# b4 mit Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman, zypper installieren Prüfe Installationswege, Executables, Metadaten und Sicherheitshinweise für b4 in AI-Agent-Workflows. ## Installation ```sh sudo av install brew:b4 ``` Weitere Installationsbefehle: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install b4 ``` Evidenz: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add b4 ``` Evidenz: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: b4 from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install b4 ``` Evidenz: Debian stable package indexes: b4 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install b4 ``` Evidenz: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: b4 from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#b4 ``` Evidenz: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/b4/b4/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S b4 ``` Evidenz: Arch Linux sync databases: b4 from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install b4 ``` Evidenz: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: b4 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Paketfakten - **Paketschlüssel:** brew:b4 - **Paketmanager:** Homebrew - **Paketmanager-Seite:** - **Version:** 0.15.2 - **Quellzusammenfassung:** Tool to work with public-inbox and patch archives - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream-Dokumentation:** - **Lizenz:** GPL-2.0-or-later - **Quellarchiv:** - **Zuletzt aktualisiert:** 2026-05-20T10:36:58Z - **Generiert:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - b4 (cli) - b4 (Alias) ## Abhängigkeiten - certifi - cffi - libsodium - python@3.14 ## Installationsverhalten - Post-install-Hook: nicht definiert - Bottle: verfügbar auf arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Version und Aktualität - Seite generiert: 2026-07-08 - Manager-Version: 0.15.2 - Manager aktualisiert: 2026-05-20 - lokale Daten: OK - Upstream-Repository: https://b4.docs.kernel.org/en/latest/ - Info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Projektgeschichte und Nutzung b4 is a kernel.org-hosted command-line tool for distributed development workflows built around mailing-list patches. It helps contributors, reviewers, and maintainers retrieve threads from public-inbox archives, prepare and send patch series, apply patches, collect trailers, and tie Git commits back to list discussion. ### Projektgeschichte b4 grew out of the Linux kernel community's long-running email patch workflow. Its documentation states that it was created to make it easier for developers and maintainers to use distributed workflows that rely on patches and distribution lists for contribution and review. The project is hosted under kernel.org's utilities namespace and its docs are divided by role: maintainers who receive and apply series, reviewers who inspect patches, and contributors who prepare and send work. That structure mirrors the social workflow of kernel development more than a generic Git porcelain. ### Adoptionsgeschichte b4's adoption follows the public-inbox and lore.kernel.org era of kernel development: instead of scraping local mailboxes, it can operate against archived mailing-list threads by message id and then produce mbox, git-am, trailer, and review workflows. The package metadata in this batch shows b4 available through Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, Nix, and openSUSE. That is a practical sign that the tool moved from kernel-maintainer specialty into the general Unix developer toolbox. ### Wie es verwendet wird Maintainers use b4 commands such as mbox, am, shazam, diff, pr, ty, review, and kr to fetch patch threads, apply series, compare revisions, process pull requests, send feedback, and work with contributor keys. Contributors use b4 prep, send, and trailers to prepare patch series, send mail, and collect reviewed-by or acked-by trailers from mailing-list discussion. Configuration is intentionally Git-native, using system, user, repository, and optional .b4-config settings. ### Warum Paket-Nerds sich dafür interessieren b4 is package-nerd gold because it packages a culture, not just a command. It encodes the Linux kernel's email-first review workflow into reproducible CLI steps that can be installed on macOS and Linux without joining the whole kernel.org infrastructure by hand. It also marks the modern public-inbox turn in open-source packaging: source history, review, and artifact provenance are stitched together by message ids, Link trailers, and git metadata rather than by a web forge alone. ### Zeitleiste - 2019: b4 documentation copyright begins, matching the period when kernel.org tooling around public-inbox workflows became formalized. - 2022: b4 end-user docs cover maintainer and contributor workflows, including patch retrieval, application, diffing, pull requests, and automated feedback. - 2026: b4 release notes document newer review and bug-tracking workflows, showing the tool expanding beyond patch retrieval into broader maintainer workflow support. ### Related projects - public-inbox and lore.kernel.org provide the archived mailing-list substrate b4 works against. - git-am is the traditional Git patch-application workflow that b4 helps feed. - git-config is the configuration mechanism used by b4. - Patchwork and git-bug appear in b4's documented integrations and newer workflow areas. ### Quellen - - - - - input.json source_facts.package-manager ## Sicherheitshinweise Für b4 wurde kein passendes lokales Secret-Handling-Manifest gefunden. Nucleus-Paketmetadaten bleiben hier veröffentlicht, damit künftige Abdeckung eine stabile Paket-URL hat. ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: /etc/gitconfig, ~/.gitconfig, somerepo/.git/config, .b4-config ## Credential files - Unix: /etc/gitconfig, ~/.gitconfig, somerepo/.git/config ## Details aus der Quelldatenbank - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** b4 - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 2 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Andere Paketmanager-Einträge - Debian apt - b4 - 0.14.2-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: b4 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | helper utility to work with patches made available via a public-inbox archive | https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/utils/b4/b4.git - Nix - b4: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/b4/b4/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - b4 - 0.13.0-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: b4 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | helper utility to work with patches made available via a public-inbox archive | https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/utils/b4/b4.git - apk - b4 - 0.15.2-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: b4 from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Tool to help with email-based patch workflows | https://b4.docs.kernel.org/ - apk - b4-doc - 0.15.2-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: b4-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Tool to help with email-based patch workflows (documentation) | https://b4.docs.kernel.org/ - apk - b4-pyc - 0.15.2-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: b4-pyc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Precompiled Python bytecode for b4 | https://b4.docs.kernel.org/ - dnf - b4 - 0.14.3-3.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: b4 from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | A helper tool to work with public-inbox and patch series | https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/utils/b4/b4.git - pacman - b4 - 0.15.2-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: b4 from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Helper utility to work with patches made available via a public-inbox archive like lore.kernel.org. | https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/utils/b4/b4.git/ - zypper - b4 - 0.15.2-1.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: b4 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Helper scripts for kernel.org patches | https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/utils/b4/b4.git ## Verwandte Links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [cffi](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/brew/cffi/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [python@3.14](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/brew/python-3-14/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [diffstat](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/brew/diffstat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, patches. - [diffutils](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/brew/diffutils/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, patches. - [html2text](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/brew/html2text/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, email. - [mailsy](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/brew/mailsy/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, email. - [mjml](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/brew/mjml/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, email. - [morpheus](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/brew/morpheus/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, email. - [notmuch](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/brew/notmuch/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, email. - [notmuch-mutt](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/brew/notmuch-mutt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, email. - [cobo-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/brew/cobo-cli/) - Both packages touch the same language runtime or ecosystem. Shared terms: certifi, cffi, cli, developer, developer-tools. - [charmcraft](https://www.automicvault.com/de/pkg/brew/charmcraft/) - Both packages touch the same language runtime or ecosystem. Shared terms: certifi, cli, developer, developer-tools, libsodium. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/b4.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/b4.yml) ## Quellen - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph