xcode-select: error: tool 'xcodebuild' requires Xcode, but active developer directory '/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools' is a command line tools instance

EDITED FOR PEOPLE JUST GETTING HERE

See https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp/issues/569#issuecomment-255589932 and https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp/issues/569#issuecomment-259421050, the warning can just be ignored. Command Line Tools works fine, you do not need the full Xcode.

See https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp/blob/master/macOS_Catalina.md, here and here for more info.

Fix:

xcode-select --install # Install Command Line Tools if you haven't already.
sudo xcode-select --switch /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools # Enable command line tools

then just ignore the warning.

Alternatively if you want you can use the full Xcode.app (if you have it installed) with:

# Change the path if you installed Xcode somewhere else.
sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

If your install is failing

There will be other errors nearer the end, almost certainly issues with the module you’re trying to install or a dependency. Please report the error to that project.

If that doesn’t work

Are you seeing this when you run node-gyp rebuild or npm install? If not then it’s nothing to do with node-gyp, raise a bug with the project you’re using.

Issue Analytics

State:
Created 9 years ago
Reactions:1634
Comments:151 (20 by maintainers)

Top GitHub Comments

3856reactions

jfmercercommented, Oct 28, 2017

This fixed it for me:

Install Xcode
Run sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

See this explanation on SO.

EDIT(gibfahn): Command line tools is fine, you don’t need the full Xcode. Just ignore the warning. See here and here for more info.

375reactions

bergerjaccommented, Oct 28, 2017

EDIT(gibfahn): Command line tools is fine, you don’t need the full Xcode. Just ignore the warning. See here and here for more info.

Common Problems:

Error: xcode-select: error: tool ‘xcodebuild’ requires Xcode, but active developer directory is a command line tools instance
whether or not you installed XCode beta

Here’s all the answers from this thread and links compiled into one.

Install Xcode or Xcode-beta
Initiate Spotlight Search and type Xcode (Note whether you see Xcode, Xcode-beta, Xcode-87…)
CMD+enter to open Xcode’s directory
Open Xcode and Accept Terms and Conditions
Move Xcode to /Applications directory ← NOT /Users/{user}/Applications
Open Terminal
- Xcode-beta: sudo xcode-select --switch /Applications/Xcode-beta.app/Contents/Developer
- Xcode: sudo xcode-select --switch /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer
- Other: Get the proper path to your Xcode app. If yours is Xcode-87, then it would be: sudo xcode-select --switch /Applications/Xcode-87.app/Contents/Developer

Tested on

Macbook Pro, El Capitan OS X 10.11.6

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