diff --git a/3rdparty/discord-rpc/CMakeLists.txt b/3rdparty/discord-rpc/CMakeLists.txt
index b86973762..1877bb61d 100644
--- a/3rdparty/discord-rpc/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/3rdparty/discord-rpc/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -37,5 +37,9 @@ if(WIN32)
   target_link_libraries(discord-rpc PRIVATE psapi advapi32)
 endif()
 
-target_include_directories(discord-rpc SYSTEM PRIVATE ${RapidJSON_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+if(TARGET RapidJSON::RapidJSON)
+  target_link_libraries(discord-rpc PRIVATE RapidJSON::RapidJSON)
+elseif(RapidJSON_INCLUDE_DIRS)
+  target_include_directories(discord-rpc SYSTEM PRIVATE ${RapidJSON_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+endif()
 target_include_directories(discord-rpc PRIVATE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR})
diff --git a/Brewfile b/Brewfile
index 289630a2b..74fcd8648 100644
--- a/Brewfile
+++ b/Brewfile
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ brew "ninja"
 
 # Core runtime/build dependencies (required by CMakeLists.txt)
 brew "qt"          # Qt 6 (Core/Gui/Widgets/Network/Sql/Concurrent)
+brew "vulkan-headers" # helps Qt6Gui's WrapVulkanHeaders dependency on some setups
 brew "boost"
 brew "icu4c"
 brew "glib"        # provides glib-2.0 + gobject-2.0 (via pkg-config)
@@ -30,6 +31,8 @@ brew "gstreamer"
 #   brew untap strawberry/local && brew tap strawberry/local "file://$PWD"
 tap "strawberry/local", "file://#{Dir.pwd}"
 brew "strawberry/local/kdsingleapplication-qt6"
+brew "strawberry/local/qtsparkle-qt6"      # optional: QtSparkle integration
+brew "strawberry/local/sparkle-framework" # optional: Sparkle integration (framework)
 
 # Recommended GStreamer plugin sets for broad codec support (matches README guidance)
 brew "gst-plugins-base"
@@ -38,6 +41,16 @@ brew "gst-plugins-bad"
 brew "gst-plugins-ugly"
 brew "gst-libav"
 
+# Optional features (silences CMake warnings / enables extra functionality)
+brew "rapidjson"         # enables Discord Rich Presence (DISCORD_RPC)
+brew "google-sparsehash" # enables stream tagreader (STREAMTAGREADER / libsparsehash)
+brew "chromaprint"       # enables MusicBrainz + song fingerprinting
+brew "fftw"              # enables Moodbar (fftw3)
+brew "libebur128"        # enables EBU R 128 loudness normalization
+brew "libcdio"           # enables Audio CD support
+brew "libmtp"            # enables MTP device support
+brew "libgpod"           # enables iPod classic support
+
 # Helpful for Strawberry's macOS "deploy" target (GStreamer dynamically loads libsoup)
 brew "libsoup"
 
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index db3dadaad..a5fa98170 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -252,7 +252,18 @@ endif()
 find_package(KDSingleApplication-qt${QT_VERSION_MAJOR} 1.1.0 REQUIRED)
 
 if(APPLE)
-  find_library(SPARKLE Sparkle)
+  # Sparkle may be installed as a developer framework (e.g. via a package manager).
+  # Help CMake find it by searching typical Homebrew prefix locations as well.
+  find_library(SPARKLE Sparkle
+    PATHS
+      /Library/Frameworks
+      /System/Library/Frameworks
+      /opt/homebrew/Frameworks
+      /opt/homebrew/opt/sparkle-framework/Frameworks
+      /usr/local/Frameworks
+      /usr/local/opt/sparkle-framework/Frameworks
+    PATH_SUFFIXES Frameworks
+  )
 endif()
 
 if(WIN32)
@@ -271,7 +282,7 @@ if(WIN32)
 endif()
 
