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@arianvp
Created November 28, 2025 19:23
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What the heck is /usr/lib/ignition

What the heck is /usr/lib/ignition on MacOS

  • Contains one entrypoint _lightupthenight
  • Refers a whole bunch of strings related to pre-boot env
  • I expect something with Darwin boot-loader?

Didn't find a single reference on google; hence creating this gist to crowdsource info

% strings /usr/lib/ignition 
@(#)PROGRAM:ignition  PROJECT:libignition-58
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwx
graft
grafting boot cryptexes
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to open %s cryptex: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to graft %s cryptex: %d
canonical root
graft point
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to graft optional cryptex: %s, continuing: %d
error not set to valid posix code: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to load trust cache: cryptex = %s: %d
failed to load trust cache: cryptex = %s: %d
down-level safari
downlevel/current
Cryptexes/App
System/Cryptexes/App
pre-reboot os
cryptex1/current
Cryptexes/Incoming/OS
System/Cryptexes/OS
unreachable
hello
commence primary ignition
reduced-security image4 manifest
missing global manifest in reduced security: %d
bogus secure boot level: 0x%x
libignition: %d: %12s: ignition failed: %d
stage did not set payload: %s
halting after %s ignition stage; if you did not intend to do this, clear the ignition_halt_after boot-arg
image4 manifest
missing personalized manifest in full security: %d
app hyper dmg seal
app.dmg.root_hash
goodbye
ignition sequence complete
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: failed to open object directory: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: failed to open canonical root: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: failed to open object: %s: %d
seal im4p
chosen im4m
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: failed to open graft point: %s: %d
uncovered graft point
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: graftdmg: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: graft failed: %d
failed to open covered graft point: %d
/dev/null
failed to open /dev/null for fallback: %d
covered graft point
trust cache
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: failed to read trust cache im4p: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: failed to read manifest: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: failed to load trust cache: %d
object directory
path count overflow: actual = %lu, expected <= %lu
errno unset, wrong return value being checked?: %s = %lld
pbobjdir
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: opened object: name = %s, type = %s, slot = %llu
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: object not present: name = %s, type = %s
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: object absence permitted: name = %s, type = %s, xattr path = %s
libignition: %d: %12s: %s: failed to open object: name = %s, type = %s: %d
os hyper dmg seal
os.dmg.root_hash
Cryptexes/OS
select os cryptex path
selecting os cryptex path
bogus shared cache path: %s
fallback root
logging not yet initialized
console
/dev/console
fetch os cryptex graft
fetching os cryptex graft
os cryptex canonical directory
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to open os cryptex canonical directory: %d
os cryptex canonical directory [dup]
pre-reboot os hyper dmg
os.clone.dmg
preboot
mounting preboot
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to get preboot device: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to get preboot mount point: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to open preboot mount point: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to stat preboot mount point: %d
apfs
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to open preboot mount: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to mount preboot: %d
failed to mount preboot: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: preboot uuid not available; cannot find boot cryptexes: %d
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to open preboot group directory: %d
mounted-over preboot
stack guard violation
app hyper dmg
app.dmg
fstatat for down-level failed: %d
cryptex1 sniff
detecting cryptex1 directory
cryptex1
failed to stat cryptex1 canary: %d
os hyper dmg trust cache
os.dmg.trustcache
object
apticket.%s.%llX.im4m
apticket.%s.im4m
