install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install brightness

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install brightness

MacPorts ports tree · sysutils/brightness/Portfile · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Change macOS display brightness from the command-line

Project links

Commands and aliases

brightness

history

Project history and usage

brightness is a macOS command-line utility for reading and setting display brightness from scripts or the terminal.

Project history

The nriley/brightness repository was created in February 2014, with release 1.2 published in August 2015. The README describes a focused utility for controlling all internal and some external displays from the command line.

Its maintenance history mirrors macOS display API changes. The README notes that documented APIs worked through macOS 10.12.3, then Night Shift in 10.12.4 required an undocumented method, and Apple Silicon Macs later required another undocumented method.

Adoption history

brightness became a durable small utility for macOS automation users. It is packaged in Homebrew and MacPorts according to the input package facts, has hundreds of GitHub stars, and Homebrew analytics reported several thousand installs over the prior year at lookup time.

How it is used

Users run simple commands such as `brightness 1`, `brightness 0.5`, or `brightness -l` to set or list display brightness. The README cautions that displays not controllable through macOS Displays settings generally cannot be controlled by the tool either.

Why package nerds care

brightness is the archetypal tiny macOS system utility package: a single-purpose binary that exists because shell scripts and automation tools need access to a GUI-era hardware setting. Its significance is not breadth, but longevity across changing macOS display internals.

Timeline

2014: Repository created.
2015: Release 1.2 published.
2017: README documents the macOS 10.12.4 Night Shift-era API break and workaround.
2021: Repository history includes Universal 2 build work for Apple Silicon.
2026: Homebrew stable version reported as 1.2.

Related projects

Homebrew and MacPorts distribute brightness for macOS users.
macOS display APIs and IOKit-style display enumeration are the system interfaces around which the utility operates.
Shell scripts, launch agents, and automation workflows are common consumers of this kind of command-line brightness control.

Sources

https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/brightness.json
https://github.com/nriley/brightness
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nriley/brightness/master/README.md
source_facts.package-manager

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 11 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
`brightness`	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 version1.2

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detected1.2

https://github.com/nriley/brightness

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:brightness
Version	1.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/brightness
Homepage	https://github.com/nriley/brightness
Repository	https://github.com/nriley/brightness
Upstream docs	https://github.com/nriley/brightness#readme
License	BSD-2-Clause
Source archive	https://github.com/nriley/brightness/archive/refs/tags/1.2.tar.gz
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	brightness
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Requirements	macos
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.

MacPorts95%

brightness

sudo port install brightness

normalized package name match
Matched by: Brightness

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/brightness/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/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/brightness.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 brightness with Homebrew, MacPorts