diff --git a/tools/utils/paths.go b/tools/utils/paths.go
index 7ae9ec526..b94995370 100644
--- a/tools/utils/paths.go
+++ b/tools/utils/paths.go
@@ -135,20 +135,34 @@ func macos_user_cache_dir() string {
 	// the algorithm at https://github.com/ydkhatri/MacForensics/blob/master/darwin_path_generator.py
 	// but I cant find a good way to get the generateduid. Requires calling dscl in which case we might as well call getconf
 	// The data is in /var/db/dslocal/nodes/Default/users/<username>.plist but it needs root
+	// So instead we use various hacks to get it quickly, falling back to running /usr/bin/getconf
+
+	is_ok := func(m string) bool {
+		s, err := os.Stat(m)
+		if err != nil {
+			return false
+		}
+		stat, ok := s.Sys().(unix.Stat_t)
+		return ok && s.IsDir() && int(stat.Uid) == os.Geteuid() && s.Mode().Perm() == 0o700 && unix.Access(m, unix.X_OK|unix.W_OK|unix.R_OK) == nil
+	}
+
+	if tdir := strings.TrimRight(os.Getenv("TMPDIR"), "/"); filepath.Base(tdir) == "T" {
+		if m := filepath.Join(filepath.Dir(tdir), "C"); is_ok(m) {
+			return m
+		}
+	}
+
 	matches, err := filepath.Glob("/private/var/folders/*/*/C")
 	if err == nil {
 		for _, m := range matches {
-			s, err := os.Stat(m)
-			if err == nil {
-				if stat, ok := s.Sys().(unix.Stat_t); ok && s.IsDir() && int(stat.Uid) == os.Geteuid() && s.Mode().Perm() == 0o700 && unix.Access(m, unix.X_OK|unix.W_OK|unix.R_OK) == nil {
-					return m
-				}
+			if is_ok(m) {
+				return m
 			}
 		}
 	}
 	out, err := exec.Command("/usr/bin/getconf", "DARWIN_USER_CACHE_DIR").Output()
 	if err == nil {
-		return strings.TrimSpace(UnsafeBytesToString(out))
+		return strings.TrimRight(strings.TrimSpace(UnsafeBytesToString(out)), "/")
 	}
 	return ""
 }