Prerequisites

  • Install Xcode Command Line Tools:
    1xcode-select --install
  • Install Homebrew from https://brew.sh/  (use the default prefix: /opt/homebrew on Apple Silicon, /usr/local on Intel).

Steps

  1. Clone the repository and submodules:
    1git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/aurelienpierreeng/ansel.git
2cd ansel
3git submodule init
4git submodule update
  2. Install build dependencies:
    1./packaging/macosx/1_install_hb_dependencies.sh
    This is the canonical dependency list used by CI and packaging.
  3. Build and install into the local install/ directory:
    1./packaging/macosx/2_build_hb_ansel_custom.sh
    Edit packaging/macosx/2_build_hb_ansel_custom.sh if you need custom CMake options.
  4. (Optional) Create a macOS application bundle (can be signed if you have a Developer ID):
    1export CODECERT="your.developer@apple.id"   # optional
2./packaging/macosx/3_make_hb_ansel_package.sh
    The bundle is generated at install/package/Ansel.app.
  5. (Optional) Generate a DMG image from the bundle:
    1./packaging/macosx/4_make_hb_ansel_dmg.sh
    The output is Ansel-<version>-<arch>.dmg in the install/ directory.

Running the build

  • Development install (after step 3):
    1./install/bin/ansel
  • From the app bundle (after step 4):
    1./install/package/Ansel.app/Contents/MacOS/ansel --configdir ~/.config/ansel --cachedir ~/.cache/ansel/

Notes and limitations

  • The DMG is not notarized. If Gatekeeper blocks it, remove the quarantine attribute:
    1xattr -d com.apple.quarantine Ansel-*.dmg
  • The DMG is only guaranteed to run on the same macOS version it was built on.
  • Homebrew package versions define the library versions bundled into the app.

MacPorts method (legacy, Intel-only)

A legacy Intel-only method using MacPorts exists in packaging/macosx/BUILD.txt. It includes custom patches for exiv2, gnutls, and gtk-osx-application, and uses gtk-mac-bundler to produce a DMG. Use this only if you specifically need a MacPorts-based build.