GoKawiilEmacs 31.1 released with tree-sitter upgrades and unexec dumper retired
Emacs 31.1 has shipped without one dominant flagship feature, instead delivering a batch of quality-of-life improvements. Notable changes include broader tree-sitter support with a long-requested automatic grammar installer, and the formal deprecation of the decades-old unexec memory-dumping mechanism used to speed up startup. A planned new garbage collector was left out and pushed to the next major release, Emacs 32.
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The removal of unexec closes out a decades-long technical workaround born from the era when loading Emacs's full Lisp environment from scratch was too slow for everyday use, signaling the project's shift toward more modern, portable dumping methods. Improved tree-sitter integration lowers the barrier for users wanting fast, accurate syntax highlighting and parsing without manually managing grammar files, keeping Emacs competitive with newer editors.
- Emacs 31.1 focuses on incremental refinements rather than one headline feature.
- The legacy unexec dumper, used since early Emacs versions to speed up startup, has been officially deprecated.
- Tree-sitter support gains an automatic grammar installer, while a new garbage collector was deferred to Emacs 32.
Kinesis Advantage360 Ergonomic Keyboard — If you're diving into Emacs 31.1 and living in your keybindings, a contoured split keyboard like the Kinesis Advantage360 puts Ctrl and Meta under your thumbs instead of your pinkies. It's a favorite among Emacs users who spend all day chording, and it makes long editing sessions far kinder on your wrists.
See Kinesis Advantage360 Ergonomic Keyboard on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: masteringemacs.org, 2026-08-24
Published there as: “What's new in Emacs 31.1”
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