Xcode Command Line Tools

The Xcode Command Line Tools package provides essential development utilities for macOS. You don’t need the full Xcode IDE to compile code, run scripts, or use Unix development tools. The standalone Command Line Tools package gives you compilers, linkers, headers, and utilities in a much smaller download.

What’s Included

The Command Line Tools package contains:

Compilers and Build Tools

Development Utilities

Headers and SDKs

The tools include macOS SDK headers necessary for compiling programs:

# SDK location
$ xcrun --show-sdk-path
/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/MacOSX.sdk

# SDK version
$ xcrun --show-sdk-version
14.4

Other Utilities

Installing Command Line Tools

Interactive Installation

The simplest method triggers an installation dialog:

$ xcode-select --install

This opens a dialog offering to install the Command Line Tools. Click “Install” and wait for the download (approximately 1-2 GB).

Trigger via Missing Tool

Running any development command without installed tools triggers the prompt:

$ git --version
xcode-select: note: no developer tools were found at '/Applications/Xcode.app'
# Installation dialog appears

Download from Apple Developer

For specific versions or offline installation:

1. Visit developer.apple.com/download/more/
2. Sign in with Apple ID (free account works)
3. Search for “Command Line Tools”
4. Download the .dmg for your macOS version
5. Install the package

Verify Installation

$ xcode-select -p
/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools

$ clang --version
Apple clang version 15.0.0 (clang-1500.3.9.4)
Target: arm64-apple-darwin23.4.0
Thread model: posix
InstalledDir: /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/bin

$ git --version
git version 2.39.3 (Apple Git-146)

Xcode vs Command Line Tools

You can develop on macOS with either:

1. Command Line Tools only (standalone)
2. Full Xcode (includes Command Line Tools)

Command Line Tools Only

Pros:

• Smaller download (~2 GB vs ~12+ GB)
• No IDE required
• Sufficient for most Unix development
• Faster installation

Cons:

• No iOS/watchOS/tvOS development
• No Interface Builder
• Limited Instruments profiling
• No Simulator
• No Xcode IDE features

Full Xcode

Required for:

• iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS development
• SwiftUI previews
• Full Instruments profiling
• Metal shader development
• App Store submission
• Simulator usage

Installation Locations

# Command Line Tools (standalone)
/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/
├── Library/
│   └── Frameworks/         # Development frameworks
├── SDKs/
│   └── MacOSX.sdk         # macOS SDK
└── usr/
    ├── bin/               # Tools (clang, git, etc.)
    ├── include/           # C headers
    └── lib/               # Libraries

# Xcode (full)
/Applications/Xcode.app/
└── Contents/
    └── Developer/
        ├── Platforms/     # iOS, macOS, etc.
        ├── SDKs/
        ├── Toolchains/
        └── usr/
            └── bin/       # Tools

Switching Between Xcode and Command Line Tools

The xcode-select command controls which developer directory is active:

Check Current Selection

$ xcode-select -p
/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer
# or
/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools

Switch to Xcode

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

Switch to Command Line Tools

$ sudo xcode-select -s /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools

Reset to Default

$ sudo xcode-select -r

Why Switch?

Common reasons to switch:

The xcrun Command

xcrun executes tools from the active developer directory, ensuring you use the correct version:

# Run clang from current developer directory
$ xcrun clang -v

# Find tool location
$ xcrun -f clang
/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/clang

# Show SDK path
$ xcrun --show-sdk-path
/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX14.4.sdk

# Run with specific SDK
$ xcrun --sdk macosx clang -v

# List available SDKs
$ xcodebuild -showsdks
macOS SDKs:
        macOS 14.4                      -sdk macosx14.4

iOS SDKs:
        iOS 17.4                        -sdk iphoneos17.4
...

Using xcrun in Scripts

For portable scripts that work with either Xcode or Command Line Tools:

#!/bin/bash
# Use xcrun to find compiler
CC=$(xcrun -f clang)
SDK=$(xcrun --show-sdk-path)

$CC -isysroot "$SDK" -o myprogram myprogram.c

SDK Management

Listing Installed SDKs

# With Xcode
$ ls /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/
MacOSX.sdk  MacOSX14.4.sdk

# With Command Line Tools
$ ls /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/
MacOSX.sdk  MacOSX14.4.sdk

SDK Contents

$ ls $(xcrun --show-sdk-path)
Entitlements.plist  SDKSettings.json  System/
Library/            SDKSettings.plist usr/

The SDK contains:

• System/: System framework stubs
• usr/: Headers and libraries
• Library/: Frameworks

Targeting Specific SDK Versions

# Compile against specific SDK
$ clang -isysroot $(xcrun --show-sdk-path --sdk macosx14.4) program.c

# Set deployment target (minimum OS version)
$ clang -mmacosx-version-min=12.0 program.c

Updating Command Line Tools

Check for Updates

$ softwareupdate --list
Software Update found the following new or updated software:
* Command Line Tools for Xcode-15.3

Install Updates

$ softwareupdate --install "Command Line Tools for Xcode-15.3"

Reinstall After macOS Upgrade

After major macOS upgrades, you may need to reinstall:

# Remove existing tools
$ sudo rm -rf /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools

# Reinstall
$ xcode-select --install

Troubleshooting

“No Developer Tools Found”

$ git status
xcrun: error: invalid active developer path (/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools)

Solution:

$ xcode-select --install

“Agreeing to Xcode License”

$ clang
Agreeing to the Xcode/iOS license requires admin privileges, please run "sudo xcodebuild -license"

Solution:

$ sudo xcodebuild -license accept

Wrong SDK or Tools Version

# Check what's active
$ xcode-select -p
$ xcrun --show-sdk-version

# Switch if needed
$ sudo xcode-select -s /path/to/correct/developer/directory

Headers Not Found After macOS Update

$ clang program.c
fatal error: 'stdio.h' file not found

Reinstall Command Line Tools:

$ sudo rm -rf /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools
$ xcode-select --install

Multiple Xcode Versions

You can have multiple Xcode versions installed:

# List installations
$ ls /Applications/ | grep Xcode
Xcode.app
Xcode-15.2.app

# Switch between them
$ sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode-15.2.app/Contents/Developer

Command Line Tools Components

Examining Package Contents

# List package contents
$ pkgutil --files com.apple.pkg.CLTools_Executables | head -20
Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/Library/Frameworks/Python3.framework
Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/Library/Frameworks/Python3.framework/Headers
Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/Library/Frameworks/Python3.framework/Python3
...

Package Receipts

# List installed developer packages
$ pkgutil --pkgs | grep -i cltools
com.apple.pkg.CLTools_Executables
com.apple.pkg.CLTools_SDK_macOS14
com.apple.pkg.CLTools_SwiftBackDeploy
com.apple.pkg.CLTools_macOS_SDK

Summary

The Command Line Tools package provides everything needed for Unix-style development on macOS without the full Xcode installation. For most developers who don’t need iOS development or the Xcode IDE, it’s the right choice.