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

[Xmader]

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

[Renegade334]

Refs: #63626

[bitpshr]

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.

[legendecas]

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.

[legendecas]

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

[Xmader]

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.

[legendecas]

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.