building emacs on mac from source

Building emacs from source 

many github emacs don't build successfully

internet info outdated, changes in emacs 30.1 libjansson  not needed, gnutls deprecated

need macport information, most info on homebrew;

emacs source build works but is not packaged in a dmg

most fail when moved out of build directory

binaries download from: emacsformacos.com

 

Beautiful emacs site

https://www.masteringemacs.org/all-articles

Successful Emacs build on mac aarch64

builds for emacsforosx.com

https://github.com/caldwell/build-emacs

GNU Emacs 30.1 (build 1, aarch64-apple-darwin22.6.0, NS appkit-2299.77

 Version 13.7.4 (Build 22H420)) of 2025-03-16

Copyright (C) 2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

https://github.com/caldwell/build-emacs/issues/145

https://github.com/caldwell/build-emacs/issues/132

https://github.com/caldwell/build-emacs/issues/103#issuecomment-822056419

https://github.com/caldwell/build-emacs/issues/142#issuecomment-2730442280

Currently all my builds use Nix to automatically get dependencies, but it should work with manual dependency management using Homebrew/MacPorts/whatever as long as those dependencies are in your path when you run build-emacs-from-tar --no-deps (--no-deps should really be called --no-automatic-deps or something). Check the output of configure to see if it is detecting your dependencies.

Steps to resolve issue:

deleted previous build directory

git clone https://github.com/caldwell/build-emacs
./fetch-emacs-from-ftp -v ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs 

./build-emacs-from-tar -v -j 8 --no-deps emacs-30.1.tar.bz2 release

rustup target add x86_64-apple-darwin
make
./combine-and-package -v Emacs-30.1-13-arm64.tar.bz2

produced:
Emacs-30.1-universal.dmg

dependencies.nix

pkgs.mkShell {
  buildInputs = [
    pkgs.darwin.apple_sdk.frameworks.AppKit

    pkgs.autoconf
    pkgs.pkgconfig
    ncurses-no-nix-store
    pkgs.zlib

    pkgs.gnutls
    pkgs.jansson
    pkgs.libxml2
    pkgs.librsvg
    pkgs.tree-sitter
    pkgs.sqlite
  ];
}

Successful Emacs build on macos 12.7 x86_64 

https://github.com/imrehorvath/bundle-dylibs

https://imrehorvath.wordpress.com/2021/04/17/wanna-build-gnu-emacs-on-macos-from-source/

 

Use bundle_dylib to move libs inside Emacs.app. 

Efficient successful build 29.4 (138MByte)

https://github.com/mclear-tools/build-emacs-macos

Switch from macports to brew

MBP i5

Macbook Air M3

 

Install a few packages:

sudo port install autoconf

sudo port install automake

sudo port install texinfo

sudo port install gnutls

sudo port install pkgconfig

sudo port install libgcc13

 

EmacsWiki

gcc Emacs 

Get the source code.

# git clone --depth 1 --branch emacs-29.4 https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/emacs.git emacs-29.4  

$ git clone git://git.savannah.gnu.org/emacs.git 

$ cd emacs
    
$ ./autogen.sh 

$ ./configure 

$ make 

$ make install

configure: error: ELisp native compiler was requested, but libgccjit was not found.
Please try installing libgccjit or a similar package. 

./configure --with-native-compilation result in libgccjit errors
  

Package Notes

libgcc-devel broken port #68421 

https://issues.guix.gnu.org/issue/57849

libgccjit not found after gcc update #483

M3 build time: 11m16s

M3  build time with libgcc13: 1m12s

M1 build time:  1m5s

Compiling Emacs on Mac

builds for emacsforosx.com

https://github.com/caldwell/build-emacs

https://porkrind.org/missives/mac-os-x-codesigning-woes/

Renard mentions moving libs into a common directory to make it .app portable

https://github.com/renard/emacs-build-macosx

 

Standalone Emacs

https://gitlab.kitware.com/paraview/common-superbuild/-/blob/920d9bc5c6c69fd945df84668f50aca34cdf5f6f/cmake/scripts/fixup_bundle.apple.py

automated build 

https://github.com/jimeh/build-emacs-for-macos

credits:

https://gist.github.com/mikroskeem/0a5c909c1880408adf732ceba6d3f9ab#1-gcc-with-libgccjit-enabled

https://github.com/shshkn/emacs.d/blob/master/docs/nativecomp.md

https://gist.github.com/AllenDang/f019593e65572a8e0aefc96058a2d23e

 

