doc: require Homebrew GNU make and gpatch on macOS
What changed, and why it matters
This commit only updates macOS installation instructions in the documentation. It tells macOS users to install newer GNU versions of 'make' and 'patch' from Homebrew because Apple's built-in tools are too old for building and running source checks. No code, no security fix, no vulnerability.
No security action needed. This is a routine documentation update for build tooling requirements on macOS.
Security signals we found
No strong security signals were identified.
Evidence from the diff
The diff modifies doc/getting-started/getting-started/installation.md to add ‘gpatch’ to the Homebrew install list and update PATH exports to prefer Homebrew’s GNU make and GNU patch over macOS system make/patch. It explains that GNU Make >= 4.3 and GNU patch are required for the build and ‘make check-source’. This is a documentation-only build-requirement clarification.
Changed components
doc/getting-started/getting-started/installation.mdInspect captured patch +8 / −4
diff --git a/doc/getting-started/getting-started/installation.md b/doc/getting-started/getting-started/installation.md
index fbedcaac..0e7daea8 100644
--- a/doc/getting-started/getting-started/installation.md
+++ b/doc/getting-started/getting-started/installation.md
@@ -391,12 +391,14 @@ You are using brew in Intel compatibility mode. The simplest solution is to remo
Install dependencies:
```shell
-brew install autoconf automake libtool python3 gnu-sed gettext libsodium lowdown pkgconf openssl make
-export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/:$PATH"
+brew install autoconf automake libtool python3 gnu-sed gettext libsodium lowdown pkgconf openssl make gpatch
+export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/make/libexec/gnubin:/opt/homebrew/opt/gpatch/libexec/gnubin:$PATH"
export CPATH=/opt/homebrew/include
export LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/homebrew/lib
```
+The build requires GNU Make >= 4.3 and some targets (such as `make check-source`) require GNU patch; the `make` and `patch` shipped with macOS are too old. The `PATH` export above makes the Homebrew versions take precedence, so consider adding it to your `~/.zshrc`.
+
If you need SQLite (or get a SQLite mismatch build error):
```shell
brew install sqlite
@@ -471,12 +473,14 @@ Assuming you have Xcode and Homebrew installed.
Install dependencies:
```shell
-brew install autoconf automake libtool python3 gnu-sed gettext libsodium lowdown pkgconf openssl make
-export PATH="/usr/local/opt/:$PATH"
+brew install autoconf automake libtool python3 gnu-sed gettext libsodium lowdown pkgconf openssl make gpatch
+export PATH="/usr/local/opt/make/libexec/gnubin:/usr/local/opt/gpatch/libexec/gnubin:$PATH"
export CPATH=/usr/local/include
export LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib
```
+The build requires GNU Make >= 4.3 and some targets (such as `make check-source`) require GNU patch; the `make` and `patch` shipped with macOS are too old. The `PATH` export above makes the Homebrew versions take precedence, so consider adding it to your `~/.zshrc`.
+
If you need SQLite (or get a SQLite mismatch build error):
```shell
brew install sqlite
Why this scored 15/100
Community notes
Notes can correct, qualify, or add evidence to the AI analysis. Every note shown here has been validated by a human moderator.
The AI analysis stands alone for now. Submit a note if you can add evidence or important context.