enotify not working on Macbook (Apple M3 CPU)

[sendtopms]

enotify not working on Macbook (Apple M3 CPU). Error log below

1> MacOSX 10.7 or later required for --file-events
MacOSX 10.7 or later required for --file-events
MacOSX 10.7 or later required for --file-events
=ERROR REPORT==== 8-Aug-2026::15:24:44.191595 ===
** Generic server <0.727.0> terminating
** Last message in was {#Port<0.6>,{exit_status,1}}
** When Server state == {state,#Port<0.6>,
"/Users/ttmm/workcode/Code/my_app/priv",
undefined,
#{undefined => [],closed => [],modified => [],
is_dir => [],created => [],moved => [],
deleted => []},
enotify_fsevents,<0.723.0>}
** Reason for termination ==
** {port_exit,1}

=ERROR REPORT==== 8-Aug-2026::15:24:44.191595 ===
** Generic server <0.724.0> terminating
** Last message in was {#Port<0.4>,{exit_status,1}}
** When Server state == {state,#Port<0.4>,
"/Users/ttmm/workcode/Code/my_app/src",
undefined,
#{undefined => [],closed => [],modified => [],
is_dir => [],created => [],moved => [],
deleted => []},
enotify_fsevents,<0.723.0>}
** Reason for termination ==
** {port_exit,1}

=ERROR REPORT==== 8-Aug-2026::15:24:44.191662 ===
** Generic server <0.725.0> terminating
** Last message in was {#Port<0.5>,{exit_status,1}}
** When Server state == {state,#Port<0.5>,
"/Users/ttmm/workcode/Code/my_app/src/controllers",
undefined,
#{undefined => [],closed => [],modified => [],
is_dir => [],created => [],moved => [],
deleted => []},
enotify_fsevents,<0.723.0>}
** Reason for termination ==
** {port_exit,1}

