xmake-packages

Xmake Packages

Xmake has a built-in package manager (xrepo) that fetches and builds C/C++ dependencies and wires them into your targets.

Adding a dependency

add_requires("fmt 10.2.1", "spdlog")

target("app")
    set_kind("binary")
    add_files("src/*.cpp")
    add_packages("fmt", "spdlog")

add_requires declares what you need (and optionally a version). add_packages attaches the package to a specific target, adding its includes, links, and defines automatically.

Version selectors

add_requires("zlib 1.3.x")        -- semver range
add_requires("openssl >=3.0")
add_requires("cmake master")      -- branch
add_requires("boost 1.84.0")

Package options

add_requires("boost", {configs = {regex = true, system = true, shared = false}})
add_requires("ffmpeg", {configs = {shared = true, gpl = false}})

Options map to the package's own configurable features — check the package with xrepo info <name>.

Optional and system packages

add_requires("mysql", {optional = true})          -- build continues if missing
add_requires("zlib", {system = true})             -- only use the system copy
add_requires("zlib", {system = false})            -- force xrepo to build it

Conditional / platform-specific

if is_plat("linux") then
    add_requires("libuuid")
end

add_requires("directxtk", {plat = "windows"})

Private repositories

add_repositories("my-repo https://github.com/me/my-xmake-repo.git")
add_requires("mypkg")

CLI — xrepo

xrepo search fmt
xrepo info fmt
xrepo install "fmt 10.2.1"
xrepo env -b fmt bash          # shell with fmt on PATH/PKG_CONFIG_PATH

Troubleshooting

• Force a rebuild of a package: xmake require --force fmt
• Clear the package cache: xmake require --clean
• Show resolved packages: xmake require --info fmt

When to branch out

• Exposing package usage behind an option → xmake-options
• Cross-compiled packages → xmake-toolchains