langflow/docs/DEPRECATED_MACOS_SUPPORT_INVESTIGATION.md

Investigation: Deprecated macOS Support — Impact on Langflow

Jira: LE-265
Date: 2026-04-02
Status: Complete
Related: LE-172 (PyTorch macOS x86_64 + Python 3.13 — resolved in PR #12469)

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TL;DR

macOS Intel (x86_64) is in its final phase of deprecation across the entire ecosystem — Apple hardware, operating system, GitHub Actions runners, PyTorch, and the broader ML/AI stack. Langflow already has platform exclusion markers for the most critical torch-dependent extras (PR #12469), but additional deprecations in GitHub Actions runners, macOS versions, and upstream dependencies will require further action over the next 12–18 months.

Key decision required: Set a timeline to officially drop macOS x86_64 from Langflow's support matrix (recommended: Langflow 2.0 or Q4 2026, whichever comes first).

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1. Deprecation Landscape

1.1 Apple Hardware & OS Timeline

Event	Date	Impact
Last Intel MacBook Pro shipped	June 2022	No new Intel Mac hardware
macOS Ventura 13 (last Intel-supported release rumoured)	Oct 2022	Still receiving security updates as of early 2026
macOS Sequoia 15 released	Sept 2024	Supports some Intel Macs — expected to be last
macOS 26 (Tahoe) expected	June 2026	Likely final macOS version supporting any Intel Mac
macOS 27 expected	2027	Expected to drop all Intel Mac support

Key fact: Apple's Rosetta 2 translates x86_64 binaries on Apple Silicon, but native ARM64 builds are preferred. Rosetta support for macOS is expected to continue but individual frameworks (e.g., Metal 3) are ARM-only.

1.2 GitHub Actions Runner Deprecation

Runner	Architecture	Status	Deprecation
macos-13	Intel x86_64	Deprecated	Removed Dec 2025
macos-14	ARM64 (M1)	Active	Current
macos-15	ARM64 (M1/M2)	Active	Current
macos-latest	ARM64	Active	Points to macos-15
macos-latest-large	Intel x86_64	Active but costly	At risk — GitHub shifting to ARM
macos-26 (Tahoe)	ARM64	Available	Current

Key fact: macos-latest-large is the only Intel x86_64 runner available. It is one of the most expensive GitHub Actions runners. GitHub has signaled the shift toward ARM-only macOS runners.

1.3 PyTorch macOS x86_64 Deprecation

Event	Date
RFC to deprecate macOS x86_64 builds	Nov 2023
PyTorch 2.2.2 — last Intel Mac wheels (cp310, cp311, cp312)	March 2024
PyTorch 2.3.0 — no Intel Mac wheels at all	April 2024
Python 3.13 released (no PyTorch wheels for Intel Mac)	Oct 2024

Result: No PyTorch wheel exists for macOS x86_64 + Python ≥ 3.13. PyTorch 2.2.2 is the last version with Intel Mac support, and it only covers Python 3.10–3.12.

1.4 Broader ML Ecosystem

Library	macOS x86_64 Support	Notes
PyTorch	❌ Dropped (after 2.2.2)	No wheels for Python 3.13+ on Intel
MLX	❌ Never supported	Apple Silicon only (arm64 + Python 3.12+)
MLX-VLM	❌ Never supported	Apple Silicon only
Metal SDK	❌ ARM64 only	Metal 3 requires Apple Silicon
TensorFlow	⚠️ Limited	tensorflow-macos deprecated, replaced by tensorflow-metal (ARM64)
ONNX Runtime	✅ Still supported	Cross-platform, but CoreML EP is ARM64-optimized
sentence-transformers	⚠️ Transitively broken	Depends on PyTorch — fails on Intel Mac + Python 3.13
Hugging Face Transformers	⚠️ Transitively broken	Same PyTorch dependency chain

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2. Current State of Langflow macOS Support

2.1 Platform Exclusion Markers in pyproject.toml

The following extras have platform markers excluding macOS x86_64 (as of PR #12469):

