May 3, 2026
Tar Wars: The Metadata Strikes Back
Tar files made in macOS generate "xattr" errors when expanded in Linux
Mac-made zip bundles are spooking Linux users — and the comments got spicy
TLDR: Files packed on a Mac can carry extra hidden notes that trigger confusing warnings when opened on Linux. Commenters split between blaming Apple’s overprotective habits, defending the safety features, and swapping quick fixes to stop the chaos.
A humble file-sharing headache turned into a full-on comment-section soap opera after arul’s post explained why archives made on a Mac can throw weird warnings when opened on Linux. The short version: Mac systems quietly tuck in extra file notes and safety labels, so when those bundles land on a Linux machine, users suddenly see a parade of strange messages and ghostly ._ files. To regular people, it looks like the archive brought its own haunted luggage.
The community reaction was split between “this is annoying nonsense” and “actually, Apple has a reason”. One of the biggest mic-drop moments came from an ex-Apple engineer, who basically said: yes, this is intentional, because Apple wants to preserve Finder info, download warnings, and other metadata instead of quietly throwing it away. That instantly reframed the drama from “Mac is messy” to “Mac is being overprotective in a Linux house”.
But the practical crowd was not here for philosophy. They rushed in with battle-tested fixes: use settings that strip the extra baggage, switch to GNU tar, or just mute the warnings if you don’t care. Then came the hot take that lit the fuse: if this metadata helps stop sketchy downloaded files, why doesn’t Linux track similar safety info too? That turned a boring packaging bug into a mini culture war about security, compatibility, and whether Apple is thoughtful or just impossible. Even the jokes wrote themselves: one side saw “unknown extended header keyword” spam, the other saw Apple sneaking little surprise files into the suitcase.
Key Points
- •The article demonstrates that tar archives created on macOS can produce `LIBARCHIVE.xattr...` warnings and `._` files when extracted on Linux.
- •The author creates an example archive with `tar -cvzf pix.tar.gz pix`, transfers it with `scp`, and extracts it on a Linux server with `tar -xzvf pix.tar.gz`.
- •Linux extraction output shown in the article includes warnings for Apple-specific extended header keywords such as `com.apple.quarantine`, `com.apple.lastuseddate#PS`, and `kMDItem...` metadata.
- •The article attributes the issue to macOS metadata and extended attributes being included in the tar archive.
- •The article presents three fixes: create the archive with `--no-xattrs`, use `--disable-copyfile`, or use GNU tar instead of the default BSD tar on macOS.