Xcode is not currently available from the Software Update server

I have problems with my macport after update to OS X 10.9.

I try to follow this manual https://trac.macports.org/wiki/Migration to fix them.

But when I install Command Line Tools:

xcode-select --install

I get message

Can't install the software because it is not currently available from the Software Update server.

Meanwhile I successfully updated my other machine to OS X 10.9. and installed command-line tools with no problems, so they must be available.

What is the problem here?


You can download the command line tools for OS X Mavericks manually from here:

  • https://developer.apple.com/downloads/index.action?name=for%20Xcode

For OSX 10.11 or more you can download from here https://developer.apple.com/download/more/.

(The link in the accepted answer doesn't display command line tools for El Capitan (OSX 10.11))


If you are trying this on a latest Mac OS X Mavericks, command line tools come with the Xcode 5.x

So make sure you have installed & updated Xcode to latest

after which make sure Xcode command line tools is pointed correctly using this command

xcode-select -p

Which might show some path like

/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

Change the path to correct path using the switch command:

sudo xcode-select --switch /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/

this should help you set it to correct path, after which you can use the same above command -p to check if it is set correctly


I faced same problem of Can't install the software because it is currently not available from the Software Update Server. You may try following steps instead to make the Software Update initiate update for the Command Line Tools.

  1. Check if Command Line Tools Update is mentioned in your list of softwares to be updated by using following command: softwareupdate -l
  2. If Command Line Tools Update is not mentioned in that list, then manually make it part of the list using following command which will create a temporary file: sudo touch /tmp/.com.apple.dt.CommandLineTools.installondemand.in-progress
  3. Verify that the list now has the Command Line Tools mentioned by running softwareupdate -l again.
  4. Now, press Cmd+Space to initiate Mac's Spotlight Search. Search for Software Update. Start the Software Update.
  5. That will show you following kind of dialog for installing the Command Line Tools. Install away the update and be merry. :) enter image description here
  6. Remove the temporary file created in Step 2: sudo rm /tmp/.com.apple.dt.CommandLineTools.installondemand.in-progress.

I deleted the command tools directory given by xcode-select -p due to npm gyp error.

xcode-select failed to install the files with the not available error.

I ran the Xcode application and the command tools installed as part of the startup.

npm worked.

However this didn't fully fix the tools. I had to use xcode-select to switch the path to the Developer directory within the Xcode application directory.

sudo xcode-select --switch /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer  

MacOS catalina.