Failures during ./configure should mention config.log.

Library/Homebrew/formula.rb

@@ -205,6 +205,12 @@ def brew
         onoe e.inspect
         puts e.backtrace
         ohai "Rescuing build..."
+        if (e.was_running_configure? rescue false) and File.exist? 'config.log'
+          puts "It looks like an autotools configure failed."
+          puts "Gist 'config.log' and any error output when reporting an issue."
+          puts
+        end
+
         puts "When you exit this shell Homebrew will attempt to finalise the installation."
         puts "If nothing is installed or the shell exits with a non-zero error code,"
         puts "Homebrew will abort. The installation prefix is:"

Library/Homebrew/global.rb

@@ -44,13 +44,18 @@
 
 
 class ExecutionError <RuntimeError
-  attr :exit_status
+  attr :exit_status, :command
 
   def initialize cmd, args = [], es = nil
+    @command = cmd
     super "Failure while executing: #{cmd} #{pretty(args)*' '}"
     @exit_status = es.exitstatus rescue 1
   end
 
+  def was_running_configure?
+    @command == './configure'
+  end
+
   private
 
   def pretty args

Library/Homebrew/test/test_formula_install.rb

@@ -21,6 +21,18 @@ def initialize
 end
 
 
+class ConfigureTests < Test::Unit::TestCase
+  def test_detect_failed_configure
+    f=ConfigureFails.new
+    begin
+      f.brew { f.install }
+    rescue ExecutionError => e
+      assert e.was_running_configure?
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+
 class InstallTests < Test::Unit::TestCase
   def temporary_install f
     # Brew and install the given formula

Library/Homebrew/test/testball.rb

@@ -12,3 +12,18 @@ def install
     prefix.install "libexec"
   end
 end
+
+class ConfigureFails <Formula
+  # name parameter required for some Formula::factory
+  def initialize name=nil
+    @url="file:///#{TEST_FOLDER}/configure_fails.tar.gz"
+    @homepage = 'http://example.com/'
+    @version = '1.0.0'
+    @md5 = '9385e1b68ab8af68ac2c35423443159b'
+    super "configurefails"
+  end
+
+  def install
+    system "./configure"
+  end
+end

Library/Homebrew/test/testing_env.rb

@@ -26,15 +26,21 @@
 # Test fixtures and files can be found relative to this path
 TEST_FOLDER = Pathname.new(ABS__FILE__).parent.realpath
 
-
+# Note: These exceptions duplicate those defined in globals.
+# Perhaps the same definitions should be used in both places.
 class ExecutionError <RuntimeError
-  attr :exit_status
+  attr :exit_status, :command
 
   def initialize cmd, args = [], es = nil
+    @command = cmd
     super "Failure while executing: #{cmd} #{pretty(args)*' '}"
     @exit_status = es.exitstatus rescue 1
   end
 
+  def was_running_configure?
+    @command == './configure'
+  end
+
   private
 
   def pretty args
@@ -49,6 +55,12 @@ def pretty args
 end
 
 class BuildError <ExecutionError
+  attr :env
+
+  def initialize cmd, args = [], es = nil
+    super
+    @env = ENV.to_hash
+  end
 end
 
 require 'test/unit' # must be after at_exit

bin/brew

@@ -434,6 +434,13 @@ rescue BuildError => e
   # then replace that string with the following when the github api returns
   issues = issues_for_formula(formula_name)
   puts "These existing issues may help you:", *issues unless issues.empty?
+  if e.was_running_configure?
+    puts "It looks like an autotools configure failed."
+    puts "Consider re-running the install with '-vd' to keep 'config.log' around:"
+    puts "    brew install -vd formula_name"
+    puts "Gist 'config.log' and any error output when reporting an issue."
+  end
+  puts
   puts "Consider running `brew doctor` if a large number of installs are failing."
   exit 1
 rescue RuntimeError, SystemCallError => e