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Homebrew: Your Command Line Tools are too outdated

Like many others I make use of Homebrew as the package manager on my Mac. Usually it’s quite reliable, yet when I recently tried to install Terraform from the brew repository I was shown the error “Your Command Line Tools are too outdated”. This post will cover the steps I used to fix the issue.

The message “Error: Your Command Line Tools are too outdated” is shown.

/macos-command-line-tools-outdated/command-line-tools-1.png

There are many ways this issue could arise (far too many to list here). Some of the key suspects are:

  • Command Line Tools for Xcode not being installed
  • A recent Mac OS upgrade
  • Firewall app (LuLu) blocking update attempts

First, temporarily disable any 3rd part firewall apps like LuLu or Little Snitch.

Then open Terminal and run the following commands:

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sudo rm -rf /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools 
sudo xcode-select --install 

Once complete perform a Homebrew update:

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brew update && brew upgrade

That’s it!

If you have found this post helpful please let me know by dropping a comment below. Otherwise, thanks for reading.

Comments

M ↓   Markdown
P
Patrick MEKEZE
1 point
3 years ago

This post help me a lot. was able to the problem

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Anonymous
0 points
3 years ago

This post helped me a lot. I was the problem.

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Will
0 points
3 years ago

Thanks. Glad to hear Patrick!

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Anonymous
0 points
23 months ago

It was great. thank you!

B
bosser hoang
0 points
3 years ago

when I run this command: sudo rm -rf /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools I cant run this command: sudo xcode-select --install face this error : xcode-select: note: install requested for command line developer tools

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Meruyert Karzhaubayeva
0 points
3 years ago

There will be a pop-up window asking you to agree with Xcode requirements. You see this error because you either did not agree or just closed that pop-up window

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Anonymous
0 points
3 years ago

Did the charm, thanks for that

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Anonymous
0 points
23 months ago

THANK YOU!

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Omoniyi Johnson
0 points
3 years ago

Easy and simple solution. This was very helpful.

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Anonymous
0 points
3 years ago

Thank you

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Anonymous
0 points
3 years ago

worked well for me, thanks for the post

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Anonymous
0 points
2 years ago

It works for me. Thank you!

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Anonymous
0 points
3 years ago

thx al lot - did the trick!

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Anonymous
0 points
3 years ago

Doesn't worked. ==> Upgrading openssl@1.1 1.1.1d -> 1.1.1q

Error: Your Command Line Tools are too outdated. Update them from Software Update in System Preferences or run: softwareupdate --all --install --force

If that doesn't show you any updates, run: sudo rm -rf /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools sudo xcode-select --install

Alternatively, manually download them from: https://developer.apple.com/download/all/. You should download the Command Line Tools for Xcode 13.4.

I need to work with Xcode 13.1 and I can't upgrade it to 13.4. What can I do? Please help!

T
Two22二二
0 points
3 years ago

Thank you.

J
Josh Campbell
0 points
2 years ago

You d'man! Thank you. Maybe someday AI will help brew output useful error messages since we failed at it.

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Anonymous
0 points
2 years ago

Worked great!

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Anonymous
0 points
3 years ago

Thank you <3

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Anonymous
0 points
3 years ago

Thanks! I worked a charm

H
Harshit
0 points
3 years ago

Thanks!

Q
Quanah Nelson
0 points
19 months ago

I really enjoyed reading this post! It's reminiscent of the organized chaos found in this captivating image https://depositphotos.com/vectors/crow.html. The analogy perfectly captures the essence of why keeping command line tools up-to-date is crucial, akin to maintaining order in a diverse flock. Great insights on the significance of Homebrew in ensuring a streamlined and efficient command line experience!

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Anonymous
0 points
19 months ago

thanks

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Andreas Richter
0 points
9 months ago

This no longer seems to work in sequoia. For some reason after re-install the same error occurs. I can no longer install buildable things. Is there another trick?.... Ok so the xcode-select after removal doesn't work, but downloading the full dmg install and installing that does. The xcode-select takes a really long time and seems to do what it promises, but doesn't seem to.

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Mayani jay
0 points
19 months ago

Thank you

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Anonymous
0 points
8 months ago

Had the same issue as others on OSX Sequoia.

Downloaded Xcode 16.1 RC and 16.1 CommandLine tools and all working ok now.

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Anonymous
0 points
8 months ago

I have the same issue as Andreas on Sequoia. Removed and reinstalled Xcode and no change. I need to upgrade an old version of OpenSSL that is being flagged as vulnerable in my system.