Support Tiers

Homebrew defines three support tiers to help users understand how well Homebrew is expected to work on different systems.

These tiers describe the level of compatibility, automation coverage and community support that the project actively maintains. They also set expectations for how we handle issues, pull requests and regressions.

These tiers describe Homebrew support for the host system itself, not a guarantee that every third-party formula or cask will remain runnable on that system forever. Package-specific policies, such as the phase-out for Rosetta-dependent casks on Apple Silicon, are documented separately in Acceptable Casks.

Tier 1

A Tier 1 configuration is considered fully supported. These configurations receive the highest level of CI coverage and are prioritised during issue review and formula development.

Users can expect:

  • the most reliable experience using Homebrew
  • reproducible bugs to be investigated and, where possible, fixed by Homebrew maintainers
  • no warning output related to system configuration
  • full CI coverage for testing and bottle builds
  • support through Homebrew’s GitHub issue trackers
  • pull requests to be blocked if they fail on Tier 1 systems

macOS

To qualify as Tier 1, a macOS configuration must meet all of the following:

  • On official Apple Silicon hardware (not a virtual machine)
  • Running the latest patch release of a macOS version supported by Apple for that hardware and included in Homebrew’s CI coverage (typically the latest stable or prerelease version and the two preceding versions)
  • Installed in the default prefix (/opt/homebrew) or a compatible custom prefix
  • Not building official packages from source (i.e. using bottles)
  • Installed on the Mac’s internal storage (not external or removable drives)
  • Running with sudo access available for initial installation and cask installations that require elevated privileges
  • Xcode Command Line Tools installed and up to date

Linux

To qualify as Tier 1, a Linux configuration must meet all of the following:

  • Running on:
  • Using a system glibc version ≥ 2.39
  • Using a Linux kernel version ≥ 3.2
  • Installed in the default prefix (/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew) or a compatible custom prefix
  • Using a supported architecture (ARM64/AArch64 or Intel x86_64 with SSSE3 support)
  • Not building official packages from source (i.e. using bottles)
  • Running with sudo access available for initial installation

Custom prefixes

A custom prefix must be equal to or shorter in bytes than the platform’s default:

  • Apple Silicon macOS: /opt/homebrew (13 bytes); /opt/brew fits, but /opt/homebrew-extra is too long.
  • Intel macOS: /usr/local (10 bytes); /opt/brew fits, but /opt/homebrew is too long.
  • Linux: /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew (26 bytes); /opt/homebrew fits, but /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew-extra is too long.

The Cellar path must also be equal to or shorter in bytes than the corresponding default prefix followed by /Cellar. With build prefix relocation enabled (the default), these installations qualify for Tier 1 when all other Tier 1 requirements are met; Intel macOS remains Tier 3. This support is new and may not yet be fully stable, even for Tier 1 configurations.

Tier 2

A Tier 2 configuration is not fully supported. These configurations are outside the scope of complete CI coverage and may not consistently function as expected.

The following conditions typically apply:

  • Homebrew may be usable but with reduced reliability or performance
  • Pull requests that fix issues specific to these configurations may be considered, but maintainers do not commit to resolving related bugs
  • brew doctor will output warnings related to configuration
  • CI coverage may be incomplete; bottles may be unavailable or fail to install
  • Issues that only affect these configurations may be closed without investigation
  • Support is generally limited to community responses on Homebrew’s Discussions

Tier 2 configurations include:

  • macOS prerelease versions before they are promoted to Tier 1
  • macOS systems with outdated versions of Xcode Command Line Tools
  • Linux systems with glibc versions between 2.13 and 2.38 (Homebrew’s own glibc formula will be installed automatically)
  • Architectures not yet officially supported by Homebrew

Tier 3

A Tier 3 configuration is not supported. These configurations fall far outside Homebrew’s testing infrastructure and may fail to function reliably, even if basic installation is possible.

