# Install zxcc with Homebrew

CP/M 2/3 emulator for cross-compiling and CP/M tools under UNIX. Version 0.5.7 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:zxcc
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install zxcc
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:zxcc
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.5.7
- **Source summary:** CP/M 2/3 emulator for cross-compiling and CP/M tools under UNIX
- **Homepage:** <https://www.seasip.info/Unix/Zxcc/>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- zxas (alias)
- zxcc (alias)
- zxlibr (alias)
- zxlink (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.5.7
## Project history and usage

ZXCC is John Elliott's CP/M 2/3 emulator for Unix-style cross-development: it runs CP/M tools such as HI-TECH C and Digital Research build utilities while mapping host directories into CP/M drives.

### Project history

The original ZXCC page describes a two-purpose emulator: using HI-TECH C for CP/M as a cross-compiler under Unix, and running CP/M build tools such as MAC, RMAC, GENCOM, and LINK under DOS or Unix. The stable 0.5.7 source bundled CPMIO for terminal emulation and CPMREDIR for host-filesystem redirection.

A later community-maintained GitHub repository was extracted from Elliott's stable source in 2021. That tree focuses on keeping ZXCC useful on modern Windows, Linux, Unix, and macOS systems, with fixes for HI-TECH Z80 C, CP/M BDOS behavior, Z80 instruction emulation, file tracking, and autotools builds.

### Adoption history

ZXCC's adoption is narrow but durable: retrocomputing developers use it when the authentic CP/M compiler or assembler is part of the build, but they want modern host files, scripts, editors, and CI around it. Its wrappers such as zxc, zxas, zxlink, and zxlibr turn CP/M-era tools into commands that fit a Unix workflow.

### How it is used

The key trick is BDOS-level emulation rather than a full machine emulator. CPMREDIR presents host directories as CP/M drives, so tools running under the emulator can read and write normal files. That makes ZXCC especially practical for rebuilding old CP/M software, running HI-TECH C, and using Digital Research toolchains from a modern shell.

### Why package nerds care

ZXCC is package-nerd catnip because it packages a bridge between package-manager convenience and historical toolchains. Installing it gives modern systems command-line access to a CP/M development environment without booting a full vintage machine image.

### Timeline

- 2013: John Elliott's ZXCC page lists stable 0.5.7 and older 0.4.0 downloads.
- 2021: The agn453/ZXCC repository is extracted from the stable 0.5.7 source.
- 2021-2025: Community updates improve HI-TECH C compatibility, Z80 emulation correctness, Windows support, and modern Unix/macOS builds.

### Related projects

- HI-TECH Z80 C: the CP/M compiler ZXCC commonly wraps for cross-compilation.
- CPMIO and CPMREDIR: the terminal and filesystem libraries split out from ZXCC's functionality.
- JOYCE: John Elliott's PCW emulator, which also used CPMREDIR.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/agn453/ZXCC>
- <https://superuser.com/questions/516833/emulating-cp-m-under-linux>
- <https://www.seasip.info/Unix/Zxcc/>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/zxcc.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/zxcc.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph