# Building Julia on Mac: python not found
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/building-julia-on-mac-python-not-found/133731
**Category:** Internals & Design
**Created:** [November 7, 2025, 11:37am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/building-julia-on-mac-python-not-found/133731 "2025-11-07T11:37:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Eben60](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Eben60)
#### Post date: [November 7, 2025, 11:37am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/building-julia-on-mac-python-not-found/133731/1 "2025-11-07T11:37:23Z")
Running `make` results in
```julia-auto
xcode-select: Failed to locate 'python', requesting installation of command line developer tools.
```
command line developer tools had been installed, but on getting prompt I downloaded it (again) to be on the safe side, which didn’t help. The problem apparently was my system was configured to use `homebrew` Python, and we (I and _Gemini_) tried to get around, among other things:
- adding a line into `make.user`, redirecting to one of the Pythons (either the system Python 3.9.6, or homebrew Python 3.13.3)
- setting environment directly in the terminal by calling `PYTHON=/usr/local/bin/python make -j8`
- creating a link pointing to python
- … and more in that kind
For the link pointing to python, it’s what I have now:
```julia-auto
elk@Mac julia % ls -l /usr/local/bin/python
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 16 Nov 7 12:14 /usr/local/bin/python -> /usr/bin/python3
elk@Mac julia % /usr/local/bin/python
xcode-select: Failed to locate 'python', requesting installation of command line developer tools.
```
I.e. call to `/usr/local/bin/python` apparently being intercepted by the system.
Any ideas? Upgrade from MacOS 15.7 to the MacOS 26 as the last resort 😉 ?
For the moment, I performed the build and tests on an old Ubuntu machine, just it is much slower than my M4 Mac.
---
### Author:  [@technocrat](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/technocrat)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2025, 3:03am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/building-julia-on-mac-python-not-found/133731/2 "2025-11-08T03:03:34Z")
I have
```julia-auto
which python3
/opt/homebrew/bin/python3
```
As far as building, you’re probably much better off with installing via `juliaup`, unless you have a particular reason to build.
FWIW: Upgrading to Tahoe was painless except for figuring out that I had to repair some of my Bluetooth devices.
---
### Author:  [@Eben60](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Eben60)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2025, 8:56am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/building-julia-on-mac-python-not-found/133731/3 "2025-11-08T08:56:49Z")
Thank you 🙂
Surely, I have (or, actually, _had_) a particular reason, which was preparing a PR for a stdlib.
Do I understand you correctly, that you are able to build Julia? If yes, what do you get here:
```julia-auto
elk@Mac ~ % which python
python: aliased to python3
```
---
### Author:  [@technocrat](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/technocrat)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2025, 9:46am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/building-julia-on-mac-python-not-found/133731/4 "2025-11-08T09:46:33Z")
No, I hadn’t tried. Here is what I would have to do to alias python to python3.
```bash
which python
python not found
alias python=/opt/homebrew/bin/python3
which python
python: aliased to /opt/homebrew/bin/python3
```
So, now I have downloaded the source and compiled successfully. I saw nothing related to python. I’ve got a REPL, so far tests have passed except for `replcompletions.jl` and `precompile.jl`.