meson/docs/markdown/snippets/native_compiler_not_required.md

Native (build machine) compilers not always required

add_languages() gained a native: keyword, indicating if a native or cross compiler is to be used.

For the benefit of existing simple build definitions which don't contain any native: true targets, without breaking backwards compatibility for build definitions which assume that the native compiler is available after add_languages(), if the native: keyword is absent the languages may be used for either the build or host machine, but are never required for the build machine.

This changes the behaviour of the following meson fragment (when cross-compiling but a native compiler is not available) from reporting an error at add_language to reporting an error at executable.

add_language('c')
executable('main', 'main.c', native: true)