# Install b43-fwcutter with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman, zypper Extract firmware from Braodcom 43xx driver files. Version 020 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-23. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:b43-fwcutter ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install b43-fwcutter ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add b43-fwcutter ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: b43-fwcutter from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install b43-fwcutter ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: b43-fwcutter from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/contrib/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install b43-fwcutter ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: b43-fwcutter 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#b43-fwcutter ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/b4/b43-fwcutter/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S b43-fwcutter ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: b43-fwcutter from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install b43-fwcutter ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: b43-fwcutter from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:b43-fwcutter - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 020 - **Source summary:** Extract firmware from Braodcom 43xx driver files - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-2-Clause - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-05-23T14:00:53Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - b43-fwcutter (cli) - b43-fwcutter (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 020 - Package-manager updated: 2026-05-23 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://wireless.docs.kernel.org/en/latest/en/users/drivers/b43.html - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage b43-fwcutter is a small system utility for extracting firmware files for Linux's b43 and b43legacy Broadcom wireless drivers from Broadcom-supplied binary driver packages. It exists because many Broadcom devices need firmware uploaded after reset, but distributions historically could not simply redistribute the extracted firmware. ### Project history The Linux Wireless b43 documentation explains the historical problem directly: Broadcom hardware requires firmware after reset, b43 expects that firmware under the system firmware directory, and Broadcom did not publish firmware for most cards. The b43 community therefore developed b43-fwcutter to extract the needed firmware files from Broadcom Linux binary drivers. The official b43-fwcutter distribution directory shows early b43-fwcutter tarballs from 2008, continuing through multiple releases and a 2026 b43-fwcutter-020 tarball. The source lives in Michael Buesch's b43-tools repository, alongside the wider b43 maintenance tooling. ### Adoption history b43-fwcutter became a distribution plumbing tool rather than an end-user glamour tool. Linux Wireless documents distro-specific helpers in openSUSE, Ubuntu, and Debian that wrapped or integrated the extraction process to reduce the manual burden on users. The package metadata in this batch shows b43-fwcutter packaged by Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, Nix, and openSUSE. That spread reflects the same practical need across Linux distributions: installing free driver code was not enough when firmware still had to be extracted separately. ### How it is used Users and distribution scripts run b43-fwcutter against supported Broadcom driver archives, then install the extracted firmware where the Linux firmware loader can find it, commonly under /lib/firmware/b43/ for b43. It is usually encountered while reviving older Broadcom 43xx wireless hardware, especially on systems where the kernel driver is present but firmware redistribution rules or packaging policy require a local extraction step. ### Why package nerds care b43-fwcutter is a classic packaging edge-case artifact: tiny, unglamorous, and historically necessary because driver, firmware, licensing, and distro policy did not line up cleanly. It matters to package nerds because it shows how package managers sometimes ship tools that do legal and operational boundary work rather than merely install upstream software. The package is the bridge between free kernel drivers and proprietary firmware blobs users had to obtain separately. ### Timeline - 2008: b43-fwcutter tarballs 009 and 010 appear in the official fwcutter distribution directory. - 2014: b43-fwcutter-019 is published in the official distribution directory. - 2026: b43-fwcutter-020 is published, showing the utility still maintained for legacy Broadcom support. ### Related projects - b43 and b43legacy are the Linux Broadcom wireless drivers that consume the extracted firmware. - bcm43xx was the earlier Broadcom Linux wireless driver family referenced by Linux Wireless documentation. - Distribution helper packages such as Ubuntu's firmware-b43-installer and openSUSE's install_bcm43xx_firmware wrapped the extraction workflow. ### Sources - - - - - input.json source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** b43-fwcutter - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - b43-fwcutter - 1:019-14: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: b43-fwcutter from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/contrib/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | utility for extracting Broadcom 43xx firmware | https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/b43 - Debian apt - firmware-b43-installer - 1:019-14: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: firmware-b43-installer from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/contrib/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | firmware installer for the b43 driver | https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/b43 - Debian apt - firmware-b43legacy-installer - 1:019-14: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: firmware-b43legacy-installer from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/contrib/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | firmware installer for the b43legacy driver | https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/b43 - Nix - b43-fwcutter: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/b4/b43-fwcutter/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - b43-fwcutter - 1:019-11build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: b43-fwcutter from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | utility for extracting Broadcom 43xx firmware | https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/b43 - Ubuntu apt - firmware-b43-installer - 1:019-11build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: firmware-b43-installer from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/multiverse/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | firmware installer for the b43 driver | https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/b43 - Ubuntu apt - firmware-b43legacy-installer - 1:019-11build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: firmware-b43legacy-installer from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/multiverse/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | firmware installer for the b43legacy driver | https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/b43 - apk - b43-fwcutter - 019-r3: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: b43-fwcutter from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Tool to extract firmware from Broadcom drivers | https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/b43 - apk - b43-fwcutter-doc - 019-r3: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: b43-fwcutter-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Tool to extract firmware from Broadcom drivers (documentation) | https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/b43 - dnf - b43-fwcutter - 020-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: b43-fwcutter from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Firmware extraction tool for Broadcom wireless driver | https://bues.ch/b43/fwcutter/ - pacman - b43-fwcutter - 019-6: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: b43-fwcutter from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz | firmware extractor for the b43 kernel module | https://wireless.docs.kernel.org/en/latest/en/users/drivers/b43.html - zypper - b43-fwcutter - 019-7.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: b43-fwcutter from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Tool for extracting firmware from newer Broadcom WLAN drivers | https://bues.ch/cms/hacking/misc.html#linux_b43_driver_firmware_tools ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Documentation packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/documentation-tools/) - Matched documentation, manual, or publishing metadata. - [Web development packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/web-dev-tools/) - Matched web development metadata. - [acpica](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/acpica/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, firmware, system. - [dfu-programmer](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dfu-programmer/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, firmware, system. - [dfu-util](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dfu-util/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, firmware, system. - [flashrom](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/flashrom/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, firmware, system. - [fon-flash-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fon-flash-cli/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, firmware, system. - [fwup](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fwup/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, firmware, system. - [fwupd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fwupd/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, firmware, linux, system. - [bluez](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bluez/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, linux, system, wireless. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/b43-fwcutter.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/b43-fwcutter.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - 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