Detect linkage error when xcode-select --install hasn't been run

[estebank]

When trying to run rustc for the first time on MacOS X, you might encounter this error message:

error: linking with cc failed: exit code: 1
|
= note:

"cc"
"-m64"
"-arch"
"x86_64"

"-L"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib"
"main.main.7rcbfp3g-cgu.0.rcgu.o"
"main.main.7rcbfp3g-cgu.1.rcgu.o"
"main.main.7rcbfp3g-cgu.2.rcgu.o"
"main.main.7rcbfp3g-cgu.3.rcgu.o"
"main.main.7rcbfp3g-cgu.4.rcgu.o"
"main.main.7rcbfp3g-cgu.5.rcgu.o"
"main.main.7rcbfp3g-cgu.6.rcgu.o"
"main.main.7rcbfp3g-cgu.7.rcgu.o"

"-o"
"main"
"main.4s37gsrti678ik8u.rcgu.o"
"-Wl,-dead_strip"
"-nodefaultlibs"

"-L"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/libstd-349f286494d73b18.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/libpanic_unwind-0c9fcc24a503d489.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/libobject-70419d92d1ba4b1d.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/libaddr2line-65e88774cb68bd46.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/libgimli-3849b3781a19a398.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/librustc_demangle-0dbb03fa66ca6d84.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/libhashbrown-65edff8661311c85.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/librustc_std_workspace_alloc-599e707cd7ee7216.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/libunwind-40cb05f6c516791a.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/libcfg_if-7a0a923a4d37a048.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/liblibc-7e047938e88325ef.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/liballoc-02542d835be27c0f.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/librustc_std_workspace_core-63712b18a1365082.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/libcore-1196a2a060497e71.rlib"
"/Users/z/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/libcompiler_builtins-10db70d883838cbc.rlib"

"-lSystem"
"-lresolv"
"-lc"
"-lm"

= note: xcrun: error: invalid active developer path (/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools), missing xcrun at: /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/bin/xcrun

This happens if you haven't installed the Developer Command Line Tools with xcode-select --install.

We should detect the error output message "missing xcrun" and when it happens, emit a more targeted, friendlier error explaining what happened to the user.

Taken from https://users.rust-lang.org/t/error-compiling-my-first-basic-rust-program/58872

[nagisa]

From my memory, I recall seeing a MacOS pop-up a suggestion to install the XCode if I needed the commands in question. Is that not a thing anymore?

[estebank]

Changes on the MacOS side might have made that suggestion stop being detected.

[ehuss]

It would be good to know which version of macOS that came from. On Catalina (10.15) the error is:

= note: xcode-select: note: no developer tools were found at '/Applications/Xcode.app', requesting install. Choose an option in the dialog to download the command line developer tools.

And a GUI dialog box pops up to install the tools.

Perhaps Big Sur (11) is different, or maybe they are on an M1 that has strange behavior.

[estebank]

Asked the original reporter to update this ticket.

[smrjdhv]

Here are my machine specs:
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
2.9 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
16 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3
Intel HD Graphics 630 1536 MB

macOS Big Sur, version 11.2.1

PFA screenshots of installation process followed.