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kOSKextReturnSerialization
A representation-conversion failure
kOSKextReturnSerialization is reserved by XNU for conversion or serialization and deserialization of a URL, string, or XML value. It should not be conflated with kOSKextReturnBadData, which is XNU’s malformed-data result and is specifically described as not being used for XML.
This status asks a narrower question than whether a bundle is a valid kext: did the library successfully translate the representation at the API boundary? A correct bundle on disk can still be referenced through an unusable URL or malformed property-list representation.
Make the failure reproducible
- Capture the original URL, string, or XML before a wrapper normalizes or substitutes it.
- Record the API that crossed the representation boundary and the encoding or schema expected there.
- Separate conversion evidence from later validation, authentication, dependency, or policy messages.
Related statuses
kOSKextReturnBadData: malformed data outside this URL/string/XML category.kOSKextReturnInvalidArgument: invalid API argument rather than a failed conversion.kOSKextReturnNotAKext: a located bundle is not a kext.
References
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