Deploy Accelerator Keys with MDM

Push one package and two profiles. Your users open Excel, and the Alt shortcuts work. Nobody types a key, signs in, or sees a permission prompt.

This guide works with any MDM that can install a PKG and push configuration profiles. Jamf Pro steps are at the end.

What you need

Item	Value
Installer	Signed, notarized PKG. This link always gives the current version.
Profiles	Accessibility profile · Settings profile
Site key	One key for your whole organization. See Step 1.
Bundle ID	`com.mosessoh.AcceleratorKeys`
Team ID	`759736J3S8`
Network	Each Mac needs `app.acceleratorkeys.com` on port 443. Crash reports go to `*.sentry.io`. You can block that host.

Step 1: Get a site key

Buy seats at /buy/bulk. Need a quote or a PO? Email [email protected].
Reply to your receipt with the words “site key”. We convert your licenses to one site key within one business day.
Open your account portal. The key is in the Managed deployment card, next to the count of Macs in use.

You can add or remove seats at any time. The site key follows your seat count. If you remove seats, the Macs that activated last are released at their next hourly check-in.

Step 2: Install the PKG

Upload the PKG to your MDM and scope it to your Macs. That is all.

The installer puts the app in /Applications. If an older version is running, the installer quits it and starts the new version for the user who is logged in. On its first launch the app adds itself as a login item.

Install while a user is logged in. The installer can only start the app for a logged-in user, and the app can only add its login item after it starts.

Step 3: Push two profiles

Both profiles are device-level (System scope). Push them to the same Macs as the PKG.

Accessibility profile. Accelerator Keys sends ribbon shortcuts to Excel and PowerPoint, so it needs Accessibility permission. This profile grants it. Upload it as it is. Users never see the System Settings prompt.

Settings profile. Download this profile, open it in a text editor, and replace XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX with your site key. Then upload it. The profile sets three keys in the domain com.mosessoh.AcceleratorKeys:

Key	Type	Value
`AKLicenseKey`	String	your site key
`SUEnableAutomaticChecks`	Boolean	`false`
`SUAutomaticallyUpdate`	Boolean	`false`

The app activates a few seconds after it starts. If the Mac is offline, it tries again each hour.

Keep the two update keys false. A standard user cannot replace an app that root installed, so in-app updates would fail. You push updates with your MDM instead (Step 5).

Step 4: Check one Mac

Click the menu bar icon. The menu shows Managed by your organization.
Your portal shows one more Mac in the Managed deployment card.

To see the settings profile from the shell:

defaults read "/Library/Managed Preferences/com.mosessoh.AcceleratorKeys.plist"

Step 5: Updates

Upload the new PKG and run your install policy again. The profiles do not change.

For automation, the appcast lists the current version. An Installomator label is also available.

Jamf Pro

Settings → Computer Management → Packages. Upload the PKG.
Computers → Policies → New. Add the Packages payload with your PKG. Set the trigger to Login and the frequency to Once per computer. Scope it to your group. Use the Login trigger and not Recurring Check-in, so the install runs while a user is logged in.
Computers → Configuration Profiles → Upload. Upload AcceleratorKeys-PPPC.mobileconfig. Scope it to the same group.
Computers → Configuration Profiles → Upload. Upload your edited AcceleratorKeys-Managed.mobileconfig. Scope it to the same group. Prefer a form over a text editor? Create the profile with Application & Custom Settings → External Applications → Add → Custom Schema instead. Set the Preference Domain to com.mosessoh.AcceleratorKeys, paste the Jamf schema, and type your key in the License key field. Leave the two update switches off.
Updates. Upload the new PKG, point the policy at it, and flush the policy logs so it runs again.

Troubleshooting

The menu says “Not authorized to control Excel”. The Accessibility profile is not on this Mac. Look in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Profiles.
The menu says “Managed license: not activated”. The reason follows. Usually the Mac cannot reach app.acceleratorkeys.com, the key has a typo, or all seats are in use. The app tries again each hour.
The app is installed but not running. The PKG was installed while no user was logged in. Run the policy again with the Login trigger, or have the user open the app once. After that it starts at every login.
Users see “Check for updates” in the menu. The settings profile is missing, or it does not set SUEnableAutomaticChecks to false. Confirm with the command in Step 4.
Users see a trial or sign-in screen. The profile has no AKLicenseKey, or it was installed at user level. Use a device-level profile.

Questions? Email [email protected] with the name of your MDM and your macOS version.