Simple build script provided:

refs:

self-contained build

https://github.com/jimeh/emacs-builds

emacs plus features recent updates:

https://github.com/d12frosted/homebrew-emacs-plus

build emacs on mac using port:

https://mac4translators.blogspot.com/2017/10/evolution.html

Many other good sites:

https://www.zellysnyder.com/posts/compiling-emacs-on-macos/

https://www.mattduck.com/2021-05-upgrading-to-emacs-28.html

 

https://www.masteringemacs.org/article/speed-up-emacs-libjansson-native-elisp-compilation

https://andersmurphy.com/2021/11/14/emacs-building-from-source-on-macos.html 

https://emacs-ng.github.io/emacs-ng/build/building/

https://emacs.stackexchange.com/questions/58526/how-do-i-build-emacs-from-sources-on-macos-catalina-version-10-15-4

https://github.com/railwaycat/homebrew-emacsmacport?tab=readme-ov-file

https://www.reddit.com/r/emacs/comments/u28dji/emacs_28_with_nativecomp_on_macos_with_macports/

 

Native m1 builds

https://cpufun.substack.com/p/setting-up-the-apple-m1-for-native

https://github.com/jimeh/build-emacs-for-macos/issues/47

Create signing Certificate

m3 pkgs:

port installed

The following ports are currently installed:

  autoconf @2.72_0 (active)

  cctools @949.0.1_3+xcode (active)

-   cowsay @3.7.0_0 (active)

  curl-ca-bundle @8.12.1_0 (active)

  db48 @4.8.30_5 (active)

  gcc13 @13.3.0_2+stdlib_flag (active)

  gcc13-libcxx @13.3.0_2+clang16 (active)

  gcc_select @0.1_10 (active)

  gdbm @1.24_0 (active)

  gettext-runtime @0.22.5_0 (active)

  gmp @6.3.0_0 (active)

  gnutls @3.7.11_1 (active)

  icu @76.1_0 (active)

  isl @0.24_1 (active)

  ld64 @3_6+ld64_xcode (active)

  ld64-xcode @2_6 (active)

  libffi @3.4.6_1 (active)

  libgcc @9.0_0 (active)

  libgcc13 @13.3.0_2+stdlib_flag (active)

  libgcc14 @14.2.0_3+stdlib_flag (active)

  libiconv @1.17_0 (active)

  libidn2 @2.3.8_0 (active)

  libmpc @1.3.1_0 (active)

  libtasn1 @4.20.0_0 (active)

  libunistring @1.3_0 (active)

  libxml2 @2.13.6_0 (active)

  libxslt @1.1.42_0 (active)

  lz4 @1.10.0_0 (active)

  m4 @1.4.19_1 (active)

  mpfr @4.2.1_0 (active)

  ncurses @6.5_0 (active)

  nettle @3.10_0 (active)

  p11-kit @0.25.5_0 (active)

  perl5.34 @5.34.3_1 (active)

  pkgconfig @0.29.2_0 (active)

  readline @8.2.013_0 (active)

  texinfo @7.2_0+perl5_34 (active)

  xz @5.6.4_0 (active)

  zlib @1.3.1_0 (active)

  zstd @1.5.6_0 (active)

m1 pkgs:

The following ports are currently installed:
  autoconf @2.72_0 (active)
  automake @1.16.5_0 (active)
  brotli @1.1.0_0 (active)
  bzip2 @1.0.8_0 (active)
  cctools @949.0.1_3+xcode (active)
  curl @8.8.0_1+ssl
  curl @8.9.1_1+brotli+http2+idn+psl+ssl+zstd (active)
  curl-ca-bundle @8.8.0_0
  curl-ca-bundle @8.9.1_0 (active)
  db48 @4.8.30_5 (active)
  gdbm @1.24_0 (active)
  gettext-runtime @0.22.5_0 (active)
  gmp @6.3.0_0 (active)
  gnutls @3.7.11_0 (active)
  icu @74.2_0 (active)
  isl @0.24_1 (active)
  ld64 @3_6+ld64_xcode (active)
  ld64-xcode @2_6 (active)
  libedit @20240517-3.1_0 (active)
  libffi @3.4.6_1 (active)
  libgcc @8.0_0 (active)
  libgcc13 @13.3.0_1+stdlib_flag (active)
  libgcc14 @14.2.0_1+stdlib_flag (active)
  libgit2 @1.7.2_0+threadsafe (active)
  libiconv @1.17_0 (active)
  libidn2 @2.3.7_0 (active)
  libmpc @1.3.1_0 (active)
  libpsl @0.21.5-20240306_0 (active)
  libssh2 @1.11.0_0 (active)
  libtasn1 @4.19.0_0 (active)
  libunistring @1.2_0 (active)
  libxml2 @2.13.3_0 (active)
  libxslt @1.1.42_0 (active)
  lz4 @1.9.4_0
  lz4 @1.10.0_0 (active)
  m4 @1.4.19_1 (active)
  mpfr @4.2.1_0 (active)
  ncurses @6.5_0 (active)
  nettle @3.10_0 (active)
  nghttp2 @1.62.1_0 (active)
  openssl @3_18 (active)
  openssl3 @3.3.1_1 (active)
  p11-kit @0.25.5_0 (active)
  pcre2 @10.44_0 (active)
  perl5.34 @5.34.3_1 (active)
  pkgconfig @0.29.2_0 (active)
  readline @8.2.001_0 (active)
  starship @1.19.0_0
  starship @1.20.1_0 (active)
  texinfo @7.1_0 (active)
  xz @5.4.7_0 (active)
  zlib @1.3.1_0 (active)
  zstd @1.5.6_0 (active)

