In Software Update on my MBPro M1 running Sequoia I see under ‘Also Available’ (apart from Tahoe) ‘Command Line Tools for Xcode 26.2’ . I think I tried installing HomeBrew or something similar some months ago. I couldn’t use it and no longer am interested in it. How do I stop Software Update showing this? I can’t see Xcode or HomeBrew anywhere in Applications or utilities folders.
There’s a flag file which controls whether the command-line developer tools are offered, irrespective of whether they’re installed, and this is how the software update is delivered during normal installation. Sometimes it gets created, but not destroyed when they are installed or the installation aborted.
Try this. Enter the below in Terminal. You should get no response.
rm /tmp/.com.apple.dt.CommandLineTools.installondemand.in-progress
Now if that worked, you should be able to check for updates again and find that the tools are no longer offered.
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I get ‘No such file or directory’ Checking Software Updater I get the same as before :(
These command line tools are a part of the Xcode suite of developer tools. If they are installed, Software Update will present you with updates, just like other Apple software (e.g. Safari).
If you want to get rid of them, uninstall the Xcode application. If the directory /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools also exists, remove it.
Although many sites say you can remove Xcode by just dragging it to the trash, I think the easiest way is to uninstall it via the Launchpad, as you can do for any app installed from the App Store. (I don’t know if this will work in Spotlight’s app-browser that replaced Launchpad in macOS 26).
- Open the Launchpad
- Locate the Xcode app
- Long-click on it, causing the icons to wiggle
- Click on the “X” icon in the corner of the icon to uninstall it:
See also: Technical Note TN2339: Building from the Command Line with Xcode FAQ
Here is a site that might help you out on your uninstalling of Command Line Tools