What is Neuron Plugin Scanner?

The Problem

If you’re on a Mac running a contemporary¹ version of OS X with the Firewall engaged and trying to fire up RX 5, you might encounter the following error.

Do you want the application “Neuron Plugin Scanner.app” to accept incoming network connections?

What is Neuron Plugin Scanner? The alert dialog box warns: “Clicking Deny may limit the application’s behavior. This setting can be changed in the Firewall pane of Security & Privacy preferences.”

The only solid reference to this app that I could find is a tiny thread on this forum. A guy named Jonah (possibly this guy?), who claims to work for iZotope Inc. (software developers of the amazing RX 5, Ozone, Iris, etc.), states that Neuron Plugin Scanner is a “helper application to scan your host for plugins to use” and that “it never connects to any other computer, iZotope, the internet, or anything else!”

That seems harmless, but I wanted better proof that Jonah was legit and the app wasn’t something more malicious. I contacted iZotope customer service and got this reply:

Hello Scott,

Thank you for reaching out! Yes the Neuron Plugin Scanner is related to RX 5. RX 5 has the ability to host 3rd party plugins. Those plugins have to be scanned by the Neuron Scanner before they are instantiated. Allowing this functionality is recommended.

Thank you for your time!

Sincerely,
Matt

iZotope Customer Care

Verdict: Neuron Plugin Scanner is safe. Simply click Allow and keep making music.

The Solution

It turns out the app is harmless. But clicking Allow every time you open RX 5 is a pain. Shutting off the Firewall is not wise. So if you want to make this dialog box go away forever, here is what to do.

1. Open Security & Privacy panel in System Preferences

You can find System Preferences under the Apple logo () on the far left of the menubar. Click on the Security & Privacy icon.

Click the Security & Privacy icon

2. Unlock System Preferences

If your System Preferences are locked, unlock them. Enter your system account password when prompted.

Unlock to enable changes to the Firewall

3. Open Firewall Options

Once you enter your password, the Firewall Options button will no longer be grayed out. Click it.

Click on Firewall Options

4. Find the app Neuron Plugin Scanner in the list

Scroll down until you see Neuron Plugin Scanner. It will have a red dot and the words “Block incoming connections” beside it.

Find the Neuron Plugin Scanner.app

5. Allow Incoming Connections

Toggle the setting for the Neuron Plugin Scanner app to read “Allow incoming connections” and exit out by pressing the OK button.

Set the Neuron Plugin Scanner to “Allow incoming connections”

That should fix the problem. The alert dialog for Neuron Plugin Scanner will no longer pop up…at least until iZotope updates their software or Apple changes their operating system. This is what worked for me with RX 5.00.135 running on OS X 10.10.5. Not all systems are the same. YMMV.

¹Contemporary = a version released within the last few years prior to this article being publish. If these issues still exist at some point years from the publish date, I would be surprised. If so, well hello dear reader from the future. Do we have flying cars in the time you are from?