Emacs Bedrock 2.0 Released, Requires Emacs 31

Emacs Bedrock 2.0 is out now, and it asks users to move to the newest version of the editor.

The starter kit for Emacs dropped its support for Emacs 29, last released in 2024. Bedrock now requires Emacs 31, released in August 2026. The project’s creator, Ashton, announced the update today.

What Bedrock 2.0 Changes

Bedrock is a small set of better defaults for Emacs. It uses no third-party packages in its base setup. People copy two files into ~/.emacs.d/ and then edit those files directly as their needs grow.

The new version is a step forward, not a full rewrite. Ashton said the release breaks with Emacs 29, which is why it carries the 2.0 version number.

Key changes include:

• The lexical-binding: t marker now appears in all .el files
• Packages declared with use-package get installed if not present on the system
• embark-auto-prefix-help-mode replaces which-key when the embark package loads
• wgrep is removed in favor of the built-in grep-change-to-grep-edit-mode
• Improved tree-sitter and search settings
• The *Completions* buffer updates on its own
• repeat-mode turns on by default

The release also fixes theme colors not being respected and better suppresses the startup message. Ashton noted the lists are not complete.

Upgrading From an Older Version

Bedrock has no path for moving up on its own. Ashton explained that such a system would require the code to live outside the main file, which goes against the project’s purpose.

“You should compare the commit you cloned/copied your version of Bedrock from with the new main branch and pick what you want to apply,” Ashton wrote.

People who cannot move to Emacs 31 can remove some of the newer setup without much trouble, Ashton added.

A Thank You to the Community

Ashton built Bedrock as an exercise in tweaking built-in options to feel more useful.

“From there it turned into a configuration I could give to my friends who expressed some curiosity with Emacs,” Ashton wrote. “Now it’s something that way more people than I initially imaged use as a starting point for their Emacs configurations.”

Ashton thanked those who sent bug reports or PRs and the wider Emacs community. Ashton also noted the project has no tracking, so the creator will never know how many people use it.

“Anyway, a huge thank you to those who’ve submitted bug reports or PRs, and to the wider Emacs community as well!” Ashton wrote. “Thanks you your dedication to free and open-source software, you’ve made my life better.”

Ashton closed with a wish: “I hope Bedrock improves your life as well.”

More detail on the release is available in the change log.

Source: lambdaland.org

Bedrock · Emacs · open source · software update · text editor