 

 

emacs install rust-mode, universal binary, emacs-nw

Install rust-mode for emacs

https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-mode?tab=readme-ov-file#melpa

https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Init-File.html 

https://melpa.org/#/getting-started

create 

touch ~/.emacs.d/init.el

add lines to init.el

(require 'package)
(add-to-list 'package-archives
             '("melpa" . "https://melpa.org/packages/") t)
(package-initialize)
(package-refresh-contents)

 

Now you can install rust-mode with:

M-x package-install rust-mode

And put this in your config to load rust-mode automatically:

(require 'rust-mode)

emacs in the terminal

Prevent launching of a new window for emacs.

sudo ln -s /Applications/Emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/emacs-nw /usr/local/bin/emacs 

macOS emacs Universal Binary

emacs osx Universal binary 

lipo -arch almost pointless; tried it on the emacs Universal Binary only reduced the size by 4MB.  Not worth it.  

 man lipo

lipo -archs Emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/Emacs

 

lipo -remove x86_64 Emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/Emacs -output Emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/Emacs2

eclecticlight.co has an article about it:

Instant weight loss: how to strip Universal Apps

The Eclectic Light Company

https://eclecticlight.co › 2020/07/30 › instant-weight-los...

 

Installing emacs-nox (linux)

From PPA:

https://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2022/06/install-gnu-emacs-28-1-ubuntu-22-04-20-04/ 

## Installing emacs from PPA ##
sudo apt remove --autoremove emacs emacs-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/emacs
sudo apt install emacs-nox emacs-common

Other methods

https://gist.github.com/rscircus/77e91b36de1e431e0310611a32786e3c

 https://github.com/alexmurray/emacs-snap

 

pop os, opensshd, emacs,rust-mode,starship , smb share, bionic A72

I'd already installed it on a 500GB HDD.  

OpenSSH Server

installing open ssh server

good troubleshooting tips

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

default, leave it commented

#PubkeyAuthentication yes

change from no to yes

PasswordAuthentication yes

 

restart ssh server and then check that it is running

sudo systemctl restart ssh
sudo systemctl status ssh

 

On your client machine

generate the public key (don't use sudo)

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096

copy it to the open ssh server host (your pop os machine)

ssh-copy-id user@pop-os.local

 

Looking at the sshd logs:

journalctl -u ssh

Change hostname

Change default hostname to a new one.

 

sudo hostnamectl set-hostname tap-matra

 

 

 

 

Installing starship

requires font

https://www.nerdfonts.com/font-downloads

Try it with FiraCode Nerd Font

mkdir ~/.fonts

unzip FiraCode.zip

fc-cache -f -v ~/.fonts

 

https://starship.rs/guide/

Installing emacs-nox

From PPA:

https://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2022/06/install-gnu-emacs-28-1-ubuntu-22-04-20-04/ 

## Installing emacs from PPA ##
sudo apt remove --autoremove emacs emacs-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/emacs
sudo apt install emacs-nox emacs-common

Other methods

https://gist.github.com/rscircus/77e91b36de1e431e0310611a32786e3c

 https://github.com/alexmurray/emacs-snap

Install rust-mode for emacs

https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-mode?tab=readme-ov-file#melpa

https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Init-File.html 

https://melpa.org/#/getting-started

create 

touch ~/.emacs.d/init.el

add lines to init.el

(require 'package)
(add-to-list 'package-archives
             '("melpa" . "https://melpa.org/packages/") t)
(package-initialize)
(package-refresh-contents)

 

Now you can install rust-mode with:

M-x package-install rust-mode

And put this in your config to load rust-mode automatically:

(require 'rust-mode)

 

Mount share on remote host

gio mount smb://hostname.local/Downloads

TODO

https://www.reddit.com/r/pop_os/comments/1cszy7m/installed_pop_on_my_old_asus_and_i_love_it/

Building zed code editor from git sources

Mekotronics R58X-HDD Rockchip RK3588 embedded PCs

Julia emacs support and DateTime

Date Time

 

using Dates

import dates

Julia mode for Emacs

https://github.com/JuliaEditorSupport/julia-emacs

Doom Emacs

https://github.com/doomemacs/doomemacs