build: make zig build run on macOS work with an empty zig-out

build.zig

@@ -29,15 +29,7 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) !void {
         // If we aren't emitting docs we need to emit a placeholder so
         // our macOS xcodeproject builds since it expects the `share/man`
         // directory to exist to copy into the app bundle.
-        var wf = b.addWriteFiles();
-        const path = "share/man/.placeholder";
-        b.getInstallStep().dependOn(&b.addInstallFile(
-            wf.add(
-                path,
-                "emit-docs not true so no man pages",
-            ),
-            path,
-        ).step);
+        docs.installDummy(b.getInstallStep());
     }
 
     // Ghostty webdata
@@ -155,6 +147,12 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) !void {
                 &xcframework_native,
             );
 
+            // The app depends on the resources and i18n to be in the
+            // install directory too.
+            resources.addStepDependencies(&macos_app_native_only.build.step);
+            i18n.addStepDependencies(&macos_app_native_only.build.step);
+            docs.installDummy(&macos_app_native_only.build.step);
+
             const run_step = b.step("run", "Run the app");
             run_step.dependOn(&macos_app_native_only.open.step);
         }

src/build/GhosttyDocs.zig

@@ -93,5 +93,32 @@ pub fn init(
 
 pub fn install(self: *const GhosttyDocs) void {
     const b = self.steps[0].owner;
-    for (self.steps) |step| b.getInstallStep().dependOn(step);
+    self.addStepDependencies(b.getInstallStep());
+}
+
+pub fn addStepDependencies(
+    self: *const GhosttyDocs,
+    other_step: *std.Build.Step,
+) void {
+    for (self.steps) |step| other_step.dependOn(step);
+}
+
+/// Installs some dummy files to satisfy the folder structure of docs
+/// without actually generating any documentation. This is useful
+/// when the `emit-docs` option is not set to true, but we still
+/// need the rough directory structure to exist, such as for the macOS
+/// app.
+pub fn installDummy(self: *const GhosttyDocs, step: *std.Build.Step) void {
+    _ = self;
+
+    const b = step.owner;
+    var wf = b.addWriteFiles();
+    const path = "share/man/.placeholder";
+    step.dependOn(&b.addInstallFile(
+        wf.add(
+            path,
+            "emit-docs not true so no man pages",
+        ),
+        path,
+    ).step);
 }

src/build/GhosttyI18n.zig

@@ -50,7 +50,14 @@ pub fn init(b: *std.Build, cfg: *const Config) !GhosttyI18n {
 }
 
 pub fn install(self: *const GhosttyI18n) void {
-    for (self.steps) |step| self.owner.getInstallStep().dependOn(step);
+    self.addStepDependencies(self.owner.getInstallStep());
+}
+
+pub fn addStepDependencies(
+    self: *const GhosttyI18n,
+    other_step: *std.Build.Step,
+) void {
+    for (self.steps) |step| other_step.dependOn(step);
 }
 
 fn createUpdateStep(b: *std.Build) !*std.Build.Step {

src/build/GhosttyResources.zig

@@ -397,5 +397,12 @@ fn addLinuxAppResources(
 
 pub fn install(self: *const GhosttyResources) void {
     const b = self.steps[0].owner;
-    for (self.steps) |step| b.getInstallStep().dependOn(step);
+    self.addStepDependencies(b.getInstallStep());
+}
+
+pub fn addStepDependencies(
+    self: *const GhosttyResources,
+    other_step: *std.Build.Step,
+) void {
+    for (self.steps) |step| other_step.dependOn(step);
 }

src/build/GhosttyXcodebuild.zig

@@ -6,8 +6,9 @@ const RunStep = std.Build.Step.Run;
 const Config = @import("Config.zig");
 const XCFramework = @import("GhosttyXCFramework.zig");
 
-xcodebuild: *std.Build.Step.Run,
+build: *std.Build.Step.Run,
 open: *std.Build.Step.Run,
+copy: *std.Build.Step.Run,
 
 pub fn init(
     b: *std.Build,
@@ -22,6 +23,8 @@ pub fn init(
         => "Release",
     };
 
+    const app_path = b.fmt("macos/build/{s}/Ghostty.app", .{xc_config});
+
     // Our step to build the Ghostty macOS app.
     const build = build: {
         // External environment variables can mess up xcodebuild, so
@@ -74,13 +77,11 @@ pub fn init(
     const open = open: {
         const open = RunStep.create(b, "run Ghostty app");
         open.has_side_effects = true;
-        open.cwd = b.path("macos");
-        open.addArgs(&.{
-            b.fmt(
-                "build/{s}/Ghostty.app/Contents/MacOS/ghostty",
-                .{xc_config},
-            ),
-        });
+        open.cwd = b.path("");
+        open.addArgs(&.{b.fmt(
+            "{s}/Contents/MacOS/ghostty",
+            .{app_path},
+        )});
 
         // Open depends on the app
         open.step.dependOn(&build.step);
@@ -105,13 +106,31 @@ pub fn init(
         break :open open;
     };
 
+    // Our step to copy the app bundle to the install path.
+    // We have to use `cp -R` because there are symlinks in the
+    // bundle.
+    const copy = copy: {
+        const step = RunStep.create(b, "copy app bundle");
+        step.addArgs(&.{ "cp", "-R" });
+        step.addFileArg(b.path(app_path));
+        step.addArg(b.fmt("{s}", .{b.install_path}));
+        step.step.dependOn(&build.step);
+        break :copy step;
+    };
+
     return .{
-        .xcodebuild = build,
+        .build = build,
         .open = open,
+        .copy = copy,
     };
 }
 
 pub fn install(self: *const Ghostty) void {
-    const b = self.xcodebuild.step.owner;
-    b.getInstallStep().dependOn(&self.xcodebuild.step);
+    const b = self.copy.step.owner;
+    b.getInstallStep().dependOn(&self.copy.step);
+}
+
+pub fn installXcframework(self: *const Ghostty) void {
+    const b = self.build.step.owner;
+    b.getInstallStep().dependOn(&self.build.step);
 }