Xmake v3.1.2 Released, Incremental Build Improvements and Inno Setup Packaging

Xmake v3.1.2 improves incremental builds for static libraries, C++ modules, and precompiled headers. It also adds Inno Setup packaging, output-on-failure for tests, selectable HTTP downloaders, and custom pkg-config search directories.

Addons introduced in v3.1.1 receive fixes for local repositories and installed-version selection, together with eight runnable distribution examples. This release also prevents repository updates from resetting a user's project after a failed clone.

Incremental builds

Re-archive only the static libraries that changed

For a chain such as a -> b -> c -> app, changing an implementation file in a should recompile that file, re-archive a, and relink app. Ordinary b and c archives contain only their own objects, so changing a does not require recreating them.

v3.1.2 removes those unnecessary archive dependencies. Targets using set_policy("build.merge_archive", true) retain the dependency: their outputs contain dependency objects and must be recreated before merging to avoid stale archive members. See #7798.

Clang reduced BMI

Clang's reduced-BMI pipeline is now available through an opt-in policy:

set_policy("build.c++.modules.two_phases", true)
set_policy("build.c++.modules.clang.precompile_reduced_bmi", true)

Xmake checks support for --precompile-reduced-bmi. The reduced BMI supplies module information to consumers; object generation compiles the original module source. The existing pipeline remains in use if the compiler does not support this mode. This is distinct from compiling a full PCM into an object, where Xmake now omits unused header-search configurations.

Module caches are also separated by build mode, and Clang's scanner and compilation database generation handle MSVC environments more consistently. See #7742, #7849, and the policy reference.

PCH correctness on Windows

Changes to headers included through clang-cl PCH wrappers now invalidate the PCH correctly. For MSVC, Xmake bypasses the compiler cache when creating PCH artifacts, including .pch.obj outputs. These changes improve dependency tracking and cache correctness. See #7815 and #7819.

Inno Setup installers

Xpack can generate Inno Setup installers on Windows:

includes("@builtin/xpack")

target("demo")
    set_kind("binary")
    add_files("src/main.c")

xpack("demo")
    set_formats("inno")
    set_version("1.0.0")
    add_targets("demo")
    set_displayicon("bin/demo.exe")

xmake pack -f inno

set_displayicon configures the icon shown in Add/Remove Programs for both Inno Setup and NSIS. It replaces the deprecated set_nsis_displayicon, which remains compatible. See #7854 and the xpack reference.

Test output when it matters

xmake test --output-on-failure

Keep the normal test report while showing stdout/stderr only for failures and unexpected passes. Successful tests remain quiet; -v still shows output for every test. See #7791.

Download and package configuration

Choose the HTTP downloader

xmake g --downloader=curl

You can also set XMAKE_DOWNLOADER=curl, or select a backend for an individual call:

import("net.http")
http.download("https://xmake.io", "index.html", {downloader = "curl"})

Supported backends are aria2, curl, wget, powershell, and pwsh. Call options take precedence over command-line options, global configuration, and the environment variable. An explicit selection fails if the tool is unavailable; it does not silently switch backends. Aria2 also gets more conservative connection settings and DNS handling. See #7758.

Custom pkg-config directories

add_requires("pkgconfig::ncurses", {configs = {
    configdirs = {"/opt/ncurses/lib/pkgconfig", "/opt/ncurses/share/pkgconfig"}
}})

configdirs supplies the .pc search paths for this package without requiring a global PKG_CONFIG_PATH change. It accepts a single directory or a list. See #7792.

Version metadata in generated files

For set_version("1.2.3-rc.1+build.7"), configuration templates can read ${VERSION_PRERELEASE} as rc.1 and ${VERSION_BUILD} as build.7. An explicit {build = ...} setting still takes precedence. Quote these variables when using them as C strings. See #7799.

Addon fixes and examples

Projects using a relative local repository retain its path base during addon installation and upgrades. Requiring an already installed version now activates that version before locking and loading it, rather than using whichever version happened to be installed last. Addons installed directly from a directory are also recognized without an unnecessary repository lookup.

