Use the prebuilt Hermes archive for iOS builds

Hermes is the iOS build: 17m15s of an 18m58s "Build test app" step. Point
pod install at the archive built by `prebuilt-hermes` through
HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH, so hermes-engine.podspec vendors the prebuilt
frameworks and its two Hermes script phases don't run at all.

Building from source stays available behind
REACT_NATIVE_NODE_API_HERMES_FROM_SOURCE=1, which is the faster loop while
iterating on Hermes itself. react-native-macos stays on that path for now,
see #392.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01UkNbgdyuKgHaFwT27RahGH

Author: kraenhansen

.changeset/prebuilt-hermes-archive.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+"react-native-node-api": minor
+---
+
+Stop compiling Hermes as part of every iOS app build. The Cocoapods integration
+now resolves the pinned commit with `prebuilt-hermes` and hands the archive's
+path to React Native through `HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH` — so
+`hermes-engine.podspec` vendors the prebuilt frameworks instead of running its
+"Build Hermesc" and "Build Hermes" script phases.
+
+Building Hermes from source remains available and is the faster loop while
+iterating on Hermes itself, since Xcode then rebuilds it incrementally: set
+`REACT_NATIVE_NODE_API_HERMES_FROM_SOURCE=1` before `pod install`. Setting
+`REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR` or `HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH` yourself
+still takes precedence, and Android is unchanged.

.github/workflows/check.yml

@@ -244,6 +244,27 @@ jobs:
           ccache --set-config file_clone=true
           ccache --set-config depend_mode=true
           ccache --set-config inode_cache=true
+      # Hermes dominates the iOS build (17m15s of an 18m58s "Build test app"
+      # step, measured in #439) and only changes when the pinned commit does, so
+      # it is built once into an archive that `pod install` injects through
+      # HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH. The archive name covers every input that
+      # changes its contents — the pinned commit, the React Native version whose
+      # JSI it is compiled against, the build type and the platforms — which
+      # makes it the cache key too.
+      - name: Resolve prebuilt Hermes name
+        id: hermes
+        run: echo "archive=$(pnpm exec react-native-node-api prebuilt-hermes --print name)" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+        working-directory: apps/test-app
+      - name: Cache prebuilt Hermes
+        uses: actions/cache@v6
+        with:
+          path: ~/Library/Caches/react-native-node-api/hermes-prebuilt
+          key: ${{ steps.hermes.outputs.archive }}
+      # Explicit rather than left to `pod install`, so a cold cache shows up as
+      # its own step in the job log instead of as a mysteriously slow install.
+      - name: Build prebuilt Hermes
+        run: pnpm exec react-native-node-api prebuilt-hermes
+        working-directory: apps/test-app
       # Must precede `pod install`: react-native-test-app embeds the resources
       # declared in app.json when generating the workspace, skipping missing
       # ones, and the app would then expect a Metro dev server at runtime.

AGENTS.md

@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ patch or workaround:
 
 ## Critical Build Dependencies
 
-- **Vendored Hermes**: Builds Hermes from a pinned commit on the `static_h` branch, which carries Hermes' first-party Node-API implementation (`API/napi`, target `hermesNapi`). The pin lives in `packages/host/src/node/cli/hermes.ts` and is fetched by the `vendor-hermes` command.
+- **Vendored Hermes**: Builds Hermes from a pinned commit on the `static_h` branch, which carries Hermes' first-party Node-API implementation (`API/napi`, target `hermesNapi`). The pin lives in `packages/host/src/node/cli/hermes.ts` and is fetched by the `vendor-hermes` command. On Apple platforms it is built once into an archive by the `prebuilt-hermes` command and injected into `pod install` through `HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH`; Android and the opt-in `REACT_NATIVE_NODE_API_HERMES_FROM_SOURCE=1` path build it from that checkout instead. See [docs/CLI.md](docs/CLI.md).
 - **Prebuilt Binary Spec**: All tools must output to the exact naming scheme:
   - Android: `*.android.node/` with jniLibs structure + `react-native-node-api-module` marker file
   - iOS: `*.apple.node` (XCFramework renamed) + marker file

docs/CLI.md

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ Run `npx react-native-node-api help` or `npx react-native-node-api help <command
 
 ## `prebuilt-hermes [from]`
 
-Resolves an archive of the pinned Hermes, prebuilt for Apple platforms, and prints its path. The archive holds the `destroot` layout React Native's `hermes-engine.podspec` expects from a tarball pointed at by `HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH`, so an app that sets that variable vendors the prebuilt frameworks instead of compiling Hermes as part of its own build.
+Resolves an archive of the pinned Hermes, prebuilt for Apple platforms, and prints its path. This is what the Cocoapods integration uses by default: the path is handed to React Native through the `HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH` environment variable, and `hermes-engine.podspec` then vendors the frameworks out of the archive instead of compiling Hermes as part of every app build.
 
