install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install bsdmake

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install bsdmake

MacPorts ports tree · devel/bsdmake/Portfile · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

BSD version of the Make build tool

Project links

Commands and aliases

bsdmake

history

Project history and usage

bsdmake is Apple's packaged BSD make implementation, a descendant of the Berkeley/PWB make tradition rather than GNU make. It is a compatibility package for build systems and ports that expect BSD make semantics, makefile names, variables, and system include behavior.

Project history

The Apple open-source manual page carries Regents of the University of California copyright notices from 1990 and 1993 and an SCCS marker for Berkeley make. Its HISTORY section says a `make` command appeared in PWB UNIX, placing BSD make in the long Unix build-tool lineage.

The manual documents behavior that distinguishes BSD make from a generic `make`: it reads `sys.mk`, searches for `BSDmakefile`, `makefile`, and `Makefile`, supports `.OBJDIR`, `mkdep`, BSD-style include paths under `/usr/share/mk`, and exposes debugging and compatibility flags.

Adoption history

bsdmake survives in package managers because not every makefile is written for GNU make. The provided package facts show Homebrew and MacPorts packaging, which is especially relevant on macOS where developers may need a BSD-flavored make as an explicit command.

Its adoption is mostly compatibility-driven: users install it when building older BSD-derived software, ports, or makefiles that rely on BSD make features or system makefile conventions.

How it is used

`bsdmake` maintains program dependencies from makefiles, with options to select makefiles, include paths, system makefile directories, variables, compatibility mode, and parallel jobs.

The command reads the first available `BSDmakefile`, `makefile`, or `Makefile`, and also reads `.depend` when available. Those defaults make it fit naturally into BSD source trees and ports-style builds.

Why package nerds care

bsdmake matters because `make` is not one portable language in practice. Packaging BSD make separately lets build recipes declare the dialect they need instead of hoping the system `make` happens to match.

For package maintainers, it is one of those old tools that prevents a surprising amount of build breakage: boring, small, and valuable precisely because it preserves historical semantics.

Timeline

PWB UNIX era: The manual page's HISTORY section says a make command appeared in PWB UNIX.
1990-1993: Berkeley copyright notices in the Apple manual page reflect the BSD lineage of this make implementation.
1995-06-13: The manual page includes a Berkeley SCCS marker for make.1 version 8.8.
2005-10-14: Apple's bsdmake manual page date records the documented command behavior shipped in this distribution.
2026: Provided package facts show bsdmake packaged by Homebrew and MacPorts.

Related projects

GNU make is the dominant alternative make dialect and the main compatibility contrast.
NetBSD make, FreeBSD make, and OpenBSD make are close relatives in the BSD make family.
mkdep and `/usr/share/mk` are part of the BSD build-system environment documented by the manual page.

Sources

https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/bsdmake
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/apple-oss-distributions/bsdmake/main/make.1
source_facts.package-manager

security posture

Risk level: yellow

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

Risk classifier

yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime

Why

generalized runtime or code generation signal

Signals

text:build tool

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 11 platform targets.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`bsdmake`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version24

manager updated2026-06-19

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/bsdmake

infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/bsdmakenone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:bsdmake
Version	24
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/bsdmake
Homepage	https://opensource.apple.com/
Repository	https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/bsdmake
Upstream docs	https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/bsdmake/blob/main/make.1
License	BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND BSD-4-Clause-UC
Source archive	https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/bsdmake/archive/refs/tags/bsdmake-24.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-06-19T12:30:03-07:00
Pulse	updated
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	bsdmake
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Requirements	macos
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	yes
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

MacPorts95%

bsdmake

sudo port install bsdmake

normalized package name match
Matched by: Bsdmake

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: devel/bsdmake/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/bsdmake.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install bsdmake with Homebrew, MacPorts