Stuck on "importing game".

[locksoft]

Hi guys, I'm testing this new forked version of Boxer (both version 2.0 and beta 4.1) but they get stuck on importing game:

https://i.postimg.cc/Z5Q7grxt/Screenshot-2026-04-27-alle-22-10-20.png

in this case Anvil of Dawn. It seems they're not doing anything because when I stop the import, not a single file appears in my "DOS Games" directory.

I'm using MacOS 26 Tahoe on a M2 Max Mac Studio.

Thanks.

[dtseto]

Yes, this looks related to the same nil gamebox resource URL problem in BXImportSession.m, but it shows up during import finalization instead of while opening an existing box. It looks like macOS 26 Tahoe exposes/changes behavior around NSBundle.resourceURL for non-standard bundles. Boxer treats .boxer game packages as NSBundle objects, but they are not normal app/framework bundles with a Contents/Resources layout. Older macOS versions seem to have tolerated that better, or returned something usable. I will submit a fix to the original maddthesane boxer fork.

I have a custom fix to download that also includes .781 dosbox staging updates, notarization and that fix below.
https://github.com/dtseto/Boxer/releases/tag/v4.3

[kyods]

Thanks for picking this up. I've been keen on testing out your build, but I can't get it to work. I've tried a few games already existing in my library, but they all crashed to desktop straight away. Then I tried to import a new game. I got as far as Boxer's initial launch screen with the choice of execs for Ascendancy, then launch the video config, but both the audio setup and the actual game crash immediately. Then I tried Blackthorne, which keeps crashing immediately upon launch.

Macbook Air M3, 16 GB RAM.

[dtseto]

Thanks for testing. @kyods your error seems slightly diferent than locksoft.

First try downloading 4.3 again and completely deleting or compressing to archive and deleting the old one to make sure its the latest and not glitched.

Also try the below with 4.2 with deleting old boxer. 4.2 is less experimental than 4.3 it only has maddthesanes patches and notarization not my own dosboxstaging .78 to .781 updates.

If you leave the old Boxer in applications it might open game packages by itself even if you open a new Boxer from downloads or elsewhere. https://github.com/dtseto/Boxer/releases/tag/v4.3

Since this is now crashing on launch/open rather than only hanging during import, I need to separate three cases:

1. Does Boxer itself run?
   Please launch Boxer, choose the plain DOS prompt / “Open DOS” option without opening a gamebox, and confirm whether that stays open.

2. Are the existing gameboxes structurally intact?
   In Finder, right-click one affected .boxer package, choose “Show Package Contents”, and send a screenshot of the top-level contents. I want to confirm whether it has the expected drive/package layout and is not a corrupted or partially imported box. There should be a C.harddisk with the files in there.

3. Please send the excerpts of logs/crash reports:

   • ~/Library/Application Support/Boxer/Crash Dumps

   • ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports for any recent files named Boxer...crash or similar

   • Console.app output: open Console, filter for Boxer, reproduce the crash/import hang, then save or screenshot the relevant messages.

4. Quit Boxer.

5. Open Console.app from /Applications/Utilities/Console.app.

6. In the search field, type Boxer.

7. Launch Boxer again and reproduce the crash or “importing game” hang.

8. In Console, select the recent Boxer messages and either:

   • take a screenshot, or
   • use File > Save to save the log output.

This should show any Boxer NSLog messages or macOS crash/runtime errors that do not appear in the crash dump folder.

Also please include:

• exact Boxer build downloaded
• exact macOS version/build
• whether this is running from /Applications
• whether the games are on local disk, iCloud/Dropbox, external disk, or a network share

The previous import hang was likely related to the nil gamebox resource URL issue on macOS 26, but immediate crashes with existing boxes may be a different path, so the crash report should tell us where it’s failing.

[kyods]

1. Boxer itself runs. I can open the Import a New Game window or the command prompt.
2. The games work fine with the old Boxer (the ancient thing built ages ago from MaddTheSane's repo).

3. I see no Crash Dumps subfolder in the Boxer folder in ~/Library/Application Support. I'm attaching the dumps.
   BoxerCrashDumps.zip

4. I see a lot of Boxer-related stuff in the console, which makes it very tricky to screenshot. There's no Save As option in the File menu, though. What exactly am I looking for?

I haven't tested with Boxer 4.2 yet. I will do it today.

Boxer build: 4.3 (the one from your repo).
macOS: 26.6.2
Boxer runs from Applications. The games are all local.

[kyods]

I'm unable to launch Boxer 4.2 at all.

I've tried setting the +x attribute on both the app package and all three files in Contents/MacOS, no go.

[dtseto]

Try this first
xattr -cr /Applications/Boxer.app

also try
For a quick workaround, please try disabling the dynamic CPU core for one affected game:
Right-click the affected .boxer package in Finder and choose “Show Package Contents”.
Open the file named “DOSBox Preferences.conf”.
Find this line:
core=dynamic
Change it to:
core=normal
If there is no core= line, add this under the [cpu] section:
core=normal
Save the file, then try launching that game again in Boxer 4.3.
This may run slower, but if it stops the crash, it confirms the issue is the DOSBox dynamic CPU core being blocked by macOS code-signing/hardened-runtime rules.

[dtseto]

Open one Boxer 4.3, in menu emulation, show cpu settings, open the CPU preferences/inspector, turn off “Optimize for newer games”, then quit/reopen the game and test again.

If the game crashes before they can reach that dialog, then edit the package manually:

Right-click the .boxer package, choose “Show Package Contents”, open “DOSBox Preferences.conf”, and add:

[cpu]
core=normal

[kyods]

I had to take the manual route, since I can't access the CPU settings without a game running, and I couldn't run any games. But I confirm that the core setting is the culprit. Once set to normal, the games start just fine.