Extra	Marker	Reason
altk	sys_platform != 'darwin' or platform_machine != 'x86_64'	PyTorch direct + transitive dep (PR #12469)
langchain-huggingface	sys_platform != 'darwin' or platform_machine != 'x86_64'	sentence-transformers → torch (PR #12469)
docling (binary)	sys_platform != 'darwin' or platform_machine != 'x86_64'	docling-ibm-models → torch (pre-existing)
easyocr	sys_platform != 'darwin' or platform_machine != 'x86_64'	easyocr → torch (pre-existing)
cuga	sys_platform == 'darwin' and platform_machine == 'arm64'	CUDA alternative, ARM64 only on macOS
mlx	sys_platform == 'darwin' and platform_machine == 'arm64' and python_version >= '3.12'	Apple Silicon ML framework
metal	No marker (correct — cross-platform)	metal_sdk==2.5.1 is getmetal.io cloud SDK, not Apple Metal

Extras with NO macOS exclusion that still work on Intel:

Extra	Status	Notes
docling-core	✅ Works	Metadata-only, no torch dependency
ocrmac	✅ Works	sys_platform == 'darwin' — uses native Vision framework
langchain-unstructured	✅ Works	No torch dependency
graph-retriever	✅ Works	No platform-specific deps
All non-ML extras	✅ Works	Database, API, monitoring, etc.

2.2 macOS-Specific Runtime Workarounds

Workaround	Location	Purpose
OBJC_DISABLE_INITIALIZE_FORK_SAFETY=YES	__main__.py, langflow_launcher.py, CI workflows	Prevents Objective-C fork safety crashes with gunicorn multiprocessing
os.environ["no_proxy"] = "*"	__main__.py, langflow_launcher.py	Avoids proxy-related errors with gunicorn on macOS
os.execv() re-exec pattern	langflow_launcher.py	Sets env vars before Objective-C runtime initializes
brew install protobuf	CI workflow (AMD64 only)	protoc not available on Intel CI runners

2.3 CI Matrix Coverage

Platform	Python 3.10	Python 3.12	Python 3.13
macOS ARM64	✅ Stable	✅ Stable	✅ Experimental
macOS AMD64 (Intel)	✅ Stable	✅ Stable	⚠️ Experimental (continue-on-error)
Linux AMD64	✅ Stable	✅ Stable	✅ Experimental
Windows AMD64	✅ Stable	✅ Stable	✅ Experimental

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3. Impact Assessment

3.1 What Works on macOS x86_64 Today

Langflow core functionality (flow builder, API, database, all non-ML components) works on macOS Intel with Python 3.10–3.13. The following features are unavailable:

• ALTK (Agent Lifecycle Toolkit) components
• HuggingFace/sentence-transformers embeddings
• EasyOCR
• Docling document processing (binary; docling-core metadata still works)
• MLX inference
• Metal GPU acceleration
• CUGA

This is acceptable because Intel Macs lack the GPU capabilities (Metal 3, Neural Engine) that make these ML features performant.

3.2 What Will Break Next

Timeline	Event	Impact on Langflow
Now	PyTorch has no Intel Mac wheels for Python 3.13+	Already mitigated (PR #12469)
Q3 2026	GitHub may deprecate macos-latest-large (Intel)	Stable CI tests for macOS Intel would need migration or removal
Q4 2026	macOS 26 (Tahoe) release — potentially last Intel-supporting macOS	Users on Intel Macs stop receiving macOS updates
2027	macOS 27 drops Intel Mac support	Intel Mac users stuck on macOS 26; system Python/Homebrew may stop building for x86_64 macOS
2027+	Homebrew, Python.org may drop macOS x86_64 builds	Intel Mac users can't easily install Python 3.14+

3.3 CI Cost Exposure

macos-latest-large (Intel x86_64) is the most expensive runner in the matrix:

