Issues Setting Up on Apple Silicon (M3) Mac

Author: Michey0495Created Mar 26, 2025Updated Jun 21, 2025

Environment macOS: Sonoma 14.6.1 Chip: Apple M3 (MacBook Air) Python: 3.9.10 Node: v22.14.0 Issue 1: Setup Script Fails on Architecture Check I followed the official setup instructions from the README:


bash
chmod +x ./scripts/*.sh
chmod +x ./run
./scripts/setup.sh
But encountered these errors:

[ERROR] Detected M1/M2 chip (arm64), but Homebrew installed in /usr/local instead of /opt/homebrew [ERROR] Detected M1/M2 chip (arm64), but Conda seems to be installed for Intel chips (platform: osx-64) [ERROR] System requirements check failed The setup script detects that I'm using Apple Silicon but my Homebrew and Conda are Intel versions.

Attempted Fix 1: Install Apple Silicon Conda I tried installing Miniforge for Apple Silicon:

bash
bash
curl -L https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge/releases/latest/download/Miniforge3-MacOSX-arm64.sh -o Miniforge3.sh
bash Miniforge3.sh
source ~/.zshrc
After installation, I checked the Conda version:
bash
conda --version
# Output: conda 25.1.1

conda env list

Output:

base * /Users/username/miniforge3

/usr/local/Caskroom/miniconda/base

/usr/local/Caskroom/miniconda/base/envs/python-env

/usr/local/Caskroom/miniconda/base/envs/second-me

Issue 2: Python Path Still Points to Intel Version When trying to check Python version:

bash
which python
# Output: /Users/username/.pyenv/shims/python

python --version
# Error:
# dyld[52127]: Library not loaded: /opt/homebrew/opt/gettext/lib/libintl.8.dylib
# Referenced from: /Users/username/.pyenv/versions/3.9.10/bin/python3.9
# Reason: tried: '/opt/homebrew/opt/gettext/lib/libintl.8.dylib' (no such file)...
The system is still using pyenv's Python (Intel) instead of Conda's Python (ARM).

Attempted Fix 2: Install Python via Conda I tried installing Python 3.10 via Conda:

bash
conda install python=3.10
But still got the same error when running python --version.

Root Issue It seems there are multiple conflicting issues:

Architecture mismatch: Intel versions of Homebrew and Conda installed on Apple Silicon Mac Path conflicts: pyenv is taking precedence over Conda in the PATH Missing libraries: The gettext library is missing from the expected location

Questions Is there a recommended way to set up Second-Me on Apple Silicon Macs? Should I completely uninstall both Intel Homebrew and pyenv before proceeding? Are there any specific environment variables or configuration settings needed for Apple Silicon? Is there a Docker option available that would avoid these architecture issues? I'd appreciate any guidance on how to properly set up this project on Apple Silicon. The current setup script doesn't seem to handle this architecture correctly.