The Addon Examples provide eight independent projects covering includes, description APIs/functions, rules, modules, plugins, templates, and toolchains. Each carries its addon and local recipe. Description-domain examples use an API-availability guard during the first project scan so automatic installation can finish. See #7809, #7821, and #7860.

Repository update safety

A failed or interrupted clone can leave a directory without valid Git metadata. Previously, Git commands launched there could discover a parent project repository instead. Repository updates now explicitly bind modifying commands to the intended repository and recover incomplete remote caches. Local repository source directories are kept separate from that cache cleanup. See #7820.

Other updates

This release adds C++23 mapping for nvcc and raddbg support on Linux, updates MATLAB version detection through R2026b, and fixes Make toolchain propagation, Conan quoted flags, and Homebrew latest lookup. Core utility fixes cover JSON Unicode escapes, deep table cloning, graphs, heaps, lists, hashsets, and weighted Levenshtein distances.

Changelog

New features

• #7742: Support Clang reduced-BMI compilation
• #7791: Add xmake test --output-on-failure
• #7854: Add Inno Setup packaging and set_displayicon support
• #7758: Support custom downloaders and improve aria2 reliability
• #7792: Support configs.configdirs for pkgconfig:: packages
• #7799: Support VERSION_PRERELEASE and semver VERSION_BUILD in config files
• #7808: Support C++23 with nvcc
• #7766: Add raddbg support on Linux
• #7743: Expose more native Lua functions through lib.lua.*
• #7752: Support Unicode escapes in the pure Lua JSON decoder

Changes

• #7852: Suppress unused-argument warnings for clang-cl
• #7855: Update MATLAB version detection through R2026b
• #7767: Warn when cached project settings shadow a local project
• #7780: Remove built-in Gitee and GitCode mirrors
• #7860: Add standalone addon distribution examples
• #7800: Improve isnan invalid-input tests
• Update the bundled tbox
• Update Ubuntu PPA targets and NetBSD CI dependencies
• Update PowerShell installer and RPM version metadata
• Add repository development conventions in AGENTS.md

Bugs fixed

• #7750: Fix Clang modules and compilation databases with MSVC environments
• #7770: Preserve MSVC system includes in clangd compilation databases
• #7849: Remove unused include flags when compiling Clang PCMs to objects
• #7788: Fix C++ module caches across build modes and project generation
• #7815: Fix clang-cl PCH dependency tracking
• #7819: Disable compiler caching for MSVC PCH creation
• #7798: Avoid unnecessary static re-archiving and stale merged archive members
• #7820: Prevent repository updates from resetting user projects and recover interrupted clones
• #7776: Fix recognition of locally installed addons
• #7809: Fix local-repository paths when installing and upgrading addons
• #7821: Activate the required version of installed addons
• #7761: Preserve usable MSVC environments when toolset detection fails
• #7813: Fix Ascend C toolchain detection and unchecked SDK loading
• #7853: Fix gxx/gcc tool and flag matching
• #7763: Enable C++ exceptions by default for clang-cl packages
• #7779: Include compiler runtime paths during Windows and MinGW package installation
• #7782: Fix MIDL detection when cross-compiling to ARM64
• #7772: Fix Qt debug library names on HarmonyOS
• #7789: Fix Homebrew package discovery for latest versions
• #7760: Fix quoted flags and Windows paths in the Conan generator
• #7857: Pass selected toolchains to Make-based package builds
• #7803: Fix incorrect vs_runtime deprecation warnings
• #7749: Rebuild Verilator outputs when tools or flags change
• #7757: Fix version comparison and validation in set_xmakever
• #7765: Detect numeric and boolean dependency changes
• #7816: Fix escaped dollar signs in GCC dependency files
• #7753: Fix square-bracket escaping in path.pattern
• #7801: Fix hashset equality with nil members
• #7810: Fix heap ordering after non-root removal
• #7811: Return removed values from list pop and shift
• #7812: Preserve isolated vertices in graph cloning and reversal
• #7825: Fix weighted Levenshtein distances for empty strings
• #7827: Fix recursive deep cloning with table.clone(value, -1)