-check the mapping and clientInfo.json (Level 3), then move to Advanced.


Advanced: logs, restart, reinstall and support

When the basic levels didn’t fix it. Share the log output with support when you write in.


Read the logs

cat /var/log/plugin-installer.log
cat /var/log/plugin-updater.log
cat /tmp/PluginHelper.log


Force a restart

sudo launchctl kickstart -k system/com.flowace.PluginHelper

Restarts. It brings the app back.

  • When in doubt, reboot the computer. The app is set to start automatically on boot.


Reinstall (last resort)
Uninstall first, then run the install again from the Installation Guide.

sudo bash "/Library/Application Support/Plugin/uninstall.sh"
  • Uninstalling does not remove the Privacy & Security permissions. If you’re reinstalling clean, clear them by hand in System Settings.


Known Silent App error
“Bootstrap failed: 5: Input/output error” during install: re-run the installer. It clears the old registration first.


When to write to support
Write to support@flowace.ai with the logs, your workspace address and the macOS version if:

  • Data still doesn’t appear after mapping and permissions are confirmed on.
  • The install or uninstall command errors out and re-running doesn’t help.
  • You see repeated “No Permission” entries on the dashboard that won’t clear after fixing permissions.


Reading command output: what good and bad look like

Match what you see to the examples. Copy a command, paste it into the Terminal app, press Enter. A line starting with $ is what you type. The lines under it are what the computer prints back.


Is it installed?

$ ls -l /Applications/Plugin.app$ ls -l /Applications/PluginHelper.app

If both print a line, the Silent App is installed.



Is it running?

$ pgrep -lf Plugin2201 /Applications/Plugin.app/Contents/MacOS/Plugin
2202 /Applications/PluginHelper.app/Contents/MacOS/PluginHelper

Good: Two lines mean both Plugin and PluginHelper are running. Nothing printed means it’s not running.

$ sudo launchctl list | grep -i plugin
… com.flowace.PluginHelper

Good: A line ending in com.flowace.PluginHelper means the keep-alive is set up.



Is the device linked to a customer?

$ cat "/Library/Application Support/Plugin/clientInfo.json"{"origin":"https://acme.flowace.in"}

Good: You can read the customer’s address, so the device points at the right company. Check the address is correct.

$ cat "/Library/Application Support/Plugin/clientInfo.json"cat: …: No such file or directory

Not good: The file is missing, so the app isn’t installed or linked. If the address inside is wrong, data goes nowhere. Reinstall with the right -o address.


Reading logs
Logs are text records of what the app did. Open them and copy the last 20–30 lines to support.

  • sent OK lines mean data is uploading fine.
  • no token / retrying means the device isn’t mapped to a user yet. Fix the mapping (Level 3).
  • No Permission means a Mac permission is off (Level 4).


FAQs

  • Why is there no login screen?

The Silent App never asks for a login. The device is mapped to an employee in the Flowace dashboard instead.

  • I fixed the mapping. Do I need to reinstall?

No. The app retries on its own about every 60 seconds, so data starts flowing once the mapping is done.

  • How long until data shows after a fix?

Leave the computer on and in use for about 5 minutes, then check your Flowace dashboard.

  • What should I send to support?

The logs, your workspace address and the macOS version.



Need more help? Reach out to support@flowace.ai and our team will be happy to assist.

© Flowace Technologies Pvt Ltd | flowace.ai

Updated on: 04/11/2026

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