• GitHub Actions pricing: macOS large runners cost ~$0.12/min (10× Linux)
• Current usage: 4 stable jobs + 1 experimental job = 5 Intel Mac CI jobs per workflow run
• Estimated cost: ~$15–25 per full CI run for Intel Mac jobs alone

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4. Recommendations

4.1 Immediate (No Action Needed)

PR #12469 has already addressed the most critical issue:

• ✅ altk and langchain-huggingface excluded on macOS x86_64
• ✅ docling and easyocr already excluded (pre-existing)
• ✅ mlx, cuga are ARM64-only
• ✅ Experimental CI uses continue-on-error: true

4.2 Short-Term (Langflow 1.10 / Q2 2026)

R1: Add platform_machine marker to metal extra — NOT NEEDED

metal_sdk is the SDK for getmetal.io (a cloud vector search/embedding service), not Apple's Metal GPU framework. It's a pure Python package (py3-none-any.whl) with no platform-specific dependencies. No marker change needed.

R2: Reduce macOS Intel CI to Python 3.12 only

Remove the Python 3.10 stable test on macOS AMD64. Python 3.12 is the most commonly deployed version and provides sufficient coverage:

# Remove from stable matrix:
# - os: macos
#   arch: amd64
#   runner: macos-latest-large
#   python-version: "3.10"

Saves: ~$5–7 per CI run, reduces alert noise.

R3: Document macOS support matrix in user-facing docs

Add a support matrix page to docs/ clarifying which features require Apple Silicon vs. work on Intel, so users have clear expectations.

4.3 Medium-Term (Langflow 2.0 / Q4 2026)

R4: Drop macOS x86_64 from CI entirely

Once GitHub deprecates macos-latest-large or macOS 26 ships:

1. Remove all macos-latest-large entries from cross-platform-test.yml
2. Remove the brew install protobuf step (only needed for Intel runners)
3. Keep macos-latest (ARM64) as the sole macOS test target

Saves: ~$15–25 per CI run. Reduces matrix complexity.

R5: Audit and clean up OBJC fork safety workaround

The OBJC_DISABLE_INITIALIZE_FORK_SAFETY workaround in __main__.py and langflow_launcher.py applies to all macOS, not just Intel. However, once Intel is dropped:

• Verify if the issue persists on Apple Silicon with current gunicorn/uvicorn
• If ARM64-only deployments don't trigger the issue, consider removing the workaround
• If still needed, keep it but document why

R6: Officially deprecate macOS x86_64 in release notes

Add a deprecation notice in the Langflow 2.0 release notes:

macOS Intel (x86_64) support is deprecated. Langflow 2.0 is the last version tested on Intel Macs. Future releases will only be tested on Apple Silicon (ARM64). Core functionality may continue to work, but ML features require Apple Silicon.

4.4 Long-Term (Langflow 2.x+ / 2027)

R7: Remove all macOS x86_64 platform markers

Once Intel Mac support is officially dropped, simplify pyproject.toml by removing the platform_machine != 'x86_64' guards — they become unnecessary clutter:

# Before (with Intel exclusion)
altk = ["agent-lifecycle-toolkit>=0.10.1,<1.0; sys_platform != 'darwin' or platform_machine != 'x86_64'"]

# After (Intel dropped from support matrix)
altk = ["agent-lifecycle-toolkit>=0.10.1,<1.0"]

R8: Evaluate ARM64-only macOS features

With Intel out of the picture, lean into Apple Silicon capabilities:

• MLX-based local inference as a first-class feature
• Metal GPU acceleration for embedding generation
• Neural Engine integration for on-device ML
• CoreML model support via ONNX Runtime CoreML EP

