One day, running git pull suddenly showed:

You have not agreed to the Xcode and Apple SDKs license. You must agree to the license below in order to use Xcode.
Press enter to display the license:

Felt familiar. Here’s what’s going on and how to fix it — including the full Xcode vs Command Line Tools difference that trips people up when xcodebuild fails.

Official terms for that agreement name: Xcode and Apple SDKs Agreement (linked from Apple’s Agreements and Guidelines; PDF last-modified 2024-12-10 on Apple’s CDN when checked 2026-07-19).

What’s happening?

Apple ships developer tooling (including a git entry point tied to that toolchain) with Xcode and/or the separate Command Line Tools for Xcode package. Until the Xcode and Apple SDKs license is accepted for the active toolchain, some commands stop and print the prompt above instead of running.

Apple’s docs (checked 2026-07-19):

Installing the command-line tools — CLT package installs under /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools; on a fresh macOS, invoking tools such as git can prompt you to install that package.
Xcode command-line tool reference — tools such as xcodebuild ship only with the Xcode app, not with the CLT package.
Configuring command-line tools settings — xcode-select --print-path shows the active developer directory; switch with sudo xcode-select --switch <path>.

When it shows up

Right after installing or updating Xcode / Command Line Tools
After a macOS or Xcode update when a newer license has not been accepted yet
The first time you actually hit Apple’s git (or another gated tool) after never having accepted

Full Xcode vs Command Line Tools vs another `git`

Setup	What Apple documents	Practical effect for this prompt
Xcode.app selected as active developer directory	Typical path: `/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer` (`xcode-select --print-path`)	`sudo xcodebuild -license` is the path Apple’s tooling expects for agreeing from Terminal
Command Line Tools package selected	Path: `/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools` (same doc); package install overview in Installing the command-line tools	`xcodebuild` is not in the CLT package (command-line tool reference). If CLT is active, `xcodebuild -license` can fail until you point `xcode-select` at Xcode.app (or accept via opening Xcode’s GUI license flow)
Non-Apple `git` (e.g. Homebrew’s `git` earlier on your `PATH`)	Outside Apple’s CLT/Xcode package docs	You may be using a different binary than `/usr/bin/git`. Check with `which git` / `type -a git` before assuming this license prompt applies

Check the active developer directory first:

xcode-select -p
# same as:
xcode-select --print-path

Examples Apple documents:

Xcode selected: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer
CLT selected: /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools

If you need Xcode’s xcodebuild and currently have CLT selected:

sudo xcode-select --switch /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

(Adjust the app path if Xcode lives somewhere else; Apple notes nonstandard locations in the same settings doc.)

How to fix it

Option 1: Accept interactively (recommended)

With Xcode as the active developer directory:

sudo xcodebuild -license

Enter your password
Press Enter to scroll the license
Press Space to reach the end
Type agree and press Enter (screenshot is before agreeing)

After a successful accept, Apple’s git should stop showing that license prompt for the agreed terms. If a later Xcode/CLT update ships a new agreement, the prompt can return.

Option 2: Accept in one shot (if you don’t read the text)

sudo xcodebuild -license accept

Same prerequisite: active developer directory must resolve to an Xcode.app that provides xcodebuild.

If `xcodebuild` says it requires Xcode

That matches Apple’s statement that xcodebuild only ships with Xcode, not the CLT package. Switch the active directory to Xcode.app (command above), or open Xcode once and complete any on-screen license agreement, then retry.

Summary

The sudden git block was the Xcode and Apple SDKs license gate on Apple’s toolchain — not a broken remote. Accept with sudo xcodebuild -license (or -license accept) after confirming xcode-select -p points at Xcode when you need xcodebuild.

That’s it.

What “You have not agreed to the Xcode and Apple SDKs license” means when git runs