Unable to open documents (MacOS 10.15 Catalina / Inkscape beta 1)

issue

Testing with a fresh copy of Inkscape 1.0beta1 (32d48128, 2019-09-19) installed on macOS 10.15 Catalina (release version), I am unable to open documents with File > Open or the toolbar shortcut. (I did not encounter this issue on pre-release versions of Catalina.)

For any directory that I navigate to, I get a message "Could not read the contents of XXXXX". "Error opening directory 'path/to/directory`: Operation not permitted"

I can open an SVG file by double clicking it in the Finder if Inkscape is not already open.

Same issue reported for GIMP: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/issues/3710

progress

• no longer require INKSCAPE_DATADIR being set before execution reaches main() (!1020 (merged))
• set environment variables in main(), removing the need for a launch script
  • Inkscape works without launch script (my personal dev environment)
  • test CLI invocation (because of problems with the launch script)
    • ./Inkscape
    • symlinked from somewhere else
• do some cleanup and testing
  • finalize the XDG situation (check the spec)
  • Compare #ifdef for "I'm in a bundle - set environment!" with what speleo3 did
• modify packaging
  • include new entitlements/settings
  • make binary lowercase 👉 postponed to future update
• create MR: !1060 (merged)

current workaround

See @benjaminbellamy answer below or click here.

⚠ danger zone ⚠

There is another workaround available that comes with considerable security implications. If you are really desperate and looking for a "whatever it takes" kind of solution, read through this issue and you'll find it. You have been warned.