 The archive is looked for in this order, and cached under `~/Library/Caches/react-native-node-api/hermes-prebuilt` (overridable with `REACT_NATIVE_NODE_API_CACHE_PATH`):
 
@@ -35,10 +35,14 @@ The host architecture is part of it because `destroot/bin/hermesc` is a native b
 - `--no-build` — Don't build the archive locally when none is published.
 - `--print <property>` — Print `name`, `tag` or `url` of the archive instead of resolving it.
 
+To build Hermes from source as part of the app build instead — which is the faster loop while iterating on Hermes itself, since Xcode then rebuilds it incrementally — set `REACT_NATIVE_NODE_API_HERMES_FROM_SOURCE=1` before running `pod install`. Setting `REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR` or `HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH` yourself also takes precedence.
+
 ## `vendor-hermes [from]`
 
 Clones the pinned commit of Hermes' `static_h` branch (which carries Hermes' first-party Node-API implementation) into the `sdks/node-api-hermes` directory of the app's `react-native` package, so the native build can compile against it. Prints the path to the vendored checkout on success.
 
+This is how Hermes is built on Android, and on Apple when the from-source path described above is selected.
+
 - `[from]` — Path to a file inside the app package. Defaults to the current working directory.
 - `--react-native-package <package-name>` — The React Native package to vendor Hermes into. Defaults to `react-native`.
 - `--silent` — Don't print anything except the final path. Defaults to `false`.

packages/host/scripts/patch-hermes.rb

@@ -1,24 +1,51 @@
 Pod::UI.warn "!!! CONFIGURING HERMES WITH NODE-API SUPPORT !!!"
 
-if ENV['REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR'].nil?
-  def get_react_native_package
-    if caller.any? { |frame| frame.include?("node_modules/react-native-macos/") }
-      return "react-native-macos"
-    elsif caller.any? { |frame| frame.include?("node_modules/react-native/") }
-      return "react-native"
-    else
-      raise "Unable to determine React Native package from call stack."
-    end
+def node_api_react_native_package
+  if caller.any? { |frame| frame.include?("node_modules/react-native-macos/") }
+    return "react-native-macos"
+  elsif caller.any? { |frame| frame.include?("node_modules/react-native/") }
+    return "react-native"
+  else
+    raise "Unable to determine React Native package from call stack."
   end
+end
+
+def node_api_run_cli(command, react_native_package)
+  args = [
+    command,
+    "--react-native-package", react_native_package,
+    "--silent", Pod::Config.instance.installation_root.to_s
+  ].map { |arg| "'#{arg}'" }.join(" ")
+  result = `npx react-native-node-api #{args}`.strip
+  raise "Hermes setup failed: 'react-native-node-api #{command}' exited with #{$?.exitstatus}" unless $?.success?
+  result
+end
 
-  VENDORED_HERMES_DIR ||= `npx react-native-node-api vendor-hermes --react-native-package '#{get_react_native_package()}' --silent '#{Pod::Config.instance.installation_root}'`.strip
-  ENV['REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR'] = VENDORED_HERMES_DIR
+if ENV['REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR'].nil? && ENV['HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH'].nil?
+  react_native_package = node_api_react_native_package()
+  # Building from source keeps Hermes inside the Xcode build, where it rebuilds
+  # incrementally — the faster loop while iterating on Hermes itself. Otherwise
+  # the pinned commit is resolved to an archive built once and reused.
+  #
+  # react-native-macos stays on the source path: the archive is only produced
+  # and exercised for the iOS platforms today.
+  if ENV['REACT_NATIVE_NODE_API_HERMES_FROM_SOURCE'].to_s == '1' || react_native_package == "react-native-macos"
+    ENV['REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR'] = node_api_run_cli("vendor-hermes", react_native_package)
+  else
+    ENV['HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH'] = node_api_run_cli("prebuilt-hermes", react_native_package)
+  end
 end
 
 if ENV['REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR'] && !ENV['REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR'].empty?
   if Dir.exist?(ENV['REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR'])
-    Pod::UI.info "[Node-API] Using overridden Hermes in #{ENV['REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR'].inspect}"
+    Pod::UI.info "[Node-API] Building Hermes from source in #{ENV['REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR'].inspect}"
   else
     raise "Hermes setup failed: Expected override to exist in #{ENV['REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR'].inspect}"
   end
+elsif ENV['HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH'] && !ENV['HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH'].empty?
+  if File.exist?(ENV['HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH'])
+    Pod::UI.info "[Node-API] Using prebuilt Hermes from #{ENV['HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH'].inspect}"
+  else
+    raise "Hermes setup failed: Expected prebuilt archive to exist at #{ENV['HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH'].inspect}"
+  end
 end