The following conditions typically apply:

  • Homebrew may work, but with a poor and unstable experience
  • Migration to a Tier 1 or 2 configuration or to a non-Homebrew tool is strongly recommended
  • Pull requests must meet a very high bar: they must resolve an issue (not merely work around it) and must not introduce high ongoing maintenance cost (e.g. patches must already be merged upstream)
  • Homebrew maintainers do not commit to fixing bugs affecting these systems
  • Functionality may regress intentionally if it benefits supported configurations
  • Loud configuration warnings will be printed at runtime
  • CI coverage is unavailable; bottles will rarely be built or published
  • Issues affecting only these configurations may be closed without response
  • Support is limited to community replies via Homebrew’s Discussions

Tier 3 configurations include:

  • macOS versions no longer covered by CI and no longer receiving regular Apple security updates
  • Systems that build official packages from source despite available bottles
  • Homebrew installed outside the default prefix with a prefix or Cellar longer in bytes than the platform’s defaults, or with build prefix relocation disabled
  • Homebrew installations managed by Nix (e.g. nix-darwin or nix-homebrew)
  • Homebrew invoked through a third-party wrapper
  • Installing formulae using --HEAD
  • Installing deprecated or disabled formulae
  • Intel x86_64 systems running macOS

If you are using a Homebrew wrapper, get support from and file issues with that wrapper instead of Homebrew unless the same problem is reproducible when running Homebrew directly. Homebrew’s internal brew commands invoke Homebrew directly, not the wrapper. The legacy HOMEBREW_FORCE_BREW_WRAPPER, HOMEBREW_FORCE_BREW_WRAPPER_HELP_MESSAGE and HOMEBREW_NO_FORCE_BREW_WRAPPER settings are ignored and produce deprecation warnings in Ruby commands. brew doctor warns if another brew executable takes precedence over the current installation in your PATH.

Unsupported

An unsupported configuration is one in which:

  • Homebrew will not run without third-party patches or modifications
  • Migration to another tool is required (e.g. MacPorts, Tigerbrew or a native Linux package manager)

Unsupported configurations include:

  • FreeBSD
  • macOS Catalina 10.15 and earlier
  • Multi-user Homebrew environments where multiple users share the same installation, including through a setuid wrapper that switches to the installation’s owner
  • Beowulf clusters
  • Nokia 3210s
  • CPUs built inside of Minecraft
  • Toasters

Unsupported software

Packages installed from third-party taps outside the Homebrew GitHub organisation are unsupported by default.

While Homebrew may assist third-party maintainers in resolving issues related to the formula, cask or tap system itself, it does not provide support for the behaviour or operation of third-party software.

Bugs that occur only when using third-party formulae or casks may be closed without investigation.

Future macOS support

macOS Tahoe 26 is the final version of macOS to run on Intel hardware. In alignment with this change, Homebrew has stopped building new bottles for Intel systems, and will remove the ability to run Homebrew on Intel systems in or after September 2027.

Where Homebrew no longer builds bottles, brew doctor suggests MacPorts for Intel macOS Sequoia 15 and earlier or older Apple Silicon macOS versions. At the time of writing, MacPorts does not provide a full set of binary packages for Intel Tahoe (builder status). On Intel Tahoe, brew doctor explains that existing bottles may still work, but updated formulae may build from source.

The following timeline outlines expected Tier classifications based on Apple’s release cycle and Homebrew’s CI coverage.

  • As of September 2026:

    Apple Silicon:

    • Tier 1: macOS Golden Gate 27, Tahoe 26, Sequoia 15
    • Tier 3: macOS Big Sur 11 through Sonoma 14

    Intel x86_64:

    • Tier 3: macOS Big Sur 11 through Tahoe 26
    • Unsupported: macOS Catalina 10.15 and earlier

  • Expected in or after September 2027:

    Apple Silicon:

    • Tier 1: macOS 28, Golden Gate 27, Tahoe 26
    • Tier 3: macOS Monterey 12 through Sequoia 15
    • Unsupported: macOS Big Sur 11

    Intel x86_64:

    • Unsupported: all macOS versions

Rosetta 2

Apple has also announced that Rosetta 2 will remain available as a general-purpose compatibility tool through macOS 27, with only a narrower legacy-games-focused subset planned beyond that.

This does not change the support tier of an otherwise supported Apple Silicon Mac, but it does shorten the expected support window for x86_64-only casks that rely on requires_rosetta. See Acceptable Casks for the expected acceptance, deprecation and removal timeline for those casks.