Guide page Yosys
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Open-source synthesis

Install Yosys, or use OSS CAD Suite for the easiest path.

Yosys is the open-source synthesis tool in this portal. The official Yosys docs explicitly say the easiest way to use it is to install the OSS CAD Suite binary bundle, which includes Yosys and related dependencies.

Best for: RTL synthesis Fastest setup: OSS CAD Suite Last verified: April 4, 2026
Linux quick path

Use OSS CAD Suite first

The official docs call the binary suite the easiest way to use Yosys, and nightly builds target Linux x64 and Linux arm64.

source <extracted_location>/oss-cad-suite/environment

If you want a native source build instead, the official docs provide Ubuntu prerequisite packages and a git-based build flow.

macOS quick path

Use OSS CAD Suite on macOS 12+

The official docs list `darwin-x64` and `darwin-arm64` OSS CAD Suite builds for macOS 12 or later.

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine oss-cad-suite-darwin-arm64-yyymmdd.tgz source <extracted_location>/oss-cad-suite/environment
Windows quick path

Use OSS CAD Suite on Windows 10 or 11

The official docs list a `windows-x64` build targeted at Windows 10 and 11.

<extracted_location>\oss-cad-suite\environment.bat

From PowerShell, use `environment.ps1` instead.

Verify
yosys -V

Success looks like Yosys printing its version banner.

First useful command
yosys -p 'read_verilog counter.sv; synth -top counter; stat'

This reads a small module, runs synthesis, and prints a quick stats summary.

Source build option

The official docs also cover building from source with submodules, Ubuntu prerequisites, and a Homebrew-based macOS flow. They recommend Windows users prefer WSL or Cygwin-style environments for source builds.

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/YosysHQ/yosys.git cd yosys make -j"$(nproc)"
Common pitfalls
  • If you use the source build path, remember the required submodules.
  • On Windows, the official docs recommend WSL rather than a direct native source build.
  • For a clean beginner setup, OSS CAD Suite is usually less work than building Yosys alone.
Copyright and license

This page is a guide layer on top of the official Yosys and OSS CAD Suite docs. It keeps attribution and links upstream instead of copying the project manuals.