Is there a way to figure out what caused a particular app to open?
The issue is Safari keeps opening on its own, and I can't figure out why. I have another browser set as the system default. When I search the web for clues, the usual answer comes back to a virus. I've looked into those cases, but that doesn't seem to be the problem. Ran malware scans, etc.
Couldn't I create a macro that is triggered whenever Safari is opened, and then parse the system log to figure out what triggered it? I've tried searching the console logs and couldn't find it.
I don't think there is, unfortunately. It is unlikely that the system log would tell you anything.
If it was some kind of malware, I would expect Safari to open to some particular page of some particular scammy website.
Is it showing anything other than a blank page when it opens?
You could, of course, create a macro to quit Safari whenever it opens, but I understand that is hardly satisfying as an answer.
Another possibility is that maybe Safari is setup for some odd protocol that is being triggered.
I would try installing SwiftDefaultApps and look through its settings to see if Safari is listed anywhere.
Or you could use its command-line tool swda:
swda getSchemes | fgrep -i Safari
and
swda getUTIs | fgrep -i Safari
would be two places to start.
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Thanks @tjluoma, much appreciated. I've installed it and changed all the associations I could find. I should know within a day or so if it worked. (Also was able to fix some stubborn markdown file associations, which was a relief!)
Edit: That did the trick, thank you very much!
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I'm very pleased to hear that!