 if(APPLE OR WIN32)
-  find_package(qtsparkle-qt${QT_VERSION_MAJOR})
+  find_package(qtsparkle-qt${QT_VERSION_MAJOR} QUIET)
   if(TARGET "qtsparkle-qt${QT_VERSION_MAJOR}::qtsparkle")
     set(QTSPARKLE_FOUND ON)
   endif()
diff --git a/Formula/qtsparkle-qt6.rb b/Formula/qtsparkle-qt6.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..286887403
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Formula/qtsparkle-qt6.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+class QtsparkleQt6 < Formula
+  desc "Qt wrapper library for in-app updates (Qt 6 build)"
+  homepage "https://github.com/strawberrymusicplayer/qtsparkle"
+  url "https://github.com/strawberrymusicplayer/qtsparkle/archive/95ca3b77a79540d632b29e9a4df9aed30af5f901.tar.gz"
+  sha256 "945c9e96d2f6175b134a8ccfd6ec1acd268266d31969b5870d4037e8e5877834"
+  license "GPL-3.0-or-later"
+
+  depends_on "cmake" => :build
+  depends_on "ninja" => :build
+  depends_on "qt"
+
+  def install
+    args = std_cmake_args + %W[
+      -GNinja
+      -DBUILD_WITH_QT6=ON
+      -DBUILD_WITH_QT5=OFF
+      -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON
+      -DBUILD_STATIC_LIBS=OFF
+    ]
+
+    system "cmake", "-S", ".", "-B", "build", *args
+    system "cmake", "--build", "build"
+    system "cmake", "--install", "build"
+  end
+
+  test do
+    # Strawberry expects: find_package(qtsparkle-qt6) and target qtsparkle-qt6::qtsparkle
+    (testpath/"CMakeLists.txt").write <<~CMAKE
+      cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.16)
+      project(qtsparkle_test LANGUAGES CXX)
+      find_package(qtsparkle-qt6 CONFIG REQUIRED)
+      add_library(dummy STATIC dummy.cpp)
+      target_link_libraries(dummy PRIVATE qtsparkle-qt6::qtsparkle)
+    CMAKE
+
+    (testpath/"dummy.cpp").write <<~CPP
+      int dummy() { return 0; }
+    CPP
+
+    system "cmake", "-S", ".", "-B", "build",
+           "-DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=#{opt_prefix}"
+    system "cmake", "--build", "build"
+  end
+end
+
diff --git a/Formula/qtsparkle-qt6/README.md b/Formula/qtsparkle-qt6/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c6732cec1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Formula/qtsparkle-qt6/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# qtsparkle-qt6 (local Homebrew formula)
+
+This installs Strawberry’s Qt updater helper library as a CMake package:
+
+- `find_package(qtsparkle-qt6 CONFIG REQUIRED)`
+- target: `qtsparkle-qt6::qtsparkle`
+
+Strawberry will pick it up automatically when present and enable the optional
+**QtSparkle integration**.
+
diff --git a/Formula/sparkle-framework.rb b/Formula/sparkle-framework.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..37dba97c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Formula/sparkle-framework.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+class SparkleFramework < Formula
+  desc "Sparkle.framework for macOS app updates (framework-only packaging)"
+  homepage "https://sparkle-project.org/"
+  url "https://github.com/sparkle-project/Sparkle/releases/download/2.8.1/Sparkle-2.8.1.tar.xz"
+  sha256 "5cddb7695674ef7704268f38eccaee80e3accbf19e61c1689efff5b6116d85be"
+  license "MIT"
+
+  depends_on :macos
+
+  def install
+    frameworks = prefix/"Frameworks"
+    frameworks.install "Sparkle.framework"
+  end
+
+  test do
+    assert_predicate prefix/"Frameworks/Sparkle.framework", :exist?
+  end
+end
+
diff --git a/Formula/sparkle-framework/README.md b/Formula/sparkle-framework/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5a37d5c07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Formula/sparkle-framework/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# sparkle-framework (local Homebrew formula)
+
+Installs the upstream `Sparkle.framework` into:
+
+- `$(brew --prefix sparkle-framework)/Frameworks/Sparkle.framework`
+
+This is used to enable Strawberry’s optional **Sparkle integration** on macOS
+(`find_library(SPARKLE Sparkle)` in the main `CMakeLists.txt`).
+
diff --git a/cmake/Dmg.cmake b/cmake/Dmg.cmake
index 7967d60ca..837a83f72 100644
--- a/cmake/Dmg.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Dmg.cmake
@@ -1,18 +1,20 @@
-find_program(MACDEPLOYQT_EXECUTABLE NAMES macdeployqt PATHS /usr/bin /usr/local/bin /opt/local/bin /usr/local/opt/qt6/bin REQUIRED)
+# NOTE: Packaging helpers should not be REQUIRED at configure time.
+# Missing tools should simply disable the related custom targets.
+find_program(MACDEPLOYQT_EXECUTABLE NAMES macdeployqt PATHS /usr/bin /usr/local/bin /opt/local/bin /usr/local/opt/qt6/bin)
 if(MACDEPLOYQT_EXECUTABLE)
   message(STATUS "Found macdeployqt: ${MACDEPLOYQT_EXECUTABLE}")
 else()
   message(WARNING "Missing macdeployqt executable.")
 endif()
 
