[macos] Operation Not Permitted when on root - El Capitan (rootless disabled)

I am trying to move something to /usr/bin on OS X El Capitan. I have disabled rootless using the following commands: sudo nvram boot-args="rootless=0"; sudo reboot, but I keep getting the same error:

MacBook-Air:~ Mark$ sudo cp class-dump /usr/bin
Password:
cp: /usr/bin/class-dump: Operation not permitted
MacBook-Air:~ Mark$ sudo mv class-dump /usr/bin
mv: rename class-dump to /usr/bin/class-dump: Operation not permitted

This question is related to macos osx-elcapitan

The answer is


Correct solution is to copy or install to /usr/local/bin not /usr/bin.This is due to System Integrity Protection (SIP). SIP makes /usr/bin read-only but leaves /usr/local as read-write.

SIP should not be disabled as stated in the answer above because it adds another layer of protection against malware gaining root access. Here is a complete explanation of what SIP does and why it is useful.

As suggested in this answer one should not disable SIP (rootless mode) "It is not recommended to disable rootless mode! The best practice is to install custom stuff to "/usr/local" only."


If you want to take control of /usr/bin/

You will need to reboot your system:

Right after the boot sound, Hold down Command-R to boot into the Recovery System

Click the Utilities menu and select Terminal

Type csrutil disable and press return

Click the ? menu and select Restart

Once you have committed your changes, make sure to re-enable SIP! It does a lot to protect your system. (Same steps as above except type: csrutil enable)


If after calling "csrutil disabled" still your command does not work, try with "sudo" in terminal, for example:

sudo mv geckodriver /usr/local/bin

And it should work.