[Bug]: I need some help with a macbookpro 16,3

September 8, 2026 · by @jakecaley

bug

Mac model / Mac-Modell

T2 — MacBook Pro 13-inch (2020, 2 thunderbolt 3 ports, Intel)

Target macOS version (if it is about malicious forks, typosquatting sites or security vulnerabilities, write - instead) / macOS-Zielversion (falls es um Typpfehler-Webseiten, Typpfehler-Repository oder Sicherheitslücken handelt, schreiben Sie stattdessen ein - )

mac os tahoe 26.6

OpenCore Legacy Patcher T2 version (Please state the version clearly, not state as version new or something. / Bitte die exakte Version nennen, nicht nur etwas oder neu.)

my own version

Issue type or recommendation / Typ Fehler oder Empfehlung

Other / Andere

Description / Beschreibung

i need some help with something. i have made a oc for a macbookpro16,3 and got the installer booted successfully. issue is when i go to install it says unsupported and smbios spoofing causes kernel panics when booting into the installer i combined a normal oc with the t2 installer and need to know what kind of thing does the patcher do to make it so it doesn't see it as unsupported because currently right now that is the only thing stopping me thanks

Steps to upload the logs of the kernel panic if any (if not, you can skip this step or write -) / Schritte zum Hochladen der Protokolle des Kernel-Panics, falls vorhanden (falls keiner, dann Sie können das überspringen oder einen - schreiben)

No response

Panic log (if any) / additional notes (if any) / Panikprotokoll (falls einer) / zusätzliche Notizen (falls einer)

Comments

@jakecaley · September 8, 2026

more specificaly what byapsses the tahoe compatibilty checks thanks

@Medelcartelinc · September 8, 2026

On T2 Macs (like MacBookPro16,3), you cannot spoof the SMBIOS model or Board-ID — BridgeOS and the T2 security coprocessor expect the exact original hardware identity, and altering it immediately causes a kernel panic with AppleSSE / BridgeOS handshake.

To bypass the Tahoe installer compatibility check without SMBIOS spoofing:

Keep your native SMBIOS intact (do not alter model or board ID in OpenCore).
Add -no_compat_check to boot-args.
To bypass the installer's platform check, you either need to patch the installer's OSInstall.mpkg / Distribution check (allowing your native board ID), or install macOS using the OCLP preparation flow / targeted volume restore so it doesn't halt at the pre-install UI verification.

@jakecaley · September 8, 2026

hey @Medelcartelinc how would one patch if u know the osinstall.mpkg/distrubution check

@Medelcartelinc · September 9, 2026

@jakecaley

There are two ways to handle this:

1. The Easiest Way (No file patching needed)

Instead of modifying the installer package files, you can launch the installer via Terminal directly from Recovery or the USB:

/Volumes/Image\ Volume/Install\ macOS\*.app/Contents/Resources/startosinstall --volume "/Volumes/YourTargetDiskName" --nointeraction

startosinstall runs the backend installer engine directly and bypasses the frontend GUI board-id check completely!

2. If you want to modify the installer itself:

If you want the GUI .app to accept your Mac:

In the installer image, open Terminal and expand the installation package:
```
pkgutil --expand "/Applications/Install macOS Tahoe.app/Contents/SharedSupport/SharedSupport.dmg" /tmp/expanded_pkg
```
(Or on standard packages: InstallAssistant.pkg).
Inside the expanded folder, open the Distribution file (it's an XML/JavaScript file):
```
nano /tmp/expanded_pkg/Distribution
```
Look for the function:
```
function installationCheck() {
```
or isSupportedPlatform().
Right at the beginning of that function, simply add:
```
return true;
```
(Or add your board-id Mac-E7203C0F68AA0004 to the supportedBoardIDs array).

Save and flatten the package back:

pkgutil --flatten /tmp/expanded_pkg "/Applications/Install macOS Tahoe.app/Contents/SharedSupport/SharedSupport.dmg"

Option 1 (startosinstall) is by far the fastest and cleanest because it requires zero repackaging.

@jakecaley · September 9, 2026 · edited

@Medelcartelinc one issue im using the latest version of the tahoe installer whuch is different so most of that dosnt exsist

@Medelcartelinc · September 9, 2026

@jakecaley

My bad, sorry about that! I assumed the older package structure from previous macOS versions. In modern installers (macOS 13+ and Tahoe 26), Apple completely changed the architecture: loose Distribution XML scripts are gone and hardware checks are compiled directly into the installer frameworks (OSInstaller.framework / osinstallersetupd), so manual package editing won't work anymore.

Here is how the patcher actually handles modern installers without touching the installer binaries:

The patcher doesn't patch the .app directly: It handles compatibility at boot time by passing -no_compat_check in OpenCore's boot-args.
If the installer UI still blocks you in Recovery/Installer environment:
Open Terminal from the top menu bar (Utilities -> Terminal) and run:
```
export OS_INSTALL_ENVIRONMENT=1
open "/Volumes/Image Volume/Install macOS Tahoe.app"
```
(Or /Applications/Install macOS Tahoe.app depending on where it's mounted).

Setting OS_INSTALL_ENVIRONMENT=1 tells the installer engine that it's running inside a setup environment, which bypasses the frontend board-id block and lets you proceed with disk selection.

@jakecaley · September 9, 2026

@Medelcartelinc I may have figured it out. this whole time I had sip enabled and I see that its updated to say it supports my model now I will try it now that sip is gone

@jakecaley · September 9, 2026

@Medelcartelinc I had no clue I needed to disable sip

@Medelcartelinc · September 9, 2026

@jakecaley Ah, that explains it! If you check the main README of Albert's fork, there is actually a dedicated guide on how to properly disable SIP for this exact reason.

Make sure to follow those instructions to disable SIP completely from Recovery, and you shouldn't have any more issues with the patching process! Let me know how it goes.

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