-find_program(MACDEPLOYCHECK_EXECUTABLE NAMES macdeploycheck PATHS /usr/bin /usr/local/bin /opt/local/bin /usr/local/opt/qt6/bin REQUIRED)
+find_program(MACDEPLOYCHECK_EXECUTABLE NAMES macdeploycheck PATHS /usr/bin /usr/local/bin /opt/local/bin /usr/local/opt/qt6/bin)
 if(MACDEPLOYCHECK_EXECUTABLE)
   message(STATUS "Found macdeploycheck: ${MACDEPLOYCHECK_EXECUTABLE}")
 else()
-  message(WARNING "Missing macdeploycheck executable.")
+  message(STATUS "macdeploycheck not found (optional): 'deploycheck' target will be unavailable.")
 endif()
 
-find_program(CREATEDMG_EXECUTABLE NAMES create-dmg REQUIRED)
+find_program(CREATEDMG_EXECUTABLE NAMES create-dmg)
 if(CREATEDMG_EXECUTABLE)
   message(STATUS "Found create-dmg: ${CREATEDMG_EXECUTABLE}")
 else()
diff --git a/cmake/FindRapidJSON.cmake b/cmake/FindRapidJSON.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..084f76e3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmake/FindRapidJSON.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# Try to find RapidJSON (header-only).
+#
+# This project uses `find_package(RapidJSON)` and expects:
+# - RapidJSON_FOUND
+# - RapidJSON_INCLUDE_DIRS
+#
+# Homebrew's `rapidjson` formula commonly installs headers to:
+#   /opt/homebrew/include/rapidjson
+# but does not always ship a `RapidJSONConfig.cmake`, so we provide this
+# Find-module fallback.
+
+find_path(RapidJSON_INCLUDE_DIR
+  NAMES rapidjson/document.h
+)
+
+include(FindPackageHandleStandardArgs)
+find_package_handle_standard_args(RapidJSON
+  REQUIRED_VARS RapidJSON_INCLUDE_DIR
+)
+
+if(RapidJSON_FOUND)
+  set(RapidJSON_INCLUDE_DIRS "${RapidJSON_INCLUDE_DIR}")
+endif()
+
+if(RapidJSON_FOUND AND NOT TARGET RapidJSON::RapidJSON)
+  add_library(RapidJSON::RapidJSON INTERFACE IMPORTED)
+  set_target_properties(RapidJSON::RapidJSON PROPERTIES
+    INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${RapidJSON_INCLUDE_DIR}"
+  )
+endif()
+
diff --git a/cmake/OptionalComponent.cmake b/cmake/OptionalComponent.cmake
index 843176bc6..882597801 100644
--- a/cmake/OptionalComponent.cmake
+++ b/cmake/OptionalComponent.cmake
@@ -1,6 +1,23 @@
 set(summary_willbuild "")
 set(summary_willnotbuild "")
 
+# On some platforms (notably macOS via Homebrew), many "optional" dependencies are
+# not installed by default. Historically, Strawberry treated missing optional deps
+# as a hard error when the option defaulted to ON, which makes first-time builds
+# frustrating.
+#
+# This toggle controls that behavior:
+# - ON  => missing optional deps abort the configure (packager/CI-friendly)
+# - OFF => missing optional deps auto-disable the component (dev-friendly)
+set(_optional_components_fatal_default ON)
+if(APPLE)
+  set(_optional_components_fatal_default OFF)
+endif()
+option(OPTIONAL_COMPONENTS_MISSING_DEPS_ARE_FATAL
+  "If ON, missing optional component dependencies are fatal (otherwise components auto-disable)"
+  ${_optional_components_fatal_default}
+)
+
 macro(optional_component_summary_add name test)
   if (${test})
     list(APPEND summary_willbuild ${name})
@@ -80,8 +97,13 @@ function(optional_component name default description)
     set(text "${description} (missing ${deplist_text})")
 
     set(summary_willnotbuild "${summary_willnotbuild};${text}" PARENT_SCOPE)
-
-    message(FATAL_ERROR "${text}, to disable this optional feature, pass -D${option_variable}=OFF to CMake")
+    if(OPTIONAL_COMPONENTS_MISSING_DEPS_ARE_FATAL)
+      message(FATAL_ERROR "${text}, to disable this optional feature, pass -D${option_variable}=OFF to CMake")
+    else()
+      message(STATUS "${text} - disabling ${option_variable}")
+      set(${option_variable} OFF CACHE BOOL "${description}" FORCE)
+      return()
+    endif()
 
   else()
     set(${have_variable} ON PARENT_SCOPE)