godot-docs/engine_details/development/compiling/compiling_for_macos.rst

.. _doc_compiling_for_macos:

Compiling for macOS
===================

.. highlight:: shell

.. note::

    This page describes how to compile macOS editor and export template binaries from source.
    If you're looking to export your project to macOS instead, read :ref:`doc_exporting_for_macos`.

Requirements
------------

For compiling under macOS, the following is required:

- `Python 3.8+ <https://www.python.org/downloads/macos/>`_.
- `SCons 4.0+ <https://scons.org/pages/download.html>`_ build system.
- `Xcode <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/xcode/id497799835>`_
  (or the more lightweight Command Line Tools for Xcode).
- `Vulkan SDK <https://sdk.lunarg.com/sdk/download/latest/mac/vulkan-sdk.dmg>`_
  for MoltenVK (macOS doesn't support Vulkan out of the box).
  The latest Vulkan SDK version can be installed quickly by running
  ``misc/scripts/install_vulkan_sdk_macos.sh`` within the Godot source repository.

.. note:: If you have `Homebrew <https://brew.sh/>`_ installed, you can easily
          install SCons using the following command:

          ::

              brew install scons

          Installing Homebrew will also fetch the Command Line Tools
          for Xcode automatically if you don't have them already.

          Similarly, if you have `MacPorts <https://www.macports.org/>`_
          installed, you can easily install SCons using the
          following command:

          ::

              sudo port install scons

.. seealso:: To get the Godot source code for compiling, see
             :ref:`doc_getting_source`.

             For a general overview of SCons usage for Godot, see
             :ref:`doc_introduction_to_the_buildsystem`.

Compiling
---------

Start a terminal, go to the root directory of the engine source code.

To compile for Intel (x86-64) powered Macs, use:

::

    scons platform=macos arch=x86_64

To compile for Apple Silicon (ARM64) powered Macs, use:

::

    scons platform=macos arch=arm64

.. tip::
    If you are compiling Godot to make changes or contribute to the engine,
    you may want to use the SCons options ``dev_build=yes`` or ``dev_mode=yes``.
    See :ref:`doc_introduction_to_the_buildsystem_development_and_production_aliases`
    for more info.

If all goes well, the resulting binary executable will be placed in the
``bin/`` subdirectory. This executable file contains the whole engine and
runs without any dependencies. Executing it will bring up the Project
Manager.

.. note:: Using a standalone editor executable is not recommended, it should be always packaged into a
          ``.app`` bundle to avoid UI activation issues.

.. note:: If you want to use separate editor settings for your own Godot builds
          and official releases, you can enable
          :ref:`doc_data_paths_self_contained_mode` by creating a file called
          ``._sc_`` or ``_sc_`` in the ``bin/`` folder.

Compiling with AccessKit support
--------------------------------

AccessKit provides support for screen readers.

By default, Godot is built with AccessKit dynamically linked. You can use it by placing
``accesskit.dylib`` alongside the standalone executable or in the app bundle's ``Frameworks`` folder.

.. note:: You can use dynamically linked AccessKit with export templates as well, rename
          the DYLIB to ``accesskit.{architecture}.dylib``
          and place them inside the export template app bundle ``Frameworks`` folder, and the
          libraries will be automatically copied during the export process.

To compile Godot with statically linked AccessKit:

- Download the pre-built static libraries from `godot-accesskit-c-static library <https://github.com/godotengine/godot-accesskit-c-static/releases>`_, and unzip them.
- When building Godot, add ``accesskit_sdk_path={path}`` to tell SCons where to look for the AccessKit libraries:

    ::

        scons platform=macos accesskit_sdk_path=<...>

.. note:: You can optionally build the godot-angle-static libraries yourself with
          the following steps:

          1. Clone the `godot-accesskit-c-static <https://github.com/godotengine/godot-accesskit-c-static/>`_
             directory and navigate to it.
          2. Run the following command:

          ::

              cd accesskit-c
              cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
              cmake --build build
              cmake --install build

          The AccessKit static library should be built using the same compiler you are
          using for building Godot.

Automatic ``.app`` bundle creation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To automatically create a ``.app`` bundle like in the official builds, use the ``generate_bundle=yes`` option on the *last*
SCons command used to build editor:

::

    scons platform=macos arch=x86_64
    scons platform=macos arch=arm64 generate_bundle=yes

Manual ``.app`` bundle creation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To support both architectures in a single "Universal 2" binary,
run the above two commands and then use ``lipo`` to bundle them together:

::

    lipo -create bin/godot.macos.editor.x86_64 bin/godot.macos.editor.arm64 -output bin/godot.macos.editor.universal

To create a ``.app`` bundle, you need to use the template located in ``misc/dist/macos_tools.app``. Typically, for an optimized
editor binary built with ``dev_build=yes``:

::

    cp -r misc/dist/macos_tools.app ./bin/Godot.app
    mkdir -p bin/Godot.app/Contents/MacOS
    cp bin/godot.macos.editor.universal bin/Godot.app/Contents/MacOS/Godot
    chmod +x bin/Godot.app/Contents/MacOS/Godot
    codesign --force --timestamp --options=runtime --entitlements misc/dist/macos/editor.entitlements -s - bin/Godot.app

