CodeQL changes for macOS 27, Xcode 27, and Swift 6.4
By Steven Van ·
CodeQL can't run traced scans on Xcode 27 or analyze Swift 6.4, and Intel Mac support ends mid-December 2026; pinning to macOS 26 or Xcode 26 keeps scans working.
Apple's macOS 27 and Xcode 27 no longer include Intel (x86_64) code in some of the system binaries and libraries that GitHub CodeQL relies on to trace builds. As a result, CodeQL can't support traced scans on these versions or analyze Swift 6.4, according to the GitHub changelog.
What is affected
- Xcode 27: when it is installed, traced extraction isn't available for C/C++, C#, Go, Java, Kotlin, or Swift.
- macOS 27: traced extraction may not be available for those same languages.
- Swift 6.4: CodeQL doesn't support it on any platform.
- Intel-based Macs: CodeQL support will be deprecated in mid-December 2026.
Keeping scans running
Teams that scan Swift, or use traced builds for other languages, should pin their workflows to macOS 26 or earlier and Xcode 26 or earlier. On GitHub Actions, that means pinning the runner image and toolchain in the workflow rather than relying on the latest versions.
For C/C++, C# and Java, build mode none is an alternative, since it doesn't require tracing a build.
