Add option to build (partially) without Xcode.

[rolfbjarne]

Useful when:

• Building on Linux.
• Building on older macOS versions, that can't install the required Xcode version.

Refactor the existing IS_LINUX variable to use NO_XCODE instead.

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Adds a NO_XCODE build mode to allow partial repository builds on hosts without the required Xcode, replacing several Linux-specific guards with Xcode-availability guards.

Changes:

• Adds ./configure --no-xcode and propagates NO_XCODE into selected Makefile paths.
• Skips Xcode-dependent build/test/tooling targets when NO_XCODE is set.
• Updates dependency checks to skip some Xcode-related requirements.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 9 out of 9 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
Make.config	Adds Linux/no-Xcode detection and Xcode availability fallback logic.
configure	Adds the --no-xcode configure option.
system-dependencies.sh	Reads NO_XCODE and skips selected Xcode dependency checks.
Makefile	Skips top-level Xcode-dependent directories without Xcode.
src/Makefile	Skips AppleDocReader and copies XML docs directly without Xcode.
msbuild/Makefile	Skips selected MSBuild packaging/validation targets without Xcode.
tests/Makefile	Skips native test libraries without Xcode.
tools/Makefile	Skips Sharpie without Xcode.
tools/mtouch/Makefile	Skips registrar native artifacts without Xcode.

Comments suppressed due to low confidence (1)

Make.config:216

• This existence check never evaluates to OK when the Xcode directory exists because ls -d writes the directory path before echo OK, so the shell output is <path> OK. As a result NO_XCODE is set and the Xcode-dependent build parts are disabled even on machines with the required Xcode installed.

ifneq (OK,$(shell ls -d $(abspath $(XCODE_DEVELOPER_ROOT)) 2>/dev/null && echo OK))
NO_XCODE=1
$(warning The required Xcode ($(XCODE_VERSION)) is not installed in $(XCODE_DEVELOPER_ROOT) - this directory does not exist. Any parts of the build that require Xcode will be disabled.)

[vs-mobiletools-engineering-service2]

✅ [PR Build #20fdc31] Build passed (Detect API changes) ✅

Pipeline on Agent
Hash: 20fdc3131dd701be06b4c57aeccf26ff52977907 [PR build]

[vs-mobiletools-engineering-service2]

✅ [PR Build #20fdc31] Build passed (Build packages) ✅

Pipeline on Agent
Hash: 20fdc3131dd701be06b4c57aeccf26ff52977907 [PR build]

[vs-mobiletools-engineering-service2]

✅ API diff for current PR / commit

NET (empty diffs)

• iOS: vsdrops gist ( No breaking changes )
• tvOS: vsdrops gist ( No breaking changes )
• MacCatalyst: vsdrops gist ( No breaking changes )
• macOS: vsdrops gist ( No breaking changes )

✅ API diff vs stable

NET (empty diffs)

• iOS: vsdrops gist ( No breaking changes )
• tvOS: vsdrops gist ( No breaking changes )
• MacCatalyst: vsdrops gist ( No breaking changes )
• macOS: vsdrops gist ( No breaking changes )

ℹ️ Generator diff

Generator Diff: vsdrops (html) vsdrops (raw diff) gist (raw diff) - Please review changes)

Pipeline on Agent
Hash: 20fdc3131dd701be06b4c57aeccf26ff52977907 [PR build]

[vs-mobiletools-engineering-service2]

✅ [PR Build #20fdc31] Build passed (Build macOS tests) ✅

Pipeline on Agent
Hash: 20fdc3131dd701be06b4c57aeccf26ff52977907 [PR build]

[vs-mobiletools-engineering-service2]

🔥 [CI Build #20fdc31] Test results 🔥

Test results

❌ Tests failed on VSTS: test results

0 tests crashed, 2 tests failed, 173 tests passed.

Failures

❌ monotouch tests (MacCatalyst)

1 tests failed, 17 tests passed.

Failed tests

• monotouch-test/Mac Catalyst/Debug (interpreter): Failed (Test run failed.
  Tests run: 3762 Passed: 3595 Inconclusive: 12 Failed: 3 Ignored: 164)

Html Report (VSDrops) Download

❌ monotouch tests (tvOS)

1 tests failed, 15 tests passed.

Failed tests

• monotouch-test/tvOS - simulator/Release (trimmable static registrar, NativeAOT, ARM64): Failed

Html Report (VSDrops) Download

Successes

✅ cecil: All 1 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ dotnettests (iOS): All 1 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ dotnettests (MacCatalyst): All 1 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ dotnettests (macOS): All 1 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ dotnettests (Multiple platforms): All 1 tests passed. (⚠️ Html Report Publish failed ⚠️) Download
✅ dotnettests (tvOS): All 1 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ framework: All 2 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ fsharp: All 4 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ generator: All 5 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ interdependent-binding-projects: All 4 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ introspection: All 6 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ linker: All 44 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ monotouch (iOS): All 16 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ monotouch (macOS): All 18 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ msbuild: All 2 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ sharpie: All 1 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ windows: All 3 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ xcframework: All 4 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ xtro: All 1 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download

macOS tests

✅ Tests on macOS Monterey (12): All 5 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ Tests on macOS Ventura (13): All 5 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ Tests on macOS Sonoma (14): All 5 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ Tests on macOS Sequoia (15): All 5 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download
✅ Tests on macOS Tahoe (26): All 5 tests passed. Html Report (VSDrops) Download

Linux Build Verification

✅ Linux build succeeded

Pipeline on Agent
Hash: 20fdc3131dd701be06b4c57aeccf26ff52977907 [PR build]