On macOS, iCloud Passwords does not work inside OpenAI Atlas. When attempting to use iCloud Passwords (autofill / password access), Atlas shows an error:
“iCloud Passwords can’t connect to the helper application on this Mac.”
This prevents using iCloud Keychain passwords/autofill within Atlas.
Environment
Product: OpenAI Atlas (macOS)
OS: macOS (version: [15.7.4])
Atlas version/build: [the latest]
Hardware: [Mac air M3]
Steps to Reproduce
Open OpenAI Atlas on macOS.
Navigate to any website with a login form.
Attempt to use iCloud Passwords autofill / saved passwords (via the iCloud Passwords extension integration).
Observe the error stating iCloud Passwords cannot connect to the helper application.
Expected Behavior
iCloud Passwords should successfully connect to the macOS helper application.
Saved passwords/autofill should work normally within Atlas.
Actual Behavior
Atlas displays: “iCloud Passwords can’t connect to the helper application on this Mac.”
iCloud Passwords/autofill fails and cannot be used.
Frequency / Impact
Frequency: [Always]
Impact: High — blocks password autofill and password access, making logins difficult and reducing usability.
Workarounds Attempted
Fully quit and relaunch Atlas
Restart macOS
Disable/re-enable iCloud Passwords extension
Reinstall iCloud Passwords extension
Tested in Chrome on the same Mac (result: [works])
Additional Notes / Related Reports
There are reports on Apple Community of the same error message occurring with Chromium-based browsers where iCloud Passwords fails to connect to the macOS helper application.
There are community reports suggesting Atlas may be incompatible with iCloud Passwords extension on macOS (e.g., crash/instability patterns when the extension is enabled).
Please investigate Atlas’s compatibility with iCloud Passwords on macOS, specifically the connection between the iCloud Passwords integration and the required macOS helper application. Ideally:
Ensure the helper connection works reliably in Atlas (as it does in supported browsers), or
Provide clear guidance on whether iCloud Passwords is supported/unsupported in Atlas and what configuration is required.S?
This has become a major issue for me as an Atlas browser user, to the point that I ended up going back to Safari Browser. The ChatGPT Atlas team needs to take notice of this and thoroughly investigate the problem. Login is the primary gateway to accessing further information, so when password autofill and authentication fail, it significantly disrupts usability and the overall browsing experience. I hope this issue can be prioritized and resolved soon so users can rely on Atlas as their main browser without workflow interruptions.
I tested on my side and it works fine in both Edge and Chrome. So it looks like the issue is on the ChatGPT Atlas side, not the browser.
If I didn’t comment here, it would imply the problem is widespread, but in this case it only affects ChatGPT Atlas, which is why I’m replying in this thread.
Thanks everyone for the confirmations, since this is reproducible across multiple users on MacOS with latest Atlas version, we’re going to escalate this internally for investigation.
In the meantime, could you try fully reinstalling Atlas (delete the app, download the latest build fresh, and restart your Mac before launching again) and let us know if the issue persists? That helps rule out any helper/entitlement corruption on install.
Please drop an update here after trying that, especially if anything changes. We’ll update the thread once we have more information from the escalation.
I have tried a) reinstalling Atlas and restarting it, b) deleting Atlas, restarting Mac, installing it and starting it again, c) reinstalling Apple Passwords extension.
That did not produce any change in behavior whatsoever. The extension works well for me on Google Chrome.
I have already tried the full reinstall steps you suggested, specifically deleting Atlas, downloading the latest build from scratch, restarting my Mac, then reinstalling and launching it again. The result is the same, the issue still persists and there is no change in behavior at all. I also verified that my macOS is up to date and that Atlas is running the latest version available. This is critical because all of my access relies on websites, so due to this issue, I’m stepping away from using ChatGPT Atlas until it’s fully resolved, and I suspect I’m not the only one doing this. If needed, I can share additional details such as my macOS version, Atlas version, Mac model, and consistent reproduction steps to help your internal team investigate faster.
