The “The search target requires INDEX-9. Please run make index or make fetchindex” error message in FreeBSD indicates that the necessary index for the ports collection is missing. This error occurs when you run a command such as “portmaster” or “portupgrade” without the necessary index.
To resolve this error, run the following command as the root user:
make index
or
make fetchindex
This will download the necessary index files, allowing you to use the “portmaster” or “portupgrade” commands as expected.