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5. Risk Matrix

Risk	Probability	Impact	Mitigation
GitHub removes macos-latest-large runner	High (12–18 months)	CI breaks for Intel tests	R4: Drop Intel from CI proactively
User complaints about missing ML features on Intel Mac	Low	User frustration	R3: Document support matrix clearly
metal_sdk fails on Intel Mac install	N/A	N/A	metal_sdk is getmetal.io cloud SDK — cross-platform, no issue
Python 3.14 drops macOS x86_64 support	Low (2027+)	Core Langflow broken on Intel	R6: Deprecation notice well in advance
OBJC fork safety workaround breaks on new macOS	Low	Server startup crash	R5: Audit and test on macOS 26
Upstream deps (numpy, scipy) drop Intel Mac wheels	Medium (2027+)	Broad installation failures	R6/R7: Official deprecation covers this

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6. Recommended macOS Support Matrix

Current (Langflow 1.9.x)

Feature Category	macOS ARM64 (Apple Silicon)	macOS x86_64 (Intel)
Core (flows, API, database)	✅ Full support	✅ Full support
ML/AI components (ALTK, HuggingFace)	✅ Full support	❌ Excluded (no PyTorch wheels)
Document processing (Docling, EasyOCR)	✅ Full support	❌ Excluded (no PyTorch wheels)
Local inference (MLX, MLX-VLM)	✅ Full support (Python 3.12+)	❌ Not available (ARM64 only)
GPU acceleration (Metal, CUGA)	✅ Full support	❌ Not available (ARM64 only)
Native OCR (ocrmac)	✅ Full support	✅ Full support

Proposed (Langflow 2.0+)

Feature Category	macOS ARM64 (Apple Silicon)	macOS x86_64 (Intel)
All features	✅ Full support	⚠️ Deprecated — untested, best-effort

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7. Summary of Action Items

#	Action	Target Release	Priority	Effort
—	Exclude altk and langchain-huggingface on macOS x86_64	1.9.x	Critical	✅ Done (PR #12469)
R1	Add ARM64 marker to metal extra	—	—	❌ N/A (metal_sdk is getmetal.io cloud SDK, not Apple Metal)
R2	Remove Python 3.10 macOS Intel from stable CI	1.10	Low	4 lines YAML
R3	Document macOS support matrix for users	1.10	Medium	New docs page
R4	Drop macOS x86_64 from CI entirely	2.0	Medium	~20 lines YAML
R5	Audit OBJC fork safety on Apple Silicon	2.0	Low	Investigation
R6	Official deprecation notice in release notes	2.0	Medium	Release docs
R7	Remove x86_64 platform markers from pyproject.toml	2.x	Low	Cleanup
R8	Evaluate ARM64-only macOS capabilities	2.x	Low	Feature planning

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Appendix A: Complete Platform Marker Inventory

All sys_platform and platform_machine markers in src/backend/base/pyproject.toml:

Line  53: jq         → sys_platform != 'win32'
Line  96: ocrmac     → sys_platform == 'darwin'                    (root pyproject.toml)
Line 258: metal      → (no marker — correct; getmetal.io cloud SDK, not Apple Metal)
Line 293: altk       → sys_platform != 'darwin' or platform_machine != 'x86_64'
Line 297: langchain-huggingface → sys_platform != 'darwin' or platform_machine != 'x86_64'
Line 310: docling    → sys_platform != 'darwin' or platform_machine != 'x86_64'
Line 312: easyocr    → sys_platform != 'darwin' or platform_machine != 'x86_64'
Line 327: cuga       → sys_platform != 'darwin' (non-Mac) + sys_platform == 'darwin' and platform_machine == 'arm64' (Mac ARM)
Line 331: mlx        → sys_platform == 'darwin' and platform_machine == 'arm64' and python_version >= '3.12'
Line 345: gassist    → sys_platform == 'win32'

Appendix B: Related Issues & PRs

Reference	Description	Status
LE-172	PyTorch macOS x86_64 + Python 3.13 CI failure	✅ Resolved (PR #12469)
LE-265	Broader deprecated macOS support investigation	This document
pytorch/pytorch#114602	PyTorch RFC: Deprecate macOS x86_64 builds	Implemented
PR #12469	Exclude torch-dependent extras on macOS x86_64	Merged/Open