diff -Naur a/tools/gyp/pylib/gyp/xcode_emulation.py b/tools/gyp/pylib/gyp/xcode_emulation.py
--- a/tools/gyp/pylib/gyp/xcode_emulation.py	2013-12-19 00:49:45.000000000 +0100
+++ b/tools/gyp/pylib/gyp/xcode_emulation.py	2014-01-13 13:46:19.000000000 +0100
@@ -295,11 +295,20 @@
 
   def _XcodeSdkPath(self, sdk_root):
     if sdk_root not in XcodeSettings._sdk_path_cache:
-      sdk_path = self._GetSdkVersionInfoItem(sdk_root, 'Path')
-      XcodeSettings._sdk_path_cache[sdk_root] = sdk_path
-      if sdk_root:
-        XcodeSettings._sdk_root_cache[sdk_path] = sdk_root
-    return XcodeSettings._sdk_path_cache[sdk_root]
+        try:
+            sdk_path = self._GetSdkVersionInfoItem(sdk_root, 'Path')
+            XcodeSettings._sdk_path_cache[sdk_root] = sdk_path
+            
+            if sdk_root:
+                XcodeSettings._sdk_root_cache[sdk_path] = sdk_root
+        except:
+            # if this fails it's because xcodebuild failed, which means
+            # the user is probably on a CLT-only system, where there
+            # is no valid SDK root
+            XcodeSettings._sdk_path_cache[sdk_root] = None
+
+    return None;
+    #return XcodeSettings._sdk_path_cache[sdk_root]
 
   def _AppendPlatformVersionMinFlags(self, lst):
     self._Appendf(lst, 'MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET', '-mmacosx-version-min=%s')
@@ -409,10 +418,11 @@
 
     cflags += self._Settings().get('WARNING_CFLAGS', [])
 
-    config = self.spec['configurations'][self.configname]
-    framework_dirs = config.get('mac_framework_dirs', [])
-    for directory in framework_dirs:
-      cflags.append('-F' + directory.replace('$(SDKROOT)', sdk_root))
+    if 'SDKROOT' in self._Settings():
+      config = self.spec['configurations'][self.configname]
+      framework_dirs = config.get('mac_framework_dirs', [])
+      for directory in framework_dirs:
+        cflags.append('-F' + directory.replace('$(SDKROOT)', sdk_root))
 
     self.configname = None
     return cflags
@@ -659,10 +669,11 @@
     for rpath in self._Settings().get('LD_RUNPATH_SEARCH_PATHS', []):
       ldflags.append('-Wl,-rpath,' + rpath)
 
-    config = self.spec['configurations'][self.configname]
-    framework_dirs = config.get('mac_framework_dirs', [])
-    for directory in framework_dirs:
-      ldflags.append('-F' + directory.replace('$(SDKROOT)', self._SdkPath()))
+    if 'SDKROOT' in self._Settings():
+      config = self.spec['configurations'][self.configname]
+      framework_dirs = config.get('mac_framework_dirs', [])
+      for directory in framework_dirs:
+        ldflags.append('-F' + directory.replace('$(SDKROOT)', self._SdkPath()))
 
     self.configname = None
     return ldflags
@@ -843,7 +854,10 @@
         l = '-l' + m.group(1)
       else:
         l = library
-    return l.replace('$(SDKROOT)', self._SdkPath(config_name))
+    if self._SdkPath():
+      return l.replace('$(SDKROOT)', self._SdkPath(config_name))
+    else:
+      return l
 
   def AdjustLibraries(self, libraries, config_name=None):
     """Transforms entries like 'Cocoa.framework' in libraries into entries like
@@ -956,12 +970,15 @@
     # Since the value returned by this function is only used when ARCHS is not
     # set, then on iOS we return "i386", as the default xcode project generator
     # does not set ARCHS if it is not set in the .gyp file.
-    if self.isIOS:
-      return 'i386'
-    version, build = self._XcodeVersion()
-    if version >= '0500':
-      return 'x86_64'
-    return 'i386'
+    try:
+        if self.isIOS:
+          return 'i386'
+        version, build = self._XcodeVersion()
+        if version >= '0500':
+          return 'x86_64'
+        return 'i386'
+    except:
+        return 'x86_64'
 
 class MacPrefixHeader(object):
   """A class that helps with emulating Xcode's GCC_PREFIX_HEADER feature.