Idling TTS on Mac renders Google Chrome unusable

[sharpobject]

Hello,

Sometimes I want to play a game while also using Google Chrome intermittently. Running TTS on my 2016 macbook pro on macOS 10.14.6 causes Chrome to run at around 0.3 fps regardless of the settings I use or whether I'm just idling at the launch screen. That's not great.

[Helenawe]

I realized this was happening to my computer even when Chrome was closed. Rebooted in safe mode and then updated macOS to 10.15.3

[Helenawe]

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[Myrd]

I'm also having this issue. Basically, when TTS is running, Chrome and Chromium-based apps like Steam, Discord, etc are really laggy - for example, opening a new tab takes seconds. It doesn't happen with any other app - even very intensive ones. It happens even in the TTS menu, not even in a game yet.

I'm using 10.14.6 with an up-to-date Chrome.

I tried reproducing this on a different Mac that had 10.15 and didn't see this issue. However, on that Mac, I got a prompt like the following[1] saying that TTS wants keystrokes from every application - which is apparently a new warning in 10.15. I wonder if it's related? Is TTS hooking global system input handlers and slowing these apps down?

Is there a reason TTS requires this permission? Can it be disabled?

[1]https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/373975/steam-app-would-like-to-receive-keystrokes-from-any-application

[Myrd]

This post suggests that the CGEventTapCreate API can cause that permission prompt:
https://bugs.openjdk.java.net/browse/JDK-8231513

Does TTS use that API and if so, what for?

[Myrd]

Searching elsewhere also shows that other APIs can trigger this. I've not been able to find an exhaustive list of APIs, but apparently IOHIDManagerRegisterInputValueCallback could also be related. Here's a fix SDL did where they were using that API:

https://hg.libsdl.org/SDL/rev/6a3b2cc9d66c

[Myrd]

I've found these apple developer docs about the APIs that can trigger this:
https://devstreaming-cdn.apple.com/videos/wwdc/2019/701ngx868rfo8jlj/701/701_advances_in_macos_security.pdf

[Myrd]

One interesting thing - if I start TTS in lldb and break, the problem doesn't happen. So it makes me think it's not related to the input even stuff.

I also tried lowering TTS's graphics settings and it helped quite a bit. Given this happens when I switch TTS to background, would it be possible to have TTS automatically lower its graphics settings when in background? Or throttle its graphics updates otherwise?

[Myrd]

Is there some better place to report the issue like a bug tracker?

[billyjguthries]

Helenawe, thanks for your advice. The problem was solved.