The executable was signed with invalid entitlements

Question

There are pretty good instructions in the 'Portal Program'. If you log into

http://developer.apple.com/iphone

Then click Distribution on the left, and click the

Creating and Downloading a Distribution Provisioning Profile for Ad Hoc Distribution

link at the bottom.

Here's the key bit:

For Ad Hoc Distribution, complete the following:

• In the File Menu, select New File -> iPhone OS -> Code Signing -> Entitlements. Name the file “Entitlements.plist" and click ‘Finish’. This creates a copy of the default entitlements file within the project.
• Select the new Entitlments.plist file and uncheck the “get-task-allow” property. Save the Entitlements.plist file. (in Xcode 4, get-task-allow is called "Can be debugged" )
• Select the Target and open the Build settings inspector. In the ‘Code Signing Entitlements’ build setting, type in the filename of the new Entitlements.plist file including the extension. There is no need to specify a path unless you have put the Entitlements.plist file somewhere other than the top level of the project.
• Click ‘Build’. (Note: Your binary must contain a flattened, square-image icon that is 57x57 pixels. This icon is displayed on the iPhone or iPod touch home screen.)

This error also may occur if you're trying to profile an app where the device is not included in the provisioning profile.

Make sure your device is included in the dev provisioning profile you want to use. Somehow the error message is misleading. My entitlements were actually ok.

I have found that "get-task-allow" needs to be checked for Development builds but unchecked for Distribution builds. The easiest way to accomplish this (AFAIK) is to have two entitlements files in your project: Entitlements.plist and EntitlementsDebug.plist - and to reference the proper one in the build project settings for the various configurations in your project.

Code signing entitlements are no longer necessary for Ad Hoc builds in Xcode 4 - see details notes in Apple Technical Note TN2250

If you once come into the situation, that checking "get-task-allow" seems to be required in order to deploy your debug (!) build to your phone, check this:

a) Check the build setting. There should be no entry in "Code Signing Entitlements" for Debug b) Remove Entitlements.plist temporarily and build your debug version. If it complains about a missing Entitlements.plist, then you probably have the same situation, I had to fight today. c) Build again with Entitlements.plist and enable "get-task-allow". If it works now, you probably have the same problem:

After messing around with new profiles I couldn't deploy my Debug build to the phone. AdHoc was fine. I checked a) - empty.. Hmm. I checked b) - complains. c) - worked...

After all I examined project.pbjproj in an editor and - although the GUI did claim, that there was no entry for "Code Signing Entitlements" in fact there was one in the Debug section. I emptied it and was done.