cmake: Provide `install_name_tool` stub instead of disabling it
What the developer wrote
Authored by Hennadii Stepanov
cmake: Provide `install_name_tool` stub instead of disabling it
When running `enable_language()`, CMake checks the platform-specific
toolchain components, which includes `install_name_tool` for macOS.
We disable this check when cross-compiling on Linux because
`install_name_tool` is not used and our toolchain file does not provide
it.
However, the current workaround has been breaking CMake's assumptions
since commit eb8facd39606e9472f9ff6de40d7caf76767d0da (CMake 4.1.0,
backported to 4.0.5), which causes an error during configuration using
the Ninja generator.
This change fixes this behaviour by providing a stub executable instead
of `install_name_tool`, as we currently do in the depends build
subsystem.
What changed, and why it matters
This is a build-system fix for Bitcoin Core's CMake configuration when cross-compiling macOS binaries from Linux. It replaces a workaround that disabled a CMake tool check with a harmless stub command, restoring compatibility with newer CMake versions. There is no security issue in the change itself.
No security action required; treat as a normal build-system fix.
Security signals we found
No strong security signals were identified.
Evidence from the diff
The commit changes how Bitcoin Core’s CMake setup satisfies CMake’s expectation of an install_name_tool when cross-compiling for Darwin from a non-Darwin host. Previously it set CMAKE_PLATFORM_HAS_INSTALLNAME FALSE to suppress the check; CMake 4.0.5+/4.1.0 no longer accepts that, causing configuration failures with the Ninja generator. The patch instead points CMAKE_INSTALL_NAME_TOOL to cmake -E true, a no-op stub, matching the existing approach in the depends build subsystem. This is purely a build-configuration compatibility fix.
Changed components
CMakeLists.txt build configurationInspect captured patch +1 / −1
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 8d5a5dd2..66d4112f 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 4.2 AND CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "Darwin" AND NO
# - https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/cmake/-/issues/27069
# - https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/cmake/-/merge_requests/10955
# So disable this tool check in further enable_language() commands.
- set(CMAKE_PLATFORM_HAS_INSTALLNAME FALSE)
+ set(CMAKE_INSTALL_NAME_TOOL "${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E true")
endif()
enable_language(CXX)
set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 20)
Why this scored 15/100
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