Apple Configurator error: “specified item does not appear to be a valid keychain item” during Hexnode enrollment setupSolved

The keychain error in Apple Configurator usually indicates that the organization identity or certificate entry being referenced is missing, invalid, or not accessible from the macOS Keychain. A few things to check:

1. Restart Keychain Access and Apple Configurator, then try the setup again.
2. If the organization entry in Apple Configurator was created incorrectly or the keychain item was not generated properly, recreate the organization in Apple Configurator. This should generate a fresh keychain identity.
3. If the issue persists and the local keychain appears corrupted, resetting the default keychain on the Mac can help. This should be done carefully, as it may affect saved passwords and certificates on that Mac.

Once the device is enrolled in Hexnode, assigning it to the correct device group is enough for group-targeted policies to apply, provided the policy is associated with that group.

Recreating the organization in Apple Configurator fixed the keychain error for me. Looks like the first organization setup did not generate the keychain item correctly. One more thing: we don’t currently have Apple VPP. Does that mean we need an Apple ID on the device to install App Store apps?

For silent App Store app installation on supervised Apple devices, Apple VPP/Apps and Books is the recommended approach.

When Hexnode is integrated with your organization’s Apple VPP account, apps purchased or assigned through VPP can be deployed to devices without requiring the end user to sign in with an Apple ID. Without VPP, App Store app installation may require Apple ID involvement depending on the app and deployment flow. Enterprise apps, if available from your organization, can also be deployed through Hexnode without using an Apple ID.

Got it. About Wi-Fi: during Apple Configurator enrollment, can I skip the Wi-Fi profile and manually connect to our hidden SSID instead? These devices should not stay connected to that Wi-Fi after deployment.

For Apple Configurator enrollment, the Wi-Fi profile used in Apple Configurator is mainly for onboarding the device so it can reach Apple services and complete enrollment with Hexnode.

If the devices should not remain connected to that network after enrollment, you can use a temporary enrollment SSID in Apple Configurator. After all devices are enrolled, you can disable that SSID or stop using it.

You can also deploy a separate Wi-Fi profile later from Hexnode if the devices need to connect to a different production network after enrollment.