Meld v3.21.0 (r4) hot-fix for macOS on Intel CPU / Apple Silicon CPU with Rosetta

meld_hotfix_sonoma.sh

### Test on https://github.com/yousseb/meld/releases/tag/osx-20
### OSX - 3.21.0 (r4) Sonoma
### !!! Note: You need put the Meld.app r4 build to the /Applications path first.

#!/bin/zsh

#Fix libpng16.16.dylib not found
install_name_tool -change /usr/local/opt/libpng/lib/libpng16.16.dylib @executable_path/../Frameworks/libpng16.16.dylib /Applications/Meld.app/Contents/Frameworks/libfreetype.6.20.0.dylib

#Fix libbrotlidec.1.dylib not found
install_name_tool -change /usr/local/opt/brotli/lib/libbrotlidec.1.dylib @executable_path/../Frameworks/libbrotlidec.1.dylib /Applications/Meld.app/Contents/Frameworks/libfreetype.6.20.0.dylib

#Make MacOS trust Meld.app
xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Meld.app

#Removes the existing code signature
codesign --remove-signature /Applications/Meld.app

#Re-signs with system’s default certificate
codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/Meld.app

#if CPU type is Apple silicon, use Rosetta to execute
/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Set :LSRequiresNativeExecution false" /Applications/Meld.app/Contents/Info.plist

#Try to open Meld
open /Applications/Meld.app

#Meld CLI Setup
curl https://gist.githubusercontent.com/syneart/4a8724cd479d31f0f742f499f807dcb2/raw/meld_setup_cli.sh | zsh

meld_setup_cli.sh

#!/bin/zsh
RC_FILES=( .bashrc .zshrc )
for RC_FILE in "${RC_FILES[@]}"
do
  [ -f ~/${RC_FILE} ] && {
    ( cat ~/${RC_FILE} | grep "alias meld=" ) && {
        echo "Already put it at ~/${RC_FILE}"
    }|| {
        echo "alias meld='meld_script(){ /Applications/Meld.app/Contents/MacOS/Meld \$* 2>/dev/null & };meld_script'" >> ~/${RC_FILE}
        . ~/${RC_FILE}
        echo "Put it at ~/${RC_FILE} .. ok"
    }
  }
done
echo "[!] You may need to reopen your Terminal."

z_readme

1. Download the official **3.21.0 osx4 (r4 pre-release)** [https://github.com/yousseb/meld/releases/tag/osx-20] version. 
2. Move the Meld.app file to the /Applications directory. 
3. Execute the hot-fix script at CLI with the following command (**only one line**): 
`curl https://gist.githubusercontent.com/syneart/4a8724cd479d31f0f742f499f807dcb2/raw/meld_hotfix_sonoma.sh | zsh`

Can confirm that these steps work, @syneart , thank you again! I can launch app and, from the command line, diff both files and directories. Your patch seems to give me everything I really expect from Meld, so I'm crazy happy that I don't have to start using diffmerge or something else that just isn't as good.

Works like a charm !!! thanks much :)

@syneart Thanks Legend! Worked perfectly.

Thank you as well. Your workaround enabled me to run Meld on my M3 Pro running 14.6.1!

On my M1 Pro arm64 I don't get it to work.
The current fatal error seems to be '/usr/local/opt/libpng/lib/libpng16.16.dylib' (mach-o file, but is an incompatible architecture (have 'arm64', need 'x86_64'))

I don't have these dylib's in my path. I find 3 and they all report (with file):
/usr/local/opt/libpng/lib/libpng16.16.dylib: Mach-O 64-bit dynamically linked shared library arm64

I tried variants of /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Set :LSRequiresNativeExecution false" /Applications/Meld.app/Contents/Info.plist , and true,
but without success (I didn't know this command before)

On my M1 Pro arm64 I don't get it to work. The current fatal error seems to be '/usr/local/opt/libpng/lib/libpng16.16.dylib' (mach-o file, but is an incompatible architecture (have 'arm64', need 'x86_64'))

I don't have these dylib's in my path. I find 3 and they all report (with file): /usr/local/opt/libpng/lib/libpng16.16.dylib: Mach-O 64-bit dynamically linked shared library arm64

I tried variants of /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Set :LSRequiresNativeExecution false" /Applications/Meld.app/Contents/Info.plist , and true, but without success (I didn't know this command before)

