diff --git a/.changeset/large-kangaroos-poke.md b/.changeset/large-kangaroos-poke.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3a9444cfa1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/large-kangaroos-poke.md
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+---
+'@backstage/create-app': patch
+---
+
+Added an explicit `node-gyp` dependency to the root `package.json`. This is to work around a bug in older versions of `node-gyp` that causes Python execution to fail on macOS.
+
+You can add this workaround to your existing project by adding `node-gyp` as a `devDependency` in your root `package.json` file:
+
+```diff
+   "devDependencies": {
++    "node-gyp": "^9.0.0"
+   },
+```
diff --git a/packages/create-app/templates/default-app/package.json.hbs b/packages/create-app/templates/default-app/package.json.hbs
index d4cf4fb5fe..47fb0d622f 100644
--- a/packages/create-app/templates/default-app/package.json.hbs
+++ b/packages/create-app/templates/default-app/package.json.hbs
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@
     "concurrently": "^6.0.0",
     "lerna": "^4.0.0",
     "prettier": "^2.3.2",
-    "typescript": "~4.6.4"
+    "typescript": "~4.6.4",
+    "node-gyp": "^9.0.0"
   },
   "resolutions": {
     "@types/react": "^17",