Re: texworks crashes with a context mkiv example

Sorry to bother everybody with this. I just wonder whether the following is normal.

This is after erasing any previous TL 2026 install (using either MacTeX.pkg or install-tl), erasing ~/Library/texlive (TEXMFVAR = "~/Library/texlive/2026/texmf-var" and TEXMFCONFIG = "~/Library/texlive/2026/texmf-config" on the Mac), then reinstalling with a freshly downloaded install-tl:


- "sudo ./install-tl" runs both

mtxrun --generate
mtxrun --luatex --generate

(says install-tl.log). After that, there's a

/usr/local/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache

but no

/usr/local/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luatex-cache

This is consistent with the output of "mtxrun --luatex --generate" in the log: the generated files go to luametatex-cache. For example, the output ends with

resolvers       | resolving | saving tree 'selfautoparent:texmf-dist'
resolvers       | caches | hashing tree 'selfautoparent:texmf-dist', hash '929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb'
resolvers       | caching | preparing 'files' for 'selfautoparent:texmf-dist'
resolvers       | caching | category 'files', cachename 'selfautoparent:texmf-dist' saved in '/usr/local/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lua'
system          | lua | compiling '/usr/local/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lua' into '/usr/local/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lud'
system          | lua | dumping '/usr/local/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lua' into '/usr/local/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lud' stripped
resolvers       | caching | 'files' compiled to '/usr/local/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lud'
mtxrun          |
mtxrun          | elapsed lua time: 2.784 seconds

[Mon Mar 16 16:33:23 2026] --end of output of mtxrun --luatex --generate

I get the same running "sudo mtxrun --luatex --generate" on the command line: everything goes to luametatex-cache.

Looking at my previous TL 2025 install, there was a luatex-cache there.


- Switching to "mtxrun --generate" or "mtxrun --luatex --generate" (without the sudo), everything goes to /var/folders/1r/dhdtft1s4qgfjwbcpkfhqf5c0000gn/T/luametatex-cache (which seems to be erased at every reboot). I need to create ~/Library/texlive/2026/texmf-var (= TEXMFVAR on the Mac) manually, for  "mtxrun --generate" and "mtxrun --luatex --generate" to put their generated files there.

Before: output of "mtxrun --luatex --generate" ends with

resolvers       | resolving | saving tree 'selfautoparent:texmf-dist'
resolvers       | caches | hashing tree 'selfautoparent:texmf-dist', hash '929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb'
resolvers       | caching | preparing 'files' for 'selfautoparent:texmf-dist'
resolvers       | caching | category 'files', cachename 'selfautoparent:texmf-dist' saved in '/var/folders/1r/dhdtft1s4qgfjwbcpkfhqf5c0000gn/T/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lua'
system          | lua | compiling '/var/folders/1r/dhdtft1s4qgfjwbcpkfhqf5c0000gn/T/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lua' into '/var/folders/1r/dhdtft1s4qgfjwbcpkfhqf5c0000gn/T/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lud'
system          | lua | dumping '/var/folders/1r/dhdtft1s4qgfjwbcpkfhqf5c0000gn/T/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lua' into '/var/folders/1r/dhdtft1s4qgfjwbcpkfhqf5c0000gn/T/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lud' stripped
resolvers       | caching | 'files' compiled to '/var/folders/1r/dhdtft1s4qgfjwbcpkfhqf5c0000gn/T/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lud'
mtxrun          |
mtxrun          | elapsed lua time: 6.821 seconds

After: output ends with

resolvers       | resolving | saving tree 'selfautoparent:texmf-dist'
resolvers       | caches | hashing tree 'selfautoparent:texmf-dist', hash '929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb'
resolvers       | caching | preparing 'files' for 'selfautoparent:texmf-dist'
resolvers       | caching | category 'files', cachename 'selfautoparent:texmf-dist' saved in '/Users/brunovoisin/Library/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lua'
system          | lua | compiling '/Users/brunovoisin/Library/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lua' into '/Users/brunovoisin/Library/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lud'
system          | lua | dumping '/Users/brunovoisin/Library/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lua' into '/Users/brunovoisin/Library/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lud' stripped
resolvers       | caching | 'files' compiled to '/Users/brunovoisin/Library/texlive/2026/texmf-var/luametatex-cache/context/a86c089b384a3076dc514ba966a1fac9/trees/929f6dbc83f6d3b65dab91f1efa4aacb.lud'
mtxrun          |
mtxrun          | elapsed lua time: 5.851 seconds


Maybe this is all normal, I don't know. I have the highest difficulties getting something reproducible. Yesterday I had no problem creating cont-en.fmt in luatex-cache/<hash>/formats. Today, whatever I try, I get:

% mtxrun --luatex --locate mtx-context.lua
/usr/local/texlive/2026/texmf-dist/scripts/context/lua/mtx-context.lua
% context --luatex --make
mtx-context     | redirect luametatex -> luatex: luatex --luaonly --socket "/Library/TeX/texbin/mtxrun.lua" --script mtx-context --luatex --make --redirected
mtxrun          | unknown script 'mtx-context.lua' or 'mtx-mtx-context.lua'

 
Bruno Voisin