1. First, go to https://github.com/yousseb/meld/releases/tag/osx-20 and download the official 3.21.0 osx4 (r4 pre-release) version.
2. Move the Meld.app file to the /Applications directory.
3. Execute the hot-fix script at CLI with the following command (only one line):
   curl https://gist.githubusercontent.com/syneart/4a8724cd479d31f0f742f499f807dcb2/raw/meld_hotfix_sonoma.sh | zsh

On my M1 Pro arm64 I don't get it to work. The current fatal error seems to be '/usr/local/opt/libpng/lib/libpng16.16.dylib' (mach-o file, but is an incompatible architecture (have 'arm64', need 'x86_64'))
I don't have these dylib's in my path. I find 3 and they all report (with file): /usr/local/opt/libpng/lib/libpng16.16.dylib: Mach-O 64-bit dynamically linked shared library arm64
I tried variants of /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Set :LSRequiresNativeExecution false" /Applications/Meld.app/Contents/Info.plist , and true, but without success (I didn't know this command before)

1. First, go to https://github.com/yousseb/meld/releases/tag/osx-20 and download the official 3.21.0 osx4 (r4 pre-release) version.
2. Move the Meld.app file to the /Applications directory.
3. Execute the hot-fix script at CLI with the following command (only one line):
   curl https://gist.githubusercontent.com/syneart/4a8724cd479d31f0f742f499f807dcb2/raw/meld_hotfix_sonoma.sh | zsh

Tried again. And wow, that works now! 🎉 I earlier applied these steps individually and must have done something wrong there (first time I tried r2 then I tried to search for paths).
Thanks a lot! ❤️ very glad to use it again.

It works like a charm, thanks @syneart For people who don't read the comment lines (like me), this is for Meld v3.21.0 (r4). The "latest dmg" at Meld for OSX points to Meld v3.21.0 (r2), for which I think the script might work as well if substituting "libfreetype.6.dylib" for "libfreetype.6.20.0.dylib", but I have not tried it.

It's work on M2 Mac too.

Any update for macOS 15.1 (24B83)?

I am getting the following error.

The application “(null)” does not have permission to open “(null)”.

Same for me. It worked fine in 15.0 but in 15.1 it says "The application Finder does not have permission to open null" when double-clicked from Applications, and if from the launchpad it says ""The application Dock does not have permission to open null"

For macOS 15.1 (24B83)
The application “(null)” does not have permission to open “(null)”.

@k4u5hik, @stevejordi Thank you for the feedback.
I have already made adjustments for this issue. You can simply run the hot-fix script again to continue using Meld.app.

-> Execute the hot-fix script at CLI with the following command (only one line):
curl https://gist.githubusercontent.com/syneart/4a8724cd479d31f0f742f499f807dcb2/raw/meld_hotfix_sonoma.sh | zsh

If it still fails, you can go through the process again.

1. First, Remove the original Meld.app located in the /Applications directory.
2. And, go to https://github.com/yousseb/meld/releases/tag/osx-20 and download the official 3.21.0 osx4 (r4 pre-release) version.
3. Move the Meld.app file to the /Applications directory.
4. Execute the hot-fix script at CLI with the following command (only one line):
   curl https://gist.githubusercontent.com/syneart/4a8724cd479d31f0f742f499f807dcb2/raw/meld_hotfix_sonoma.sh | zsh

@stevejordi I too got those errors

"The application Finder does not have permission to open null" or
"The application Dock does not have permission to open null"

Removing the signature of the app and self-signing it solved the problem.

codesign --remove-signature /Applications/Meld.app
codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/Meld.app

@syneart Thank you. It's working again.

@syneart Thanks for sharing this! It solved the crashing issue when running any diff on macOS 15.0 (on M3 Pro).

A combination of the hotfix command above and running BOTH the code signing commands worked for me; having just downloaded latest meld onto brand-new macBook Pro M4 :)

Thank you,
It works for me
M2 Pro Sonora 14.6.1

For macOS 15.1 (24B83)
The application “(null)” does not have permission to open “(null)”.

@k4u5hik, @stevejordi Thank you for the feedback. I have already made adjustments for this issue. You can simply run the hot-fix script again to continue using Meld.app.

-> Execute the hot-fix script at CLI with the following command (only one line): curl https://gist.githubusercontent.com/syneart/4a8724cd479d31f0f742f499f807dcb2/raw/meld_hotfix_sonoma.sh | zsh

If it still fails, you can go through the process again.

1. First, Remove the original Meld.app located in the /Applications directory.
2. And, go to https://github.com/yousseb/meld/releases/tag/osx-20 and download the official 3.21.0 osx4 (r4 pre-release) version.
3. Move the Meld.app file to the /Applications directory.
4. Execute the hot-fix script at CLI with the following command (only one line):
   curl https://gist.githubusercontent.com/syneart/4a8724cd479d31f0f742f499f807dcb2/raw/meld_hotfix_sonoma.sh | zsh

perfect! Thanks. Works like a charm on M1 Sequoia 15.1.1.

For macOS 15.1 (24B83)
The application “(null)” does not have permission to open “(null)”.

@k4u5hik, @stevejordi Thank you for the feedback. I have already made adjustments for this issue. You can simply run the hot-fix script again to continue using Meld.app.

-> Execute the hot-fix script at CLI with the following command (only one line): curl https://gist.githubusercontent.com/syneart/4a8724cd479d31f0f742f499f807dcb2/raw/meld_hotfix_sonoma.sh | zsh

If it still fails, you can go through the process again.

1. First, Remove the original Meld.app located in the /Applications directory.
2. And, go to https://github.com/yousseb/meld/releases/tag/osx-20 and download the official 3.21.0 osx4 (r4 pre-release) version.
3. Move the Meld.app file to the /Applications directory.
4. Execute the hot-fix script at CLI with the following command (only one line):
   curl https://gist.githubusercontent.com/syneart/4a8724cd479d31f0f742f499f807dcb2/raw/meld_hotfix_sonoma.sh | zsh

@syneart @Sunac Thanks to these, meld works well from both command line and Applications, but I'm not able to configure it as a difftool/mergetool with git. After adding the settings suggested at https://yousseb.github.io/meld/ to .gitconfig, when I execute git difftool, the following error appears on the right side of the window (the left side is loaded ok):
There was a problem opening the file “filepath”.
Error opening file /filepath: No such file or directory
Please help me with the right config.

Thanks a lot, you save my day :)

Thank you so much! Meld is the best tool for the job and you saved the day!

could anybody provide the right configs for git difftool/mergetool, please?

@rolandkozma-sg

[difftool "meld"]
    cmd = /Applications/Meld.app/Contents/MacOS/Meld "$LOCAL" "$REMOTE" 2>/dev/null

This has been working for me. Though I've been having to blindly answer "Launch meld?" by hitting return. I think that's caused by something else in my terminal/git config setup though.

Edit: oh, and mergetool should be:

[mergetool "meld"]
    cmd = /Applications/Meld.app/Contents/MacOS/Meld "$LOCAL" "$BASE" "$REMOTE" --output "$MERGED" 2>/dev/null

Thanks @liamjones!

FYI, for most people, I would now recommend installing Meld on Mac OS via brew install dehesselle-meld. I wrote up some details in https://gist.github.com/ilyagr/1b40f6061d8ad320cee4c12843df1a23.

Update: As of May 2025, brew install meld now works and is equivalent to what brew install dehesselle-meld previously was. In particular, it no longer installs a broken version of yousseb's Meld as it used to in 2023. (By contrast, this gist installs a fixed version of yousseb's Meld).

It has the downside of not supporting a proper MacOS menu bar, and probably misses some other MacOS integrations.

However, I used syneart's recipe in this gist for a long time, and it works well too (and even results in a slightly nicer Meld version). Thanks syneart and yousseb!

+1 seems to work for m4 pro / sequoia 15.4

Upgrade from Sonoma to Sequoia (Intel) break the install, but running this fix it again:

curl https://gist.githubusercontent.com/syneart/4a8724cd479d31f0f742f499f807dcb2/raw/meld_hotfix_sonoma.sh | zsh

Thanks for this. Much appreciated

Repeating my edit to https://gist.github.com/syneart/4a8724cd479d31f0f742f499f807dcb2?permalink_comment_id=5404734#gistcomment-5404734, brew install meld now again works, and installs what used to be called deheselle-meld. This is different from what brew install meld did in 2023 and earlier.

This is also different from what you get if you follow this gist; see my earlier comment for some examples (I find the differences minor, but YMMV). This gist continues to work fine if you prefer it.

That's a great news @ilyagr !!! 🎉
Thanks for sharing it :)

I installed the version found here on macos Sonoma 14.7.6. If I try to install before the hotfix, I get this error:

If I try opening after the hotfix, I get a different error:

In either case, I can't launch meld.