diff --git a/scripts/build_macos_wheels.sh b/scripts/build_macos_wheels.sh
index 59c0c30f8..c701f6d8d 100755
--- a/scripts/build_macos_wheels.sh
+++ b/scripts/build_macos_wheels.sh
@@ -1,25 +1,94 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
+# (c) 2017-2023 Tuplex team
+# builds x86_64 (and arm64) wheels
+
+# add -x option for verbose output
+set -euo pipefail
+
+function fail {
+    printf '%s\n' "$1" >&2
+    exit "${2-1}"
+}
+
+function detect_instruction_set() {
+  arch="$(uname -m)"  # -i is only linux, -m is linux and apple
+  if [[ "$arch" = x86_64* ]]; then
+    if [[ "$(uname -a)" = *ARM64* ]]; then
+      echo 'arm64'
+    else
+      echo 'x86_64'
+    fi
+  elif [[ "$arch" = i*86 ]]; then
+    echo 'x86_32'
+  elif [[ "$arch" = arm* ]]; then
+    echo $arch
+  elif test "$arch" = aarch64; then
+    echo 'arm64'
+  else
+    exit 1
+	fi
+}
 
 # check from where script is invoked
 CWD="$(cd -P -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd -P)"
+echo " || Tuplex macOS wheel builder || "
+echo "-- Executing buildwheel script located in $CWD"
+
+# check platform is darwin
+if [ ! "$(uname -s)" = "Darwin" ]; then
+  fail "Error: Need to run script under macOS"
+fi
+
+# check which tags are supported
+arch=$(detect_instruction_set)
+echo "-- Detected arch ${arch}"
+
+# try to extract version of compiler first via command-line tools or xcode
+# either needs to be installed.
+xcode_version_str=$(pkgutil --pkg-info=com.apple.pkg.CLTools_Executables 2>/dev/null | grep version || pkgutil --pkg-info=com.apple.pkg.Xcode | grep version)
+echo "-- Detected Xcode ${xcode_version_str}"
+
+# if no param is given, use defaults to build all
+if [ "${arch}" = "arm64" ]; then
+  # build Python 3.9 - 3.11
+  CIBW_BUILD=${CIBW_BUILD-"cp3{9,10,11}-macosx_arm64"}
+else
+  # build Python 3.8 - 3.11
+  CIBW_BUILD=${CIBW_BUILD-"cp3{8,9,10,11}-macosx_x86_64"}
+fi
+
+echo "-- Building wheels for ${CIBW_BUILD}"
+
+# if macOS is 10.x -> use this as minimum
+MINIMUM_TARGET="10.13"
+
+MACOS_VERSION=$(sw_vers -productVersion)
+echo "-- Processing on MacOS ${MACOS_VERSION}"
+function version { echo "$@" | awk -F. '{ printf("%d%03d%03d%03d\n", $1,$2,$3,$4); }'; }
+
+MACOS_VERSION_MAJOR=`echo $MACOS_VERSION | cut -d . -f1`
+
+if [ "$MACOS_VERSION_MAJOR" -ge 11 ]; then
+    echo "-- Newer MacOS detected (>=11.0), using more recent base target."
+    echo "-- Using minimum target ${MACOS_VERSION_MAJOR}.0"
+    MINIMUM_TARGET="${MACOS_VERSION_MAJOR}.0"
+else
+    # keep as is
+    echo "-- Defaulting build to use as minimum target ${MINIMUM_TARGET}"
+fi
 
-echo "Executing buildwheel script located in $CWD"
 pushd $CWD > /dev/null
 cd ..
 
-# protobuf 3.20-3.21.2 is broken for MacOS, so use
-# 3.19.4
-# brew tap-new $USER/local-podman
-# brew extract --version=3.19.4 protobuf $USER/local-podman
-# brew install $USER/local-podman/protobuf@3.19.4
-# i.e., prepend to statemtnt the following: brew tap-new $USER/local; brew extract --force --version=3.19.4 protobuf $USER/local && brew install $USER/local/protobuf@3.19.4 &&
-export CIBW_BEFORE_BUILD_MACOS="brew install protobuf coreutils zstd zlib libmagic llvm@9 aws-sdk-cpp pcre2 antlr4-cpp-runtime googletest gflags yaml-cpp celero wget boost"
-export CIBW_ENVIRONMENT_MACOS="MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=10.13 CMAKE_ARGS='-DBUILD_WITH_AWS=ON -DBUILD_WITH_ORC=ON' "
+# Note: protobuf 3.20 - 3.21.2 is broken for MacOS, do not use those versions
+export CIBW_BEFORE_BUILD_MACOS="brew install protobuf coreutils zstd zlib libmagic llvm@16 aws-sdk-cpp pcre2 antlr4-cpp-runtime googletest gflags yaml-cpp celero wget boost ninja snappy"
+export CIBW_ENVIRONMENT_MACOS="MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=${MINIMUM_TARGET} CMAKE_ARGS='-DBUILD_WITH_AWS=ON -DBUILD_WITH_ORC=ON' "
 
-export CIBW_BUILD="cp3{7,8,9}-*"
-export CIBW_SKIP="cp3{5,6}-macosx* pp* *-musllinux_*"
+export CIBW_BUILD="${CIBW_BUILD}"
+export CIBW_PROJECT_REQUIRES_PYTHON=">=3.8"
 
-export CIBW_PROJECT_REQUIRES_PYTHON=">=3.7"
+# uncomment to increase verbosity of cibuildwheel
+# export CIBW_BUILD_VERBOSITY=3
 
 cibuildwheel --platform macos
 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 91285f654..f619ccd81 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -328,12 +328,13 @@ def build_extension(self, ext):
             if platform.system().lower() == 'darwin':
                 # mac os, use brewed versions!
                 out_py = subprocess.check_output(['brew', 'info', 'python3']).decode()
-                print(out_py)
                 def find_pkg_path(lines):
-                    return list(filter(lambda x: 'usr/local' in x, lines.split('\n')))[0]
+                    ans = list(filter(lambda x: 'usr/local' in x, lines.split('\n')))
+                    return None if 0 == len(ans) else ans[0]
 
                 out_py = find_pkg_path(out_py)
-                print('Found python3 @ {}'.format(out_py))
+                if out_py:
+                    logging.info('Found python3 @ {}'.format(out_py))
 
                 # setups find everything automatically...
                 llvm_root = None