Hi, here are the steps I've carried out in my test:

I'm using macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 on an Intel 64bit machine. I've already got JACK 1.9.19 installed from https://jackaudio.org/downloads/. I went with the Intel 64bit installer as opposed to the universal installer. My version of Pd 0.52-0 test3 is the one "compiled for Macintosh OS 10 or later" from Miller's page.

When I open Pd-0.52-0test3.app and choose "jack" as the audio backend, I get an error in the Pd console saying "JACK: couldn't connect to server, is JACK running?"

I then quit Pd entirely and start QjackCtl (also obtained from the https://jackaudio.org/downloads/ install package). I can successfully start the JACK server through QjackCtl and engage with other apps like Ardour. When I start Pd again and choose "jack" as the audio backend, I still receive the "JACK: couldn't connect to server, is JACK running?" error and "pure_data" does not show up in the JACK connection graph.

If I then start Dan's most recent build of test3 (Pd-0.52-0test3-x86_64-jack.app) from this email thread, choosing "jack" from the Media menu results in no error and "pure_data" shows up in the JACK connection graph.

Thanks and let me know if I can test other attempts to fix this. I'll keep an eye on this thread.

On Mon, Dec 13, 2021 at 4:29 AM IOhannes m zmölnig <zmoelnig@iem.at> wrote:

On 12/13/21 03:42, Miller Puckette via Pd-list wrote:
>>
>> As explained in previous emails, I don't use jack from Homebrew for my builds. I use the distribution from jack.org <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__jack.org_&d=DwIFAg&c=-35OiAkTchMrZOngvJPOeA&r=XprZV3Fxus2L1LCw80hE4Q&m=ycOjZIud6YrWOk_GwSKZQH8UkGH1TeCiVsjsMIlmE_FTvOHrDlkBofF6FsBNUyl-&s=xZhKQcor-5nubxwqw4EU2QFekoO3jau_fkGQI5knM1g&e= > which is equivalent to the old JackOSX distribution:
>>
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__jackaudio.org_downloads_&d=DwIFAg&c=-35OiAkTchMrZOngvJPOeA&r=XprZV3Fxus2L1LCw80hE4Q&m=ycOjZIud6YrWOk_GwSKZQH8UkGH1TeCiVsjsMIlmE_FTvOHrDlkBofF6FsBNUyl-&s=bfa_OxtCOIyvpdlj2NL0nPmVqj505twR0xAxEXWncog&e= <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__jackaudio.org_downloads_&d=DwIFAg&c=-35OiAkTchMrZOngvJPOeA&r=XprZV3Fxus2L1LCw80hE4Q&m=ycOjZIud6YrWOk_GwSKZQH8UkGH1TeCiVsjsMIlmE_FTvOHrDlkBofF6FsBNUyl-&s=bfa_OxtCOIyvpdlj2NL0nPmVqj505twR0xAxEXWncog&e= >
>>
>> You just need to download and run the installer on the build machine, which could also be automated via a script. People needing to use jack installed via Homebrew should build Pd themselves as the those libs doesn't seem to enable weak linking like the ones in the installer AFAICT.
>>
>> Dan Wilcox
>>
>
> Right ho - Iohannes - I'm hoping this is something you can fix in the CI
> builds
>

yes of course.

i'd still like to understand the problem first though.

my setup is: macOS X Sierra (10.7) in a VM

if i install the dmg file from my CI-scripts (now that they use a
non-broken Tcl/Tk) Pd opens up just fine.
going to the media menu, i see two options for the audio backend:
- standard (portaudio)
- jack

selecting "jack" i get an error on the Pd-console, saying:
> Can't open Jack (it seems not to be installed)

this is expected, as i haven't installed jack.

i then download JACK-1.9.19 from https://jackaudio.org/downloads/,
extract it, and run the jack2.pkg found withing.
this should install JACK.

i *restart* Pd and select "jack" again, and now i get an error
> JACK: couldn't connect to server, is JACK running?

again, tihs is expected, as i haven't started JACK.

so i open up qJackCtl (also found in the download from jackaudio.org),
and start the JACK server (i use the *dummy* audio backend, as the VM
has no soundcard).

back in Pd, i again select "jack" as the backend, and - tada - no more
warnings *and* Pd shows up in the qjackctl graph.

the binary i'm using is this one (Tcl/Tk is universal; but Pd itself is
only amd64; this is built with JACK from homebrew):
https://git.iem.at/pd/pure-data/-/jobs/33751/artifacts/download

william: could you tell me where our paths deviate?

gfmdsa
IOhannes