.. note::

    If you are building the ``master`` branch, you also need to include support
    for the MoltenVK Vulkan portability library. By default, it will be linked
    statically from your installation of the Vulkan SDK for macOS.
    You can also choose to link it dynamically by passing ``use_volk=yes`` and
    including the dynamic library in your ``.app`` bundle:

    ::

        mkdir -p <Godot bundle name>.app/Contents/Frameworks
        cp <Vulkan SDK path>/macOS/lib/libMoltenVK.dylib <Godot bundle name>.app/Contents/Frameworks/libMoltenVK.dylib

Running a headless/server build
-------------------------------

To run in *headless* mode which provides editor functionality to export
projects in an automated manner, use the normal build:

::

    scons platform=macos target=editor

And then use the ``--headless`` command line argument:

::

    ./bin/godot.macos.editor.x86_64 --headless

To compile a debug *server* build which can be used with
:ref:`remote debugging tools <doc_command_line_tutorial>`, use:

::

    scons platform=macos target=template_debug

To compile a release *server* build which is optimized to run dedicated game servers, use:

::

    scons platform=macos target=template_release production=yes

Building export templates
-------------------------

To build macOS export templates, you have to compile using the targets without
the editor: ``target=template_release`` (release template) and
``target=template_debug``.

Official templates are *Universal 2* binaries which support both ARM64 and Intel
x86_64 architectures.

- To support ARM64 (Apple Silicon) + Intel x86_64:

    ::

        scons platform=macos target=template_debug arch=arm64
        scons platform=macos target=template_release arch=arm64
        scons platform=macos target=template_debug arch=x86_64
        scons platform=macos target=template_release arch=x86_64 generate_bundle=yes

- To support ARM64 (Apple Silicon) only (smaller file size, but less compatible with older hardware):

    ::

        scons platform=macos target=template_debug arch=arm64
        scons platform=macos target=template_release arch=arm64 generate_bundle=yes

To create a ``.app`` bundle like in the official builds, you need to use the
template located in ``misc/dist/macos_template.app``. This process can be automated by using
the ``generate_bundle=yes`` option on the *last* SCons command used to build export templates
(so that all binaries can be included). This option also takes care of calling ``lipo`` to create
a *Universal 2* binary from two separate ARM64 and x86_64 binaries (if both were compiled beforehand).

.. note::

    You also need to include support for the MoltenVK Vulkan portability
    library. By default, it will be linked statically from your installation of
    the Vulkan SDK for macOS. You can also choose to link it dynamically by
    passing ``use_volk=yes`` and including the dynamic library in your ``.app``
    bundle:

    ::

        mkdir -p macos_template.app/Contents/Frameworks
        cp <Vulkan SDK path>/macOS/libs/libMoltenVK.dylib macos_template.app/Contents/Frameworks/libMoltenVK.dylib

    In most cases, static linking should be preferred as it makes distribution
    easier. The main upside of dynamic linking is that it allows updating
    MoltenVK without having to recompile export templates.

You can then zip the ``macos_template.app`` folder to reproduce the ``macos.zip``
template from the official Godot distribution:

::

    zip -r9 macos.zip macos_template.app

Cross-compiling for macOS from Linux
------------------------------------

It is possible to compile for macOS in a Linux environment (and maybe also in
Windows using the Windows Subsystem for Linux). For that, you'll need to install
`OSXCross <https://github.com/tpoechtrager/osxcross>`__ to be able to use macOS
as a target. First, follow the instructions to install it:

Clone the `OSXCross repository <https://github.com/tpoechtrager/osxcross>`__
somewhere on your machine (or download a ZIP file and extract it somewhere), e.g.:

::

    git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/tpoechtrager/osxcross.git "$HOME/osxcross"

1. Follow the instructions to package the SDK:
   https://github.com/tpoechtrager/osxcross#packaging-the-sdk
2. Follow the instructions to install OSXCross:
   https://github.com/tpoechtrager/osxcross#installation

After that, you will need to define the ``OSXCROSS_ROOT`` as the path to
the OSXCross installation (the same place where you cloned the
repository/extracted the zip), e.g.:

::

    export OSXCROSS_ROOT="$HOME/osxcross"

Now you can compile with SCons like you normally would:

::

    scons platform=macos

If you have an OSXCross SDK version different from the one expected by the SCons buildsystem, you can specify a custom one with the ``osxcross_sdk`` argument:

::

    scons platform=macos osxcross_sdk=darwin15

Troubleshooting
---------------

Fatal error: 'cstdint' file not found
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you get a compilation error of this form early on, it's likely because
the Xcode command line tools installation needs to be repaired after
a macOS or Xcode update:

.. code:: text

    ./core/typedefs.h:45:10: fatal error: 'cstdint' file not found
    45 | #include <cstdint>
       |          ^~~~~~~~~

Run these two commands to reinstall Xcode command line tools
(enter your administrator password as needed):

::

    sudo rm -rf /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools
    sudo xcode-select --install

If it still does not work, try updating Xcode from the Mac App Store and try again.