=CRASH REPORT==== 8-Aug-2026::15:24:44.191866 ===
crasher:
initial call: enotify:init/1
pid: <0.725.0>
registered_name: []
exception exit: {port_exit,1}
in function gen_server:handle_common_reply/5 (gen_server.erl:2562)
ancestors: [<0.723.0>]
message_queue_len: 0
messages: []
links: [<0.723.0>]
dictionary: []
trap_exit: false
status: running
heap_size: 4185
stack_size: 29
reductions: 5530
neighbours:
neighbour:
pid: <0.724.0>
registered_name: []
initial call: enotify:init/1
current_function: {erts_internal,await_result,1}
ancestors: [<0.723.0>]
message_queue_len: 1
links: [<0.723.0>]
trap_exit: false
status: running
heap_size: 4185
stack_size: 19
reductions: 5685
current_stacktrace: [{proc_lib,proc_info,2,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1212}]},
{proc_lib,adjacents,1,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1171}]},
{proc_lib,visit,2,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1159}]},
{proc_lib,neighbours,1,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1144}]},
{proc_lib,linked_info,1,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1056}]},
{proc_lib,crash_report,4,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,956}]},
{proc_lib,exit_p,3,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,354}]}]
neighbour:
pid: <0.727.0>
registered_name: []
initial call: enotify:init/1
current_function: {erts_internal,await_result,1}
ancestors: [<0.723.0>]
message_queue_len: 1
links: [<0.723.0>]
trap_exit: false
status: running
heap_size: 4185
stack_size: 30
reductions: 6573
current_stacktrace: [{proc_lib,proc_info,2,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1212}]},
{proc_lib,get_process_info,2,
[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1185}]},
{proc_lib,make_neighbour_report,1,
[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1080}]},
{proc_lib,make_neighbour_reports1,1,
[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1062}]},
{proc_lib,make_neighbour_reports1,1,
[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1066}]},
{proc_lib,crash_report,4,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,956}]},
{proc_lib,exit_p,3,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,354}]}]
neighbour:
pid: <0.723.0>
registered_name: []
initial_call: {erlang,apply,2}
current_function: {rebar3_nova_serve,auto,0}
ancestors: []
message_queue_len: 0
links: [<0.725.0>,<0.727.0>,<0.724.0>]
trap_exit: false
status: running
heap_size: 1598
stack_size: 3
reductions: 1181
current_stacktrace: [{rebar3_nova_serve,auto,0,
[{file,
"/Users/ttmm/workcode/Code/my_app/_build/default/plugins/rebar3_nova/src/rebar3_nova_serve.erl"},
{line,82}]}]
=CRASH REPORT==== 8-Aug-2026::15:24:44.191888 ===
crasher:
initial call: enotify:init/1
pid: <0.724.0>
registered_name: []
exception exit: {port_exit,1}
in function gen_server:handle_common_reply/5 (gen_server.erl:2562)
ancestors: [<0.723.0>]
message_queue_len: 0
messages: []
links: [<0.723.0>]
dictionary: []
trap_exit: false
status: running
heap_size: 4185
stack_size: 29
reductions: 5554
neighbours:
neighbour:
pid: <0.727.0>
registered_name: []
initial call: enotify:init/1
current_function: {erts_internal,await_result,1}
ancestors: [<0.723.0>]
message_queue_len: 1
links: [<0.723.0>]
trap_exit: false
status: running
heap_size: 4185
stack_size: 28
reductions: 6529
current_stacktrace: [{proc_lib,proc_info,2,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1212}]},
{proc_lib,get_process_info,2,
[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1185}]},
{proc_lib,make_neighbour_report,1,
[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1086}]},
{proc_lib,make_neighbour_reports1,1,
[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1062}]},
{proc_lib,crash_report,4,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,956}]},
{proc_lib,exit_p,3,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,354}]}]
neighbour:
pid: <0.725.0>
registered_name: []
initial call: enotify:init/1
current_function: {erts_internal,await_result,1}
ancestors: [<0.723.0>]
message_queue_len: 0
links: [<0.723.0>]
trap_exit: false
status: running
heap_size: 4185
stack_size: 30
reductions: 5785
current_stacktrace: [{proc_lib,proc_info,2,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1212}]},
{proc_lib,get_process_info,2,
[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1185}]},
{proc_lib,make_neighbour_report,1,
[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1086}]},
{proc_lib,make_neighbour_reports1,1,
[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1062}]},
{proc_lib,make_neighbour_reports1,1,
[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,1066}]},
{proc_lib,crash_report,4,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,956}]},
{proc_lib,exit_p,3,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,354}]}]
neighbour:
pid: <0.723.0>
registered_name: []
initial_call: {erlang,apply,2}
current_function: {rebar3_nova_serve,auto,0}
ancestors: []
message_queue_len: 0
links: [<0.725.0>,<0.727.0>,<0.724.0>]
trap_exit: false
status: waiting
heap_size: 1598
stack_size: 3
reductions: 1181
current_stacktrace: [{rebar3_nova_serve,auto,0,
[{file,
"/Users/ttmm/workcode/Code/my_app/_build/default/plugins/rebar3_nova/src/rebar3_nova_serve.erl"},
{line,82}]}]

[sendtopms]

inotifywait.exe and mac_listener there in priv under /Users/ttmm/workcode/Code/my_app/_build/default/plugins/enotify

[Taure]

Fixed in novaframework/rebar3_nova#69 (merged).

Root cause was not Apple Silicon - it hit every Mac on macOS 11 or later, Intel included. enotify always passes -F to its bundled mac_listener, and that binary guards the flag with if ((osMajorVersion == 10) & (osMinorVersion >= 7)). Since Big Sur the major version is 11+, so the check fails and the port exits 1, taking the watchers down with {port_exit,1}.

It could not be fixed inside enotify: its rebar.config is empty so c_src is never compiled, and the shipped priv/mac_listener is an x86_64-only binary committed in 2021. Upstream has been dormant since 2021.

enotify is a fork of synrc/fs, which already fixed the version guard and now compiles mac_listener from source at build time (so it is native arm64). rebar3_nova now depends on fs instead.

@sendtopms - this is closed optimistically. I have no Mac to test on and CI has no macOS runner, so the fix is verified on Linux only. Could you pull the latest rebar3_nova and confirm:

1. rebar3 nova serve starts without the port_exit crashes
2. _build/default/plugins/fs/priv/mac_listener exists - it is compiled rather than shipped, so if that file is missing you will see backend port not found and nothing will be watched
3. editing a .erl or .dtl triggers a reload

Please reopen if any of those fail.

[Taure]

You can also try latest hex versioin that should have the fix.