Build System Packages (CMake & Meson)

For core PKGBUILD workflow, use archlinux-pkgbuild

This sub-skill covers CMake and Meson build systems with Arch-specific configuration requirements.

Quick Reference

Build System	Key Tool	Prefix Flag	Build Type	Common Issues
CMake	cmake	CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr	CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=None	lib64, RPATH, /usr/local
Meson	meson/arch-meson	--prefix=/usr	--buildtype=plain	Wrong prefix

CMake Packages

CMake is a cross-platform build system. Common for C/C++ projects.

CMake Key Rules

Rule	Description
CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE	Use `None` (not `Release`) to avoid automatic `-O3` flag override
CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX	Must be `/usr` (not `/usr/local`)
CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR	Must be `lib` if project defaults to `lib64`
Verbose builds	Use `VERBOSE=1` to verify compiler flags
RPATH security	Use `CMAKE_SKIP_INSTALL_RPATH=YES` or `CMAKE_SKIP_RPATH=YES`
cmake in makedepends	Always required

CMake Template

bash

pkgname=example
pkgver=1.0.0
pkgrel=1
pkgdesc="CMake-based package"
arch=('x86_64')
url="https://example.com"
license=('GPL')
depends=('lib1' 'lib2')
makedepends=('cmake')
source=("https://example.com/$pkgname-$pkgver.tar.gz")
sha256sums=('...')

build() {
    local cmake_options=(
        -B build
        -S "$pkgname-$pkgver"
        -W no-dev
        -D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=None
        -D CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr
        -D CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=lib
        -D CMAKE_SKIP_INSTALL_RPATH=YES
    )
    cmake "${cmake_options[@]}"
    cmake --build build
}

check() {
    ctest --test-dir build --output-on-failure
}

package() {
    DESTDIR="$pkgdir" cmake --install build
    install -Dm644 LICENSE "$pkgdir/usr/share/licenses/$pkgname/LICENSE"
}

CMake Common Issues

Issue	Error	Fix
Wrong prefix	Files in /usr/local	`-DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr`
lib64 directory	namcap: file-in-non-standard-dir	`-DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=lib`
Insecure RPATH	namcap: insecure-rpath	`-DCMAKE_SKIP_INSTALL_RPATH=YES`
-O3 override	Wrong optimization level	`-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=None`

Meson Packages

Meson is a fast, user-friendly build system that generates build files for backends like Ninja.

Meson Key Rules

Rule	Description
meson in makedepends	Always required
Build method	Direct: `meson setup` + `meson compile`, or `arch-meson` wrapper
Build directory	Out-of-source: commonly named `build` or `_build`
Prefix	Always `--prefix=/usr` (MANDATORY)
Build type	Use `--buildtype=plain` or omit with arch-meson

Meson Template

bash

pkgname=example
pkgver=1.0.0
pkgrel=1
pkgdesc="Example Meson-based application"
arch=('x86_64')
url="https://example.com"
license=('GPL')
depends=('lib1' 'lib2')
makedepends=('meson')
source=("https://example.com/$pkgname-$pkgver.tar.xz")
sha256sums=('...')

build() {
    arch-meson $pkgname-$pkgver build
    meson compile -C build
}

check() {
    meson test -C build --print-errorlogs
}

package() {
    meson install -C build --destdir "$pkgdir"
    install -Dm644 LICENSE "$pkgdir/usr/share/licenses/$pkgname/LICENSE"
}

Meson Common Issues

Issue	Cause	Fix
Files in /usr/local	Wrong prefix	Use --prefix=/usr or arch-meson
Build type override	Optimization flags not honored	Use --buildtype=plain
In-source build	Build artifacts in source	Use out-of-source build directory
Missing tests	Tests not run	Add check() with meson test