install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install blink1

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#blink1-tool

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/bl/blink1-tool/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install main/blink1-tool

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/blink1-tool.json · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Control blink(1) indicator light

Project links

Commands and aliases

blink1-tool

history

Project history and usage

blink(1) is ThingM's USB RGB notification light, and `blink1-tool` is the official command-line and C/C++ tooling for controlling it. The Homebrew package represents the Unix-friendly side of a physical status indicator: scriptable color, blink, pattern, and firmware/device operations.

Project history

The upstream README calls the repository the official collection of C/C++ command-line tools for the blink(1) USB RGB LED. It lists `blink1-tool`, `blink1-tiny-server`, `blink1control-tool`, `blink1-lib`, `blink1-mini-tool`, and `blink1raw` as current tools.

GitHub releases show continued maintenance from the 2.x line through 2026, including releases for both `blink1-tool` and `blink1-tiny-server`.

Adoption history

blink(1) was adopted by developers and operations users as a physical notifier for builds, alerts, chat status, and ambient monitoring. Package-manager facts list Homebrew, Nix, and Scoop, which matches a cross-platform hardware utility used from scripts rather than a single desktop app.

How it is used

`blink1-tool` can list devices, set RGB/HSB colors, blink or flash, play/write/read patterns, save startup behavior, query firmware, select device IDs, and run quiet or verbose for scripts. Linux users may need udev rules so non-root processes can access the USB HID device.

The tooling supports macOS, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Raspberry Pi OS, BeagleBone, OpenWRT/DD-WRT, and other systems with GNU Make and a C compiler, with HIDAPI and simpler HIDDATA/libusb-oriented build options.

Why package nerds care

blink(1) is a neat package-manager artifact because installing one CLI turns a USB gadget into a Unix endpoint. It bridges shell scripts, CI systems, and physical computing without a daemon or cloud service.

It is also a tiny example of hardware packaging done right: udev rules, static-build concerns, HID backend choices, release binaries, a C library, and a CLI all live close together.

Timeline

2018-05-12: v2.0.1 release published on GitHub.
2022-01-27: v2.3.0 release published on GitHub.
2025-11-24: v2.4.0 release published on GitHub.
2026-04-16: v2.5.0 release published for blink1-tool and blink1-tiny-server.

Related projects

Related projects include Blink1Control, `blink1-tiny-server`, HIDAPI, libusb, udev-based Linux device access, and other USB notification-light integrations used by build and monitoring systems.

Sources

https://blink1.thingm.com/blink1-tool
https://github.com/todbot/blink1-tool#readme
https://github.com/todbot/blink1-tool/releases
input source_facts.package-manager

security posture

No protected-tool coverage found yet

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for blink1. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`blink1-tool`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version2.5.0

manager updated2026-05-18

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/todbot/blink1-tool

infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/todbot/blink1-toolnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:blink1
Version	2.5.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/blink1
Homepage	https://blink1.thingm.com/
Repository	https://github.com/todbot/blink1-tool
Upstream docs	https://blink1.thingm.com/blink1-tool
License	CC-BY-SA-4.0 OR MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/todbot/blink1-tool.git
Last updated	2026-05-18T02:22:18Z
Pulse	updated
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	blink1
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix92%

blink1-tool

nix profile install nixpkgs#blink1-tool

installed executable or alias match
Matched by: Blink1 Tool

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bl/blink1-tool/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Scoop92%

main/blink1-tool

scoop install main/blink1-tool

installed executable or alias match
Matched by: Blink1 Tool

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/blink1-tool.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/blink1.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install blink1 with Homebrew, Nix, scoop