failed to close %s: fd = %d: %d
failed to close %s [optional]: fd = %d: %d
failed to dup %s: fd = %d: %d
failed to dup %s: src fd = %d, dst fd = %d: %d
failed to realpath %s: %d: %d
panic: [failed to allocate panic message]
AAAAAAAA-BBBB-CCCC-DDDD-EEEEEEEEEEEE
security.mac.img4.ignition_failure_blob
failed to write BRA failure blob: %d
libignition: %d: failed to lookup preboot: %d
libignition: %d: failed to lookup xART device on system container: %d
unsupported role: 0x%x
/System/Volumes/Preboot
/System/Volumes/xarts
/System/Library/dyld/
/System/DriverKit/System/Library/dyld/
kern.bootargs
libignition: %d: boot-arg buff not large enough: actual = %lu, expected >= %lu: %d
failed to read boot args: %d
libignition: %d: ignition boot failed: %d
ignition failed: %d
no shared cache in cryptex: %d
mach_timebase_info: 0x%x
failed to reserve stdin descriptor: %s: %d
failed to reserve stdout descriptor: %s: %d
failed to reserve stderr descriptor: %s: %d
srcfd
failed to create pipe for 88828241 workaround: %d
pipe write end
reserved src fd
reserved fd src
unsupported parameter struct version: 0x%x
null
local
post-initproc
ramdisk
disk image
NeRD
filesystem
preboot volume
preboot group directory
xART volume
os cryptex
app cryptex
pre-reboot os cryptex
canonical os cryptex
canonical app cryptex
dylib cache
invalid offset: %lld
failed to open root directory: %s: %d
old root
unsupported payload version: actual = %u, expected <= %u
boot root
cryptex failed to graft: name = %s, graft point = %s, canonical root = %s, stashed error = %d: %d
app hyper dmg trust cache
app.dmg.trustcache
downlevel image4 manifest
os hyper dmg
os.dmg
arguments already initialized
ignition_level
ignition_prereboot_graft
skip
optional
require
ignition_halt_after
arguments not initialized
executable_path
unknown proc
arp0
rootdmg-ramdisk
restore
configuration not initialized
security.mac.img4.ignition_blob
failed to query ignition blob: %d
hw.osenvironment
kcgen
fvunlock
recoveryos
diagnostics
migration
eacs
failed to read os environment: %d
kern.bootuuid
failed to query boot uuid: %d
hw.target
hardware target string too long: actual = %lu, expected < %lu
x86legacyap
unknownap
failed to query hardware target: %d
failed to query root device status: %d
XPC_USERSPACE_REBOOTED
XPC_USERSPACE_PIVOTEDROOT
value not representable as uint32_t
dylib_cache
discovering shared library cache
cryptex
system volume
dycash
libignition: %d: %12s: shared cache not found: root = %s, path = %s
libignition: %d: %12s: failed to open shared cache: %s: %d
shared cache directory
Darwin Ignition Sequence Version 1.0.0: Mon Oct 20 19:23:01 PDT 2025; root:libignition-58~27602/ignition/RELEASE_ARM64E
RELEASE
@(#)VERSION:Darwin Ignition Sequence Version 1.0.0: Mon Oct 20 19:23:01 PDT 2025; root:libignition-58~27602/ignition/RELEASE_ARM64E
/AppleInternal/Library/BuildRoots/4~CAeVugCzdAphYy_DZCfIoDQtQIMHtaazkOgk8oA/Library/Caches/com.apple.xbs/Binaries/libignition/install/Symbols/ignition
value not representable as size_t
buffer length not expressible as unsigned 32-bit integer: %lu
AMFI
(null)
0123456789ABCDEF
0123456789abcdef
BUG IN CLIENT OF LIBPLATFORM: Failed to allocate memory for buffer
mach_port_construct for mig_get_reply_port failed
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"><plist version="1.0"><dict>
<key>CFBundleDisplayName</key>
<string>Darwin Ignition Sequence</string>
<key>CFBundleExecutable</key>
<string>ignition</string>
<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
<string>com.apple.darwin.ignition</string>
<key>CFBundleInfoDictionaryVersion</key>
<string>6.0</string>
<key>CFBundleName</key>
<string>ignition</string>
<key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>
<string>1.0.0</string>
<key>CFBundleVersion</key>
<string>58</string>
<key>DTCompiler</key>
<string>com.apple.compilers.llvm.clang.1_0</string>
<key>DTPlatformName</key>
<string>macosx</string>
<key>DTPlatformVersion</key>
<string></string>
<key>DTSDKBuild</key>
<string>25B73</string>
<key>DTSDKName</key>
<string>macosx26.1.internal</string>
<key>DTXcode</key>
<string>2600</string>
<key>DTXcodeBuild</key>
<string>17A6264l</string>
<key>DarwinBuilderBuild</key>
<string>23A344014</string>
<key>DarwinBuilderVersion</key>
<string>14.0</string>
<key>DarwinVariant</key>
<string>RELEASE</string>
<key>NSHumanReadableCopyright</key>
<string>Copyright 2021-2022 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.</string></dict></plist>
ysacacrt
yssc
m4mi
m4mi
ysac
yssc
ysscscrt
sosc
soac
ysacacrt
scrt
acrt
m4mi
sosc
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