gitbutlerapp/gitbutler · error

unsupported OS or architecture: {os} {arch}

Error message

unsupported OS or architecture: {os} {arch}

What it means

InstallerConfig::new_with_version() maps (std::env::consts::OS, std::env::consts::ARCH) onto a release platform key (darwin-aarch64, darwin-x86_64, linux-aarch64, linux-x86_64). The bail fires when the compiled target is anything else, because the GitButler releases API has no artifact key for it. The crate is additionally gated with #![cfg(unix)], so Windows builds fail before this point.

Source

Thrown at crates/but-installer/src/config.rs:160

        let version_request = VersionRequest::from_string(version_string)?;
        Self::new_with_version(version_request)
    }

    /// Create a new installer config with an explicit version request
    pub(crate) fn new_with_version(version_request: VersionRequest) -> Result<Self> {
        let home_dir =
            dirs::home_dir().ok_or_else(|| anyhow!("Failed to determine home directory"))?;

        // Detect platform
        let os = env::consts::OS;
        let arch = env::consts::ARCH;

        let platform = match (os, arch) {
            ("macos", "aarch64") => "darwin-aarch64",
            ("macos", "x86_64") => "darwin-x86_64",
            ("linux", "aarch64") => "linux-aarch64",
            ("linux", "x86_64") => "linux-x86_64",
            (os, arch) => bail!("unsupported OS or architecture: {os} {arch}"),
        };

        Ok(Self {
            version_request,
            home_dir,
            platform: platform.to_string(),
        })
    }

    pub fn releases_url(&self) -> String {
        match &self.version_request {
            VersionRequest::Nightly => "https://app.gitbutler.com/releases/nightly".to_string(),
            VersionRequest::Specific(version) => {
                format!(
                    "https://app.gitbutler.com/releases/version/{}",
                    version.as_str()
                )
            }

View on GitHub (pinned to caf1f223d3)

Solutions

  1. Run the installer on a supported target: macOS or Linux on x86_64 or aarch64
  2. On unsupported hardware, build the but CLI from source with cargo instead of using the installer
  3. On Windows, use the GitButler desktop installer or install inside WSL (linux-x86_64)
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

let supported = matches!(
    (std::env::consts::OS, std::env::consts::ARCH),
    ("macos" | "linux", "x86_64" | "aarch64")
);
if !supported {
    eprintln!(
        "but-installer supports macOS/Linux on x86_64/aarch64, not {} {}",
        std::env::consts::OS,
        std::env::consts::ARCH
    );
    std::process::exit(1);
}
but_installer::run_installation_with_version(request, interactive)?;

Type guard

const fn is_supported_platform(os: &str, arch: &str) -> bool {
    matches!((os, arch),
        ("macos", "aarch64") | ("macos", "x86_64") |
        ("linux", "aarch64") | ("linux", "x86_64"))
}

Try / catch

match but_installer::run_installation_with_version(request, false) {
    Err(e) if e.to_string().starts_with("unsupported OS or architecture") => {
        // route to a source build or the platform-appropriate installer
        fallback_install_path()?;
    }
    result => result,
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Running the installer binary on an unsupported target: windows/*, linux armv7 (32-bit ARM boards like older Raspberry Pis), riscv64, freebsd, netbsd, or any architecture other than x86_64/aarch64 on macOS or Linux.

Common situations: Trying to install on a Raspberry Pi with 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS; BSD systems; assuming a Windows build exists because the desktop app has one; cross-compiling the crate to an exotic target.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of gitbutlerapp/gitbutler@caf1f223d3 (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7ca3c852f3987167. Report an issue: GitHub.