Static build on macOS fails beacuse the sources list for libnode.a is empty

Version

v26.4.0

Platform

arm64 macOS

Subsystem

Build system

What steps will reproduce the bug?

Build with ./configure --enable-static <...>

How often does it reproduce? Is there a required condition?

Always

What is the expected behavior? Why is that the expected behavior?

Build succeeds.

What do you see instead?

rm -f <node_root>/out/Release/libnode.a && /opt/local/bin/python3.12 gyp-mac-tool filter-libtool libtool  -static -o <node_root>/out/Release/libnode.a 

error: libtool: no files specified
Usage: libtool -static [-] file [...] [-filelist listfile[,dirname]] [-arch_only arch] [-sacLT] [-no_warning_for_no_symbols]
Usage: libtool -dynamic [-] file [...] [-filelist listfile[,dirname]] [-arch_only arch] [-o output] [-install_name name] [-compatibility_version #] [-current_version #] [-seg1addr 0x#] [-segs_read_only_addr 0x#] [-segs_read_write_addr 0x#] [-seg_addr_table <filename>] [-seg_addr_table_filename <file_system_path>] [-all_load] [-noall_load]

Additional information

In https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/v26.4.0/node.gyp#L1087-L1113, no C++ sources are provided for 'target_name': '<(node_lib_target_name)', so the arguments for libtool is empty (Should be bunch of .o files).

Compare the sources list for 'target_name': '<(node_lib_target_name)' in Node v25: https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/v25.9.0/node.gyp#L888-L913

Refs: #63626

Temporary fix to nodejs#65026

It looks like the culprit is the node_base split in #63626. That moved node's C++ sources into an always-static node_base target, and libnode now only lists <@(library_files) and <@(deps_files) (the JS files) as its own sources. It gets node's objects from its node_base dependency, but only through the node_shared=="true" block in node.gyp (around line 1197), which force-loads libnode_base.a at link time. There is no equivalent for a static libnode, and as the comment near line 1220 notes, gyp only auto-applies whole-archive to static dependencies of shared_library targets, not static_library ones. So with --enable-static, libnode.a is archived from its JS-only sources and libtool gets no object files, which is the "no files specified" error.

I think the fix needs the static case to fold node_base's archive into libnode.a rather than relying on the link-time force-load that only runs for shared builds.

There is a subsequent condition that adds a c++ source file for startup snapshot:

node/node.gyp

Lines 1124 to 1172 in 2022edf

    
           ['node_use_node_snapshot=="true"', { 
        
             'dependencies': [ 
        
               'node_mksnapshot', 
        
             ], 
        
             'conditions': [ 
        
               ['node_snapshot_main!=""', { 
        
                 'actions': [ 
        
                   { 
        
                     'action_name': 'node_mksnapshot', 
        
                     'process_outputs_as_sources': 1, 
        
                     'inputs': [ 
        
                       '<(node_mksnapshot_exec)', 
        
                       '<(node_snapshot_main)', 
        
                     ], 
        
                     'outputs': [ 
        
                       '<(SHARED_INTERMEDIATE_DIR)/node_snapshot.cc', 
        
                     ], 
        
                     'action': [ 
        
                       '<(node_mksnapshot_exec)', 
        
                       '--build-snapshot', 
        
                       '<(node_snapshot_main)', 
        
                       '<@(_outputs)', 
        
                     ], 
        
                   }, 
        
                 ], 
        
               }, { 
        
                 'actions': [ 
        
                   { 
        
                     'action_name': 'node_mksnapshot', 
        
                     'process_outputs_as_sources': 1, 
        
                     'inputs': [ 
        
                       '<(node_mksnapshot_exec)', 
        
                     ], 
        
                     'outputs': [ 
        
                       '<(SHARED_INTERMEDIATE_DIR)/node_snapshot.cc', 
        
                     ], 
        
                     'action': [ 
        
                       '<@(_inputs)', 
        
                       '<@(_outputs)', 
        
                     ], 
        
                   }, 
        
                 ], 
        
               }], 
        
             ], 
        
             }, { 
        
             'sources': [ 
        
               'src/node_snapshot_stub.cc' 
        
             ], 
        
           }],

(src/node_snapshot_stub.cc when snapshot is not enabled, and <(SHARED_INTERMEDIATE_DIR)/node_snapshot.cc when snapshot is enabled)

so the source list is not supposed to be empty.

I built locally on a macOS with ./configure --enable-static and the build is successful.

Would you mind sharing which macOS and toolchain version are you building with?

There is a subsequent condition that adds a c++ source file for startup snapshot

I guess that's the reason. I forgot to mention I explicitly disabled the snapshot.

Disabling snapshot still adds src/node_snapshot_stub.cc to the source list, as the negative condition implies.

I'm closing this as the issue is not reproducible on the authoritative source repo, but on a custom modified source. Please feel free to reopen if there is anything new.

build: deprecate always enabled `--enable-static`

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Static build on macOS fails beacuse the sources list for `libnode.a` is empty #65026

Version

Platform

Subsystem

What steps will reproduce the bug?

How often does it reproduce? Is there a required condition?

What is the expected behavior? Why is that the expected behavior?

What do you see instead?

Additional information

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	['node_use_node_snapshot=="true"', {
	'dependencies': [
	'node_mksnapshot',
	],
	'conditions': [
	['node_snapshot_main!=""', {
	'actions': [
	{
	'action_name': 'node_mksnapshot',
	'process_outputs_as_sources': 1,
	'inputs': [
	'<(node_mksnapshot_exec)',
	'<(node_snapshot_main)',
	],
	'outputs': [
	'<(SHARED_INTERMEDIATE_DIR)/node_snapshot.cc',
	],
	'action': [
	'<(node_mksnapshot_exec)',
	'--build-snapshot',
	'<(node_snapshot_main)',
	'<@(_outputs)',
	],
	},
	],
	}, {
	'actions': [
	{
	'action_name': 'node_mksnapshot',
	'process_outputs_as_sources': 1,
	'inputs': [
	'<(node_mksnapshot_exec)',
	],
	'outputs': [
	'<(SHARED_INTERMEDIATE_DIR)/node_snapshot.cc',
	],
	'action': [
	'<@(_inputs)',
	'<@(_outputs)',
	],
	},
	],
	}],
	],
	}, {
	'sources': [
	'src/node_snapshot_stub.cc'
	],
	}],

Static build on macOS fails beacuse the sources list for libnode.a is empty #65026

Description

Version

Platform

Subsystem

What steps will reproduce the bug?

How often does it reproduce? Is there a required condition?

What is the expected behavior? Why is that the expected behavior?

What do you see instead?

Additional information

Activity

Renegade334 commented on Aug 4, 2026

bitpshr commented on Aug 5, 2026

legendecas commented on Aug 7, 2026

legendecas commented on Aug 7, 2026

Xmader commented on Aug 7, 2026

legendecas commented on Aug 7, 2026

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Static build on macOS fails beacuse the sources list